Bossip
Video
It’s
hard
out
here
for
a
pimp
an
actor,
particularly
if
you’re
Black.
Terrence
Howard
is
suing
talent
agency
CAA
for
allegedly
pushing
him
to
accept
a
lower
salary
than
his
White
counterparts.
Source:
Kevin
Winter
/
Getty
According
to
the
L.A.
Times,
during
his
stint
on
the
musical
drama
FOX’s
Empire,
Creative
Artists
Agency
encouraged
the
actor
to
take
pay
well
below
the
industry
standard.
The
30-year
veteran
played
the
lead
role
in
the
hit
series.
He
sued
CAA
in
Los
Angeles’
Superior
Court
for
constructive
fraud,
fiduciary
duty
and
fraudulent
representation.
Related
Stories
According
to
a
press
release
distributed
Thursday,
the
Oscar-nominated
thespian
alleged
CAA
“placed
their
interests
and
the
interests
of
their
other
clients
above”
his.
He
also
claims
CAA
encouraged
Howard
“to
accept
talent
fees
that
were
far
less
than
what
he
should
have
been
afforded.”
The
agency
not
only
represented
the
Iron
Man
actor
but
also
producers
of
Empire
and
“numerous”
other
individuals
over
the
program’s
six
seasons.
Howard
only
recently
realized
he
deserved
“a
much
higher
salary
given
the
success
of
the
show”
after
conducting
his
own
research.
He
maintains
that
he
trusted
CAA
and
believed
“that
these
salaries
were
industry
standard.”
During
a
news
conference
in
L.A.
on
Friday,
Howard’s
attorneys
at
the
Cochran
Firm
told
journalists
the
actor
received
30%-50%
less
per
episode
than
he
should
have.
The
seasoned
actor
shared
he
received
$350,000
per
episode
during
the
show’s
final
season.
His
legal
continues
to
calculate
the
amount
owed
to
Howard
compared
to
his
white
peers.
“We
expect
our
agents
and
our
lawyers
to
look
after
us,
and
therefore
we’re
free
to
do
all
of
the
work
that
you
guys
enjoy
so
much,”
Howard
told
reporters.
“I
trusted
CAA
to
look
after
me,
and
they
looked
after
themselves.”
Terrence
Howard’s
Lawsuit
Accuses
CAA
Of
“Racism,”
Claims
He
Received
Less
Than
White
Lead
Actors
Despite
Empire’s
Better
Ratings
Source:
Kevin
Winter
/
Getty
The
lawsuit
cited
racism
as
the
motivation
for
the
agency’s
refusal
to
negotiate
a
fair
contract
for
Howard.
The
acclaimed
actor
said
he
“cannot
imagine”
a
white
performer
with
identical
“accolades
and
…
world
recognition”
receiving
the
same
mistreatment.
Terrence’s
legal
team
stated,
“Discovery
will
show
that
this
was
racism.
You
won’t
find
in
discovery
that
a
white
actor
—
Oscar-nominated,
Golden
Globe-nominated
—
was
treated
like
that.”
He
also
alleges
his
agents
gave
him
false
salaries
of
actors
who
were
actually
making
more
money
than
him.
Howard
earned
less
than
Kevin
Spacey
of
House
of
Cards
and
Jon
Hamm
of
Mad
Men.
However,
both
shows’
ratings
were
significantly
lower
than
Empire’s.
During
its
prime,
the
T.V.
drama
was
one
of
the
most-watched
television
programs
on
FOX.
In
addition,
the
series
received
several
Emmy
nominations
and
a
Television
Critics
Association
Award
for
Program
Of
The
Year
following
its
first
season.
Howard’s
reps
added,
“CAA
simply
told
Howard,
‘We’re
not
going
to
take
the
10
percent
agency
fee
this
time
because
we
packaged
things
together.’
In
reality,
it
was
a
terrible
thing
because
they
had
no
incentive
to
fight
for
this
man
when
he
demanded
to
have
his
salary
negotiated
comparable
to
every
other
lead
white
actor
out
there.”
Source:
Kevin
Winter
/
Getty
According
to
Terrence
Howard,
CAA
lined
their
pockets
while
neglecting
his
interests.
The
talent
agency
also
orchestrated
deals
for
Empire’s
co-creators,
Lee
Daniels
and
Danny
Strong,
and
its
production
company,
Imagine
Entertainment.
There’s
no
word
if
they
intend
to
sue.
It
sounds
like
ya
boy
has
a
case.
In
the
words
of
one
Instagram
commenter,
“Give
him
his
papers,
mayne.”
