Internet skeptical as Terrence Howard claims he's owed $120M for 'Empire' due to pay disparity

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Terrence Howard's claims of being severely underpaid for his lead role in the hit Fox drama 'Empire' have ignited a firestorm online, as reported by The Daily Beast.

During his appearance on the 'Straight Talk with Daphne Phanee' podcast, the Oscar-nominated actor alleged that he earned only a fraction of what his "White counterparts" were paid, despite 'Empire' boasting significantly higher viewership than shows like 'The Big Bang Theory'.

Terrence Howard alleges that he was underpaid throughout the six-season run of 'Empire'

Howard claimed that he was underpaid throughout the six-season run of 'Empire', earning only $325,000 per episode while his "White counterparts" were paid significantly more.

The actor subsequently pointed to the cast of the long-running CBS sitcom 'The Big Bang Theory', saying, "We had 28 million viewers, [Big Bang] had 11 million viewers. They were getting $2 million, damn near $3 million an episode. Those White kids, they had no name recognition, no Oscar nominations, none of that."

At the heart of Howard's grievances is a lawsuit he filed against his former agency, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), in December 2023.

The suit alleges that CAA took advantage of the actor through a practice known as "packaging," wherein agencies broker deals between talent and studios, often bundling multiple clients together for a project. 

Howard claims that his agents provided him with inaccurate pay comparisons, thereby benefiting CAA and its other clients at his expense.

"I didn't know that [with] the packaging deal, my agents were incentivized to keep my pay low. They owe me over $120 million based on what would've been paid to White counterparts," asserted the 'Iron Man' star. 

Internet reacts to Terrence Howard's claims of unfair pay

Howard's claims of unfair pay on 'Empire' sparked a wave of reactions online, with netizens expressing skepticism.

One pointed out, "What is he talking about? Big Bang had (unfortunately) way more viewers and they were in their 9th season before they started getting those big salaries."

Another said, "Wait, Big Bang Theory was on CBS. This man is literally acting like a kid at a grocery store asking why he can't have a candy bar when the kid in front of them is getting one."

A person emphasized, "Big Bang Theory aired for 12 years. Empire was aired for 5. I don't like BBT, but other people do, and it's clear that it was liked significantly more than Empire. No one talks about Empire. No one remembers Empire. They made more money because more people watched that show."

"The whole cast of Big Bang didn't make 3 mill per episode. The top 3 made more until they all agreed to take less so the others could get raises in the last few seasons," noted someone else. 

One more remarked, "Not to side with a corporation but there’s no way Empire was bringing in Big Bang Theory numbers and therefore Big Bang Theory ad numbers," while one more added, "Imagine complaining and suing cause you got PAID $325k for one episode." 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.