Octavia Spencer, Keke Palmer and More Stars Support Taraji P. Henson’s Pay Inequality Comments
Taraji P. Henson is speaking her truth.
And her fellow actresses are praising her for it. The Empire star recently became emotional during an interview in which she described the pay inequality she's experienced as a Black actress in Hollywood.
"I'm just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do, getting paid a fraction of the cost," Taraji said in an interview with Gayle King for SiriusXM. "I'm tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over. I hear people say, 'You work a lot.' Well, I have to, the math ain't mathing."
The Oscar Nominee continued, "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."
It's a sentiment that many of her fellow Hollywood stars are echoing.
"Not a damn lie told. Not. A. Damn. Lie," Gabrielle Union wrote alongside the clip on X, formerly known as Twitter. "We go TO BAT for the next generation and hell even our own generation and above. We don't hesitate to be the change that we all need to see AND it takes a toll on your mind, health, soul, and career if we're keepn it."
And just as Taraji enumerated the ways in which an actor's paycheck is divided between taxes and the many people on their team, Keke Palmer pointed out that working in Hollywood is not so different from other careers in that way.
"The entertainment industry is just like any other industry," she wrote on Instagram under a screenshot of Taraji's interview. "We run businesses to keep our brands afloat, us being the brand/business. And it's that team of company members that decrease any assumed large lump sum. This includes monthly expenses just like everyone else."
"I keep a job because I HAVE to haha. We ALL work multiple jobs and we may like some but also because we HAVE to," the Nope star, who has previously opened up about how her work as a child star supported her whole family, continued. "I am not complaining or comparing but I acknowledge that we all have similar struggles in our industries and it's because corporations run everything and they aren't people."
For Octavia Spencer, it was Taraji's comments about always needing to renegotiate from square one that really resonated.
"I'm sad to see @tarajiphenson so visibly upset," The Help star wrote on Instagram. "As much as I hate it, this is what it comes down to and I support her vocalizing our plight. I've had numerous conversations with fellow actresses during rigorous negotiations—mine and theirs—to remind each other of our bonafides."
And after naming a number of individuals "who have advocated" for her, including Taraji, Octavia added, "We have to use our voices to help each other and advocate for change across all industries to be the change we want to see—Bravo Taraji!!!"
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