Jada Pinkett Smith Reflects on Pay Disparity, Says Being Married to Will Smith Caused Lower Offers

Reflecting on Taraji P. Henson’s messages about pay disparity in Hollywood, Jada Pinkett Smith chimed in stating she was shorted due to being married to Will Smith.

Speaking on NPR’s It’s Been a Minute, Pinkett Smith saluted Henson for speaking out, while revealing her own pay battles.

“What people don’t understand with us as Black entertainers, we carry a lot of people with us,” Pinkett Smith said. “People would literally say, ‘Well, you don’t need it. You’re married to Will.’”

You can hear the full episode below.

Actress Taraji P. Henson went viral in Decemeber after breaking down in tears during an interview with Gayle King about black women’s pay in Hollywood. Taraji talked about the pay disparities for Black female actors and revealed she was considering quitting her acting career. Now Taraji shares she was surprised by the overwhelming support, because she along with other women of color have been talking about this publicly for years to no avail.

ETonline reports:

Taraji P. Henson was not expecting the amount of support, feedback and attention she has received since passionately speaking out about her experiences with pay disparity throughout her career.

The Color Purple actress walked the red carpet at this years’ Palm Springs International Film Festival’s Film Awards at the Palm Springs Convention Center on Thursday, and she spoke with ET’s Denny Directo about her message, and why she wasn’t expecting it to hit so hard with so many people.

“[It’s] because I’ve been saying it for years,” Henson shared. “If you go and do research and look at any women of color in the industry, they said the same thing.”

“I don’t know why people decided to hear the words [this time], maybe it was the emotion attached to it,” she added. “But like I said in the interview, I’m just tired of us having that same conversation. Something’s gotta give.”

Thoughts?

The post Jada Pinkett Smith Reflects on Pay Disparity, Says Being Married to Will Smith Caused Lower Offers first appeared on The Source.

The post Jada Pinkett Smith Reflects on Pay Disparity, Says Being Married to Will Smith Caused Lower Offers appeared first on The Source.