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Taraji P. Henson’s Tearful On-Air Confession: “I’m Tired. I’m Tired.”

Taraji P. Henson can’t control her emotions while opening up about how Black women are mistreated in Hollywood.

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Henson is one of the most accomplished actresses in the entertainment industry.

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Over the course of her career, she has recieved a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award and four Primetime Emmy Awards.

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After studying acting at Howard University, she made her film debut in the crime film Streetwise in 1998.

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She gained wider recognition for playing a prostitute in Hustle & Flow in 2005 and a single mother in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in 2008.

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Henson has also had an extensive career in television, co-starring as Joss Carter in the CBS drama series Person of Interest and starring as Cookie Lyon in the Fox drama Empire.

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With such a successful career that spans decades, fans might think Taraji has Hollywood all figured out–but it looks like that’s not the case.

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The actress revealed recently that she considered quitting her job completely because of how unfairly Black women are treated.

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Henson broke down in tears this week during a SiriusXM interview with Gayle King.

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Despite her illustrious resume, the actress says she’s “being paid a fraction of the cost” of what she should be making in Hollywood.

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Her confession began when King asked if she was serious in previous statements about being done with acting.

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To that inquiry, Henson replied by taking a deep breath and putting her head in her hand before responding.

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“I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do [and] getting paid a fraction of the cost,” she said while getting visibly emotional.

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“I’m tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over. You get tired,” she continued. “I hear people go, ‘You work a lot.’ Well, I have to. The math ain’t mathing.”

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Taraji went on to explain just how much she has on her plate, breaking down why big checks might not be as lucrative as they seem.

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“When you start working a lot, you have a team. Big bills come with what we do. We don’t do this alone,” she explained.

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“It’s a whole team behind us,” Taraji said. “They have to get paid. When you hear someone go, ‘Such and such made $10 million,’ that didn’t make it to their account.”

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“Off the top, Uncle Sam is getting 50%. Now have $5 million. Your team is getting 30% off what you gross, not after what Uncle Same took. Now do the math,” she explained.

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“I’m only human,” Henson declared, highlighting her growing frustration.

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“Every time I do something and break another glass ceiling, when it’s time to renegotiate I’m at the bottom again like I never did what I just did, and I’m tired. I’m tired,” she admitted.

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“It wears on you. What does that mean? What is that telling me? If I can’t fight for them coming up behind me then what the f**k am I doing?” she said, covering her face as she sobbed.

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Despite just how successful she’s been, Henson also claimed she has been told there’s not a lot of money to go around for Black actors because their stories “don’t translate overseas.”

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“I’m tired hearing of that my entire career,” she insisted.

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“Twenty-plus years in the game and I hear the same thing and I see what you do for another production but when it’s time to go to bat for us they don’t have enough money,” Taraji explained.

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“And I’m just supposed to smile and grin and bear it,” she continued. “Enough is enough!”

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“That’s why I have other [brands] because this industry, if you let it, it will steal your soul but I refuse to let that happen,” Henson insisted.

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Taraji also claimed during a SAG-AFTRA discussion this week that she hasn’t had a pay raise since Proud Mary in 2018.

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She even claimed that she almost turned down her role in The Color Purple to set an example for other Black actresses.

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“If I don’t take a stand, how am I making it easy for Fantasia [Barrino] and Danielle [Brooks] and Halle [Bailey] and Felicia,” she said of her co-stars. “Why am I doing this? … Why are you here?”

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