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50 Cent is willing to put his money where his mouth is when it comes to working with Taraji P. Henson.
The rapper and longtime Starz executive producer said in the caption of a Jan. 10 Instagram post that someone recently thought he was bluffing about wanting to work with the Oscar-nominated actress.
Fifty cheekily countered the person’s disbelief by highlighting how much he got Starz to cough up for Mary J. Blige to star in the ongoing series Power Book II: Ghost, which debuted in 2020.
“Someone called me today thinking I was bullish! ting about working with @tarajiphenson till I told them what I made Starz pay @therealmaryjblige to be on Ghost. I ain’t out here fvcking around,” 50 posted underneath a photo of himself.
Blige’s rumored to get $400,000 per episode for her role as Monet Stewart Tejada in Power Book II: Ghost, her first television acting role, according to Complex.
50’s words on Henson came days after the actress vocalized her qualms with the entertainment industry and its pay disparities. While speaking with Gayle King in December, the Hollywood veteran said she was still paid a fraction of what her roles pulled in despite her 20-year-long career.
“I hear people go, ‘You work a lot,'” she emotionally noted. She then added, “I have to. The math ain’t mathin’.”
Elsewhere in December, the actress said she almost walked away from her role as Shug Avery in The Color Purple due to a lack of appropriate, fair pay. During a conversation with the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, the former Empire star shared that she fired her whole team after they allegedly failed to leverage her success as Cookie Lyon on the hit Fox show into other opportunities for her.
Fifty also recently tried to corral the actress’s former Empire co-star, Terrence Howard, into working with him.
The longtime Starz executive producer reached out to Howard via Instagram underneath a reposted clip about the actor’s recent lawsuit over his Empire salary.
“Damn, @theterrencehoward, call my phone, I will get you the money. _They was supposed to get for you. I’m not playing no games over here,” 50 wrote to the actor.
Henson has yet to weigh in on 50’s offer.
Landing Blige proved to be a significant move for the male mogul and Starz, so it’s possible that incorporating Henson into the network could be just as successful. Would you want to see Henson in a Power project? Sound off in the comments.
The rapper’s ex, Vivica A. Fox, hasn’t commented publicly on the 50’s offer, but she did have a lot to say.
RELATED CONTENT: “Taraji P. Henson Delves Further Into Pay Disparity, Says She Had To Audition For ‘The Color Purple,’ Insist Cast Get Driven To Set”
