Internet divided as Taraji Henson breaks into tears mid-interview discussing unequal pay in Hollywood

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Golden Globe recipient Taraji P. Henson has recently garnered attention after she became emotional during an interview with Gayle King on SiriusXM radio, where she opened up about her financial circumstances.

'The Color Purple' star, while discussing her situation, was moved to tears and expressed her exhaustion over the persistent pay disparity in the industry.

This update follows the recent news where hosts of Good Morning America were visibly moved by the generous $400 million donation towards a cancer center by philanthropists David Geffen and Kenneth Griffin.  

Taraji P Henson discusses her financial situation

When asked about her plans to quit acting during a recent interview with Gayle King on SiriusXM radio, Taraji P Henson expressed, "I'm just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do, getting paid a fraction of the cost."

She added, "I'm tired of hearing my sisters saying the same thing over and over."

"I hear people go, 'You work a lot.' I have to," she went on. "The math ain't mathing."

"And when you start working a lot, you have a team. Big bills come with what we do. We don't do this alone."

The star of 'What Men Want' explained the process of how salaries are distributed before they finally land in her bank account.

"When you hear someone go, 'Such and such made $10 million,' that didn't make it to their account," Henson added.

"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 Sam took. Now do the math."

"I'm only human and it seems every time I do something and I 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 just tired," she shared, shedding tears.

Addressing her 'Color Purple' co-star, Danielle Brooks, Henson, who garnered fame for her role as Shug in 'Hustle & Flow', voiced her concern that the problem also affects the upcoming generations.

"If I can't fight for them coming up behind me, then what the fuck am I doing?" the star questioned, her tears continuing to flow as she wiped them from her face.

It’s not just celebrities who are making headlines for their emotional moments.

Renowned Twitch streamer Kai Cenat was notably reported to have become emotional in December following a touching message from his mother when he reached 80K subscribers on Twitch.

In addition, Taylor Swift's recounting of the emotional strain from her alleged feud with Kim Kardashian led to a flood of snake emojis on Kardashian's Instagram.

 

Just a few days prior, Henson was seen applauding enthusiastically when she, along with the rest of 'The Color Purple' cast, celebrated Whoopi Goldberg for her Oscar-nominated performance in the 1985 rendition of the film.

Public reaction to Henson's remarks

Hanson broke down in tears while discussing her financial situation, which led to a divided reaction on the internet.

"Monique spoke about this and nobody came to support her," a user tweeted. 

Influencer Collin Rugg said, "Stop voting Democrat."

"Entitled maroons. Whatever. Hollywood is quickly becoming irrelevant. Soon to be replaced with AI that won’t whine about money and recognition. At least for a decade or so," replied one user. 

"I love when wealthy democrats complain about taxes. It really shows their intelligence," noted another.

"I hope they get their fair share," mentioned one person. 

"When she said I’m tired of working… I felt that. I didn’t even need to watch anymore of the clip," noted another. 

"Wow!!! That breaks my heart for sure, @tarajiphenson

because you're phenomenal. You deserve your due as an Academy Award nominee," penned one fan.

"Sounds like the regular working class person to me," cited another.

"This is awful. @tarajiphenson is an excellent actress, who has been shining in her roles for 20+ years. She should be in the upper tier of compensation when it comes to actors and actresses. I hope this changes soon because she deserves her flowers," noted another.

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.