Taraji P. Henson Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What is Taraji P. Henson’s Net Worth and Salary?

The net worth of Taraji P. Henson, an American actress and singer, is $12 million. Henson’s career showcases her remarkable talent, versatility, and determination. Marking her film debut with “Streetwise” in 1998, she gained widespread acclaim through significant roles in “Hustle & Flow” (2005) and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (2008), the latter of which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Her portrayal of brilliant mathematician Katherine Johnson in the 2016 film “Hidden Figures” significantly contributed to the movie’s box-office success and critical praise​.

Equally impressive is her television career. From 2011 to 2013, she co-starred in the CBS drama “Person of Interest,” and later, from 2015 to 2020, she starred in the Fox drama series “Empire.” Her role as Cookie Lyon not only brought her widespread acclaim but also earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series Drama, along with Primetime Emmy nominations in both 2015 and 2016. Moreover, she received Emmy nominations for her performances in the Lifetime movie “Taken from Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story” (2011) and for a guest role in the ABC sitcom “Abbott Elementary” (2023)​.

In 2016, Time magazine honored Henson as one of the 100 most influential people globally, acknowledging her significant influence both on screen and off. Additionally, she published her autobiography, “Around the Way Girl,” a New York Times bestseller, illustrating her multifaceted talents. Henson’s enduring impact on the entertainment sphere was further recognized when she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2019​.

Beyond acting, Henson has produced and hosted various holiday specials for Fox and featured in notable films such as “Proud Mary” (2018), “Tyler Perry’s Acrimony” (2018), “Ralph Breaks the Internet” (2018), and “What Men Want” (2019). Her portrayal of civil rights activist Ann Atwater in “The Best of Enemies” (2019) demonstrated her capacity to tackle complex and transformative roles.

Salaries

Known salaries earned by Taraji P. Henson include:

• $150,000 – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
• $500,000 – The Family That Preys (2008)
• $175,000 per episode – Empire (2015-2020)

Throughout her career, Taraji has been outspoken regarding salary inequalities in Hollywood. A notable instance occurred before filming “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” in 2008, where she ranked third in the cast behind Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, both of whom were paid between $5-10 million. Initially, Henson was offered $100,000 for her role, but after negotiating, the studio settled on $150,000. However, Taraji later shared that after taxes and deductions for her managers and agents, she only took home $40,000 for the film. During a 2021 segment on “The Real,” Taraji discussed her salary for Benjamin Button:

“Once you start earning that kind of money, Uncle Sam takes half, so let’s calculate. That leaves me with 75 [thousand], then I owe another thirty percent to my team who secured that job for me. So it’s not 30 percent of the 75 [thousand], but rather 30 percent of the 150 [thousand]. What does that give us?“

In a December 2023 interview with Gayle King, Taraji shared additional frustration about salaries in Hollywood:

“When you hear someone say, ‘Such and such made $10 million,’ that doesn’t reflect what actually lands in their account. Right off the bat, Uncle Sam takes 50%.“

Now sitting with $5 million, your team receives a 30% cut based on your gross earnings, not after Uncle Sam gets his share. Let’s do some calculations here. I’m just a human. Each time I achieve something significant and break a glass ceiling, when it’s time to renegotiate, I find myself starting from the bottom again, as though my recent achievements have been erased, and I’m exhausted. I’m exhausted. It takes a toll on you. What does that signify? What message is that sending me? If I’m not advocating for those who will come after me, then what in the world am I even doing?“

Taraji acknowledges Tyler Perry as the first person to pay her a salary of $500,000 for her work on the 2008 film “The Family That Preys.”

For her role in “Empire,” Taraji made $175,000 per episode. If we assume she received that compensation for all 102 episodes, her gross earnings would total $17.85 million. According to her earlier calculations, Taraji would have taken home approximately $4.65 million from her entire tenure on the show.

Early Life

On September 11, 1970, Taraji Penda Henson was born in Washington, D.C. She grew up with two siblings and had a particularly close bond with her grandmother. In Swahili, Taraji means “hope,” and Penda translates to “love.” After graduating high school in 1988, she enrolled at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University to pursue a degree in electrical engineering. However, after a change of direction, she transferred to Howard University to focus on acting. To fund her education, she juggled multiple jobs, including positions at the Pentagon and on a cruise ship.

Career

Upon completing her studies at Howard University, Henson found early success as an actress with a standout role in the film Baby Boy opposite Tyrese Gibson. This role in 2001 established her presence in the industry, and she followed it up in 2005 with a performance in Hustle & Flow. In this film, she portrayed the love interest of the main character, contributing to its multiple award wins.

In 2008, Henson received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. That same year, she also starred in Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys before taking on a part in I Can Do Bad All By Myself in 2009. She featured in the 2010 remake of The Karate Kid, which, despite mixed reviews, was a box office hit.

Henson then took on a leading role in Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story, for which she won an Emmy Award for her stellar performance. In 2012, she joined the cast of Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man, along with its sequel released in 2014. One of her most recognized films, Hidden Figures, was released in 2016 and garnered various nominations. In 2018, she featured in films such as Proud Mary and Acrimony, and lent her voice to a character in Disney’s Ralph Breaks The Internet. Taraji P. Henson starred in the 2019 film What Men Want, which reimagined Mel Gibson’s film What Women Want.

Throughout her career, Henson has taken on a diverse array of television roles. She has appeared as a guest star in series like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and House, along with recurring roles on shows such as The Division and Boston Legal. Perhaps her most notable recurring performance was in the critically acclaimed series Empire, which debuted in 2015 and significantly elevated Taraji P. Henson’s career.

achieving an even greater level of fame, she became widely recognized for her acting abilities. Henson’s performance on Empire earned her a Golden Globe award for Best Actress in 2016.

Personal Life

Henson is a mother to her son, Marcell, born in 1994. His father, Henson’s high school sweetheart, was tragically murdered in 2003. In 2014, Marcell was stopped by police who discovered marijuana and Ritalin without a prescription in his vehicle. Initially, Henson claimed her son had been racially profiled but later retracted her comments and apologized to the authorities.

In 2017, Taraji P. Henson revealed that she had adopted a vegan lifestyle to help prevent stomach cancer. She had previously posed nude for PETA in 2011, returning for a non-nude shoot in 2013.

Real Estate

In May 2015, Taraji purchased a Chicago condo for $1.5 million, later selling it in 2018 for approximately the purchase price. She acquired two additional units in the same building in 2017. By August 2024, these units were listed together for $3.3 million, but could also be bought separately at $1.9 million and $1.4 million, respectively.

In Los Angeles, Taraji owns two properties. The first was purchased in Glendale in 2002 for $431,000. She subsequently acquired a private mansion in 2016 for $6.45 million, situated in the Hollywood Hills.