Terrence Howard is Suing CAA over "Empire" Money Owed to Him

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CAA Slammed by Terrence Howard for Alleged Lowballed "Empire" Paycheck; “This Was Racism,” Actor’s Lawyer Claims as Suit Looms
by Dominic Patten
December 8, 2023


“It’s time for change,” former "Empire" star Terrence Howard said today announcing he is suing CAA over allegedly screwing him financially over the hip hop soap’s blockbuster six season run.

“We need accountability. We need access. We need to be able to share in the profits.”




In a press conference Friday at the office of The Cochran Firm, Howard accused his former agency of engaging in a lucrative packaging deal with the show’s creators and producers Imagine.

Consequently, according to Howard and his legal team, the actor was bilked of “a much higher salary given the success of the show.”

“I trusted CAA to look after me, and they looked after themselves.”




At its height, "Empire" hauled in around $100 million in advertising for Fox, this new lawsuit claims. Money that Howard thinks he helped generate in his on-screen role as ruthless hip-hop mogul Lucious Lyon.

Money that Howard also believes he had a hand in generating with his behind-the-scenes work on the music and scripts for "Empire" over the years.

“There was so much wealth,” Howard stated today of "Empire’s" success and his admitted knowledge that CAA was representing multiple parties in and around the show. He went on to say he assumed “that everybody would share and everything would work out fine.”

He added that he was being paid $350,000 an episode starting in "Empire’s" second and very well watched season.




Howard also noted that despite his central role on "Empire", and his supposed work BTS, he “never received the compensation as a producer or any of those things that are immediately given or asked for by agents of white actors.”

Citing Howard’s pedigree of awards nominations and acclaim, attorney Carlos Moore put it more bluntly: “Discovery will show that this was racism.”




Noting that this latest legal action against CAA may be a “death blow” to his career, Howard said Friday that it was difficult finding legal representation for this action and another involving "Empire" – especially because of who now controls the property.

“There’s two types of lawyers in LA, two types of lawyers pretty much in the world,” he explained. “Those that work for Disney, or those that want to work for Disney. The conflicts of interest were there.”

https://deadline.com/2023/12/terrenc...aa-1235658924/