"Hustle and Flow": Veteran Actor Terrance Howard's Financial Wins and Woes Explored

Whether you recognize Terrence Howard for his pimpin' in Hustle and Flow or his long-standing role as Lucious Lyon in Empire, this actor has worked hard to become a household name.

His triumphant role in Marvel's Iron Man ended because Terrance decided to demand his worth. He turned down the role after he was offered one-eighth of the pay he requested during the negotiation.

With all the buzz around pay disparities in Hollywood, read on to find out more about his net worth these days!

Terrance has a net worth of $4 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The actor has been standing on business for a very long time, but it hasn't always been that way.

His iconic role as DJay in Hustle and Flow had the country singing, “It’s hard out here for a pimp.” However, he reported that he only took home $12,000 in profit from the film despite the film making $22 million at the box office.

The hit TV show Empire paid him more per episode than his entire salary from his career-defining movie. He reportedly earned $325,000 per episode. According to Howard, that was a lowball compared to shows on the same network, such as Big Bang Theory, where actors made over $2 million an episode.

In a viral interview with Straight Talk, Terrance shared that he is suing the company that represented him while filming Empire — the Creative Arts Agency (CAA).

Terrance explained: “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”

Terrance is not playing any games when it comes to demanding his worth. He is going to make sure he is paid what he is owed.

“They owe me over $120 million based on what would’ve been paid to white counterparts, so now I’m in the process of suing them,” he added.

In March 2024, Terrance was hit with a federal order to pay almost $1 million in a tax case.

He was initially sued in 2022 by the U.S. Justice Department after he failed to show up to court. He decided to address the case lead via voicemail instead.

According to Deadline, Howard declared: “In truth, the entire United States should, by default, become the property of the descendants of slaves.”

“But since you do not have the ability [or] the courage to do it, let’s try this in court. We’re gonna bring you down,” the actor shared.

Terrance is currently divorced. He was previously married to model Miranda Pak. The couple married in 2013 and share two sons – Qirin Love and Hero.

Terrance fathered three children — Aubrey, Hunter, and Heaven — during his first marriage to his high school sweetheart, Lori McCommas, in 1989, but they divorced in 2003. The divorcees gave love another try and remarried in 2005 but divorced again in 2007.

He was married to Michelle Ghent from 2010 to 2013. The same year that they split, he married model Miranda Pak. They share two sons – Qirin Love and Hero. But much like Terrance's last marriage, their union was short-lived. The two divorced in 2015.