During his successful run on the popular Fox drama “Empire” (2015-2020), Terrence Howard was at the height of his career, but he claims he was paid a fraction of what his “white counterparts” from the network were paid. The Oscar nominee revealed more details about his lawsuit against CAA, his agency at the time, in an astonishing interview on the podcast “Straight Talk with Daphne Phaneē.”
The details about his lowball pay were nearly overshadowed by something equally outlandish: his fluffy, feathered orange hair. Fans could not stop talking about the bizarre wig he wore during the interview, which we must admit gives us ’70s-era Farrah Fawcett vibes. But could this just be a clever ploy to troll the online haters?
It turns out this is not the first time Howard’s hair has created a firestorm online. Back in 2019, he donned disastrous fake locs in “Empire’s” Season 6, and fans could not stop dragging him on social media, earning him spots on “best memes of the week” lists. On Buzzfeed’s “38 Hair and Wig Fails from TV That You Won’t Be Able to Look Away From,” he ranked No. 8, far above Anthony Anderson in “Scary Movie 3.”
Whatever the reasoning, the flippy orange wig has the media talking, ultimately drawing more attention to his serious claims of unfair pay. Howard explained why he’s suing CAA, saying he’s owed $120 million because of a package deal the agency had with Fox that resulted in $325,000 an episode for “Empire.” He alleged that white actors on “The Big Bang Theory,” a Fox show that aired around the same time, received $2 million to $3 million per episode despite despite what he claimed was “Empire” having significantly more viewers.
“They had 11 million viewers. They were getting 2 million dollars, damn near $3 million an episode, those white kids that had no name recognition, no Oscar nominations. … We have 28 million viewers, and these jokers are paying me $325,000 an episode. Every year I’m asking my agents, what’s going on? … I didn’t know that the packaging deal… my agents were incentivized to keep my pay low,” he claimed in the interview. (It’s not clear how Howard arrived at those viewership figures, as “Empire” is known to have averaged roughly 17.3 million viewers in season 1, the show’s most successful year.)
So is he wearing the wig to draw attention to his allegations of inadequate pay? Could it be a callback to his “Empire” locs disaster, or maybe a bit of both? Howard’s curious case is never open and shut.
The “Hustle & Flow” actor continued, “When I asked about my money, they sent me a check for $666 dollars — 666 exactly. … So I was like, y’all trying to threaten me. This is a threat right here. And y’all think I’m scared? Y’all think I’m going to be quiet? Because I wonder what you’re doing to every other Black artist.”
Howard’s lawsuit against CAA was first announced in December 2023. The complaint asserts that he was mostly unaware of CAA’s packaging fee and notes that he was paid less than “Mad Men” star John Hamm and “House of Cards” star Kevin Spacey despite “Empire” having a larger viewership. In the interview, Howard revealed he’s now waiting to go to court.
Study after study documents pay disparities based on race and gender throughout all industries in the U.S., and Howard has spoken out about the wage gap in Hollywood before. People are listening, but admittedly, it’s difficult to get past the hair.
“Ok I hear em.. but that damn hair is throwing me off 😂” said one commenter on an Instagram post. “Looking like an extra on LaVerne and Shirley 😂” joked another.
“Why Terrence Howard looking like a pimp from the 70s?” asked one fan on X.
The question posed is a good one and one reply was the most reasonable explanation we’ve seen yet: “Cos he’s there to get his money!”
