{"id":9876,"date":"2025-11-07T08:51:56","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T08:51:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/?p=9876"},"modified":"2025-11-07T08:51:56","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T08:51:56","slug":"i-had-to-take-control-meet-taraji-p-henson-50-cents-new-partner-who-fired-her-entire-team-after-discovering-massive-pay-disparity-during-her-empire-fame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/?p=9876","title":{"rendered":"“I had to take control”: Meet Taraji P. Henson, 50 Cent’s new partner who fired her entire team after discovering massive pay disparity during her Empire fame."},"content":{"rendered":"

‘I had to take control’: Meet Taraji P. Henson, 50 Cent’s new partner, who fired her <\/span>entire management team<\/span><\/b> after discovering a huge pay discrepancy during the height of Empire’s fame <\/span>.<\/span><\/b> Meet Taraji P. Henson \u2013 the star of 50 Cent’s <\/span>Power<\/span><\/i> series \u2013 and discover her life after 10 years on the series that will surprise you. (Exploitation angle: From a strong female lead on screen to a single mother struggling in Hollywood, with candid sharing about mental health and an ambitious new film project.)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The Unbreakable Cookie: Taraji P. Henson’s Battle for Self and Success<\/span><\/h2>\n

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Taraji P. Henson is a <\/span>powerhouse star<\/span><\/b> who captivated millions of viewers with her role as the fierce matriarch Cookie Lyon on the hit TV series <\/span>Empire<\/span><\/i> (2015\u20132020). While she was initially billed as 50 Cent’s co-star in <\/span>Power<\/span><\/i> , recent industry news has revealed that they are collaborating on a highly anticipated new project: Henson will star in the Peacock adaptation of 50 Cent’s novel <\/span>The Accomplice<\/span><\/b> , proving her continued presence as a top actor and producer.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Henson\u2019s on-screen success, however, is only a small part of the off-screen journey of challenges, perseverance and fierce struggle that has shaped her. Her story is a relentless journey of a single mother fighting against the rigid Hollywood system, reaching a powerful new chapter as a mental health<\/span><\/b> advocate .<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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\ud83d\udcb8 Years of struggle: A single mother in Hollywood<\/span><\/h3>\n

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Before earning Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for her role in <\/span>Empire<\/span><\/i> and an Oscar nomination for her role as Queenie in <\/span>The Curious Case of Benjamin Button<\/span><\/i> (2008), Henson was a single mother struggling to survive in Los Angeles. She gave birth to her son, Marcell, while still in college at Howard University and moved to Hollywood with just <\/span>$700<\/span><\/b> in her pocket.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Henson has been candid about the financial and emotional toll of being a single parent in a demanding industry. She often worked multiple jobs\u2014including as a secretary at the Pentagon and as a song-and-dance waitress\u2014to support her son while pursuing her acting dreams. In interviews and her memoir <\/span>Around the Way Girl<\/span><\/b> , she shared that being a single mother <\/span>“almost broke her”<\/span><\/b> and that she wouldn’t wish it on her <\/span>“worst enemy<\/span><\/b> ,” highlighting the immense sacrifice required.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Key Data Point:<\/span><\/b> After <\/span>Empire<\/span><\/i> ended, Henson spoke out publicly about her struggles with <\/span>pay disparity<\/span><\/b> in Hollywood, revealing that even at the height of <\/span>Empire<\/span><\/i> ‘s fame , <\/span>“the numbers didn’t match up”<\/span><\/b> with her male co-stars, leading her to <\/span>fire her entire management team<\/span><\/b> for failing to capitalize on her massive success with endorsements and deals. She shared in an interview that they had <\/span>“nothing lined up”<\/span><\/b> for her after the show other than an idea for another Cookie spin-off, and she told them, <\/span>“You’re all fired.”<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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\ud83d\udc96 New mission: Advocating for mental health<\/span><\/h3>\n

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The most important and influential part of Henson’s life after <\/span>Empire has been her commitment to <\/span><\/i>mental health<\/span><\/b> advocacy , particularly in the African-American community. This struggle is deeply personal: she has struggled with her own anxiety and depression, and her late father, Boris Lawrence Henson (a Vietnam veteran), battled serious mental health issues after his discharge.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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  • Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation (BLHF):<\/span><\/span><\/b> Founded in 2018 and named after her father, this nonprofit is dedicated to removing the stigma around mental illness in the Black community and <\/span><\/span>increasing access to culturally competent mental health services<\/span><\/span><\/b> .<\/span><\/span>BLHF has offered <\/span>free therapy sessions<\/span><\/b> to people experiencing financial hardship, emphasizing the importance of having support from professionals who understand their unique experiences.<\/span><\/span>\n
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  • The Power of Vulnerability:<\/span><\/b> Henson launched her Emmy-nominated Facebook Watch series, <\/span>Peace of Mind with Taraji<\/span><\/i><\/b> , to showcase real, candid conversations about mental health, proving that sharing your struggles is a sign of <\/span>strength<\/span><\/b> , not weakness.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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    \ud83c\udfac Ambitious New Projects: Producer and Female Lead<\/span><\/h3>\n

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    Henson is now using her star power to take control of her career behind the scenes. Her recent work shows a focus on complex female roles and a growing list of producing roles:<\/span><\/p>\n

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    • The Color Purple<\/span><\/span><\/i> (2023):<\/span><\/span><\/b> She stars in the musical film adaptation as the memorable and complex character<\/span><\/span> Shug Avery<\/span><\/span><\/b> .<\/span><\/span> Critics have praised Shug’s delicate balance between her vibrant show-woman persona and the caring, maternal instincts she displays in quiet moments with the character of Celie.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
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    • Production Deals:<\/span><\/b> She signed a first-look deal with Fox Entertainment Studios through her production company, <\/span>TPH Entertainment<\/span><\/b> , indicating her ambition to develop new scripted and unscripted projects.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • The Accomplice<\/span><\/i> (Upcoming TV Series):<\/span><\/b> Henson will play<\/span> Nia Adams<\/span><\/b> , a brave Texas Ranger, and will also executive produce the series alongside 50 Cent\u2014a clear sign that she’s carving her own path as a leading lady and an industry powerhouse.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Taraji P. Henson’s life story is one of <\/span>unwavering resilience<\/span><\/b> . From the trials of being a single mother in a discriminatory industry to becoming an acclaimed artist and an important voice for social change, she embodies the spirit of an unstoppable queen.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      ‘I had to take control’: Meet Taraji P. Henson, 50 Cent’s new partner, who fired her entire management team after discovering a huge pay discrepancy during the height of Empire’s fame . Meet Taraji P. Henson \u2013 the star of 50 Cent’s Power series \u2013 and discover her life after 10 years on the series…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9876\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnews.topnewsource.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}