Jada Pinkett Says She’s Been Paid Less Because She’s Married To Will Smith

Jada Pinkett-Smith agrees with Taraji P. Henson‘s most recent comments.

During a recent interview, Pinkett shares her thoughts on Henson’s claims that she is underpaid in her industry. “My heart broke for Taraji, and I was also happy to see how courageous she was to speak about it in the way that she did,” said Smith. “One of the things with Taraji is that she is the breadwinner of her family. Her pressures would be different than mine. I have to put that out front, because if it’s time to walk away, that’s not always the solution. Because what people don’t understand with us as Black entertainers, we carry a lot of people with us.”

She continued, “people would literally say, ‘Well, you don’t need it. You’re married to Will.”

 She also discussed the type of roles that she’ll take. “It’s not to say that I won’t get in front of the camera, but what it takes for me to get in front of the camera, it’s more. Just in regards to the kind of roles that I want to play or that interest me. And I’m thinking about directing.”

While promoting the box-office hit movie, “The Color Purple”, Taraji P. Henson gets emotional as she discussed unfair pay.  “I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do [and] getting paid a fraction of the cost,” Henson began. “I’m tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over. You get tired. I hear people go, ‘You work a lot.’ Well, I have to. The math ain’t math-ing. When you start working a lot, you have a team. Big bills come with what we do. We don’t do this alone. It’s a whole team behind us. They have to get paid.”

“I’m only human,” she continued. “Every time I do something and break another glass ceiling, when it’s time to renegotiate, I’m at the bottom again like I never did what I just did and I’m tired. I’m tired. It wears on you. What does that mean? What is that telling me?”


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