Taraji P. Henson's Net Worth Is Impressive Despite Hollywood's Pay Disparity

The Gist:

• Taraji P. Henson is a gifted actor who has spoken out about pay disparity in Hollywood for Black women.
• The star almost walked away from The Color Purple due to how much she would be compensated for the role.
• Taraji has still managed to bank an impressive amount of money during her career.

As many fans know, Taraji P. Henson is one of those actors who makes you feel their every emotion. From her unforgettable turns on Empire to The Color Purple, one isn't likely to walk away from a TV show or movie she stars in without truly being moved.

However, Taraji has talked about quitting acting due to pay disparity for Black women in Hollywood. So what is her net worth? Keep reading for all of the details.

While promoting the remake of The Color Purple, Taraji said, “I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do [and] getting paid a fraction of the cost."

"I’m tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over. You get tired. I hear people go, ‘You work a lot.’ Well, I have to," she continued. "The math ain’t math-ing. When you start working a lot, you have a team. Big bills come with what we do. We don’t do this alone. It’s a whole team behind us. They have to get paid.”

Of course, Taraji is one A-lister who knows the ups and downs of show business well, having been a working actor since the late 1990s, starring in films including Hustle & Flow, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Hidden Figures.

To be fair, she still has an impressive net worth, with Celebrity Net Worth claiming Taraji is worth a cool $12 million.

Even though Taraji has already earned more than most of us will see in a lifetime, historically, she hasn't been afraid to speak out about pay inequality in Tinseltown, dating back to her days acting alongside Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button until today.

It's been widely reported that in her 2016 memoir, Taraji said she earned less than 2 percent of Brad's salary in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Taraji was ultimately paid $150,000, while the longtime Hollywood hunk earned $10 million.

Meanwhile, she almost walked away from The Color Purple over what she would be paid, according to Taraji.

While speaking to an interviewer for the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, she confessed, “Yes, ma’am. … If I don’t take a stand, how am I making it easy for Fantasia [Barrino] and Danielle [Brooks] and Halle [Bailey] and Phylicia [Pearl Mpasi]? Why am I doing this, if it’s all just for me?"

We don't know exactly what Taraji earned for the widely-acclaimed film. What we can share is that The Color Purple is the second-highest grossing film to debut at Christmas, already pulling in over $18 million.