Actress

Taraji P Henson Net Worth: How Rich Is the Actress in 2022?

Published

3 years ago

June 13, 2022

Henson is an American actress and singer known for starring as Cookie Lyon in the Fox drama series Empire. The Taraji P Henson net worth figure is roughly $25 million as of 2022.

Taraji P. Henson arrives for the US premiere of "What Men Want" at the Regency Village theatre — (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)

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Early Life and Bio

Full Name	Taraji Penda Henson
Birth Date / Age	September 11, 1970 / 51 Years Old
Birth Place	Washington, D.C., USA
Source of Wealth	Acting / Singing
Relationship Status	Single
Height	5 ft. 5 in. / 165 cm.
Net Worth	$25 Million

Taraji Penda Henson was born in September of 1970 in Southeast Washington D.C. to parents Boris Lawrence and Bernice (née Gordon). Her father was a janitor and metal fabricator, while her mother worked as a corporate manager at Woodward & Lothrop.

Meanwhile, Taraji has two younger siblings by the names of April MzCockee and Shawn.

As far as education goes, Henson attended Oxon Hill High School before enrolling at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. However, she soon transferred to Howard University to study drama, says The Washington Post.

While in college, Henson worked as a secretary at The Pentagon. Additionally, she spent her evenings singing and dancing as a waitress on a dinner-cruise ship, the Spirit of Washington.

Taraji P. Henson attends a photocall for the 'Empire' TV series during the 55th Monte Carlo TV Festival — (Photo by Toni Anne Barson/FilmMagic)

Taraji P Henson Net Worth and Career

Henson first began gaining notoriety in 2001 after acting in the comedy-drama film Baby Boy. Four years later, she booked roles in Hustle & Flow and Four Brothers. Impressively, she won an Academy Award after singing in the former.

Her other early notable roles came in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys and I Can Do Bad All By Myself, and two Think Like A Man films.

Henson broke out in 2016 by starring in Hidden Figures. For the role, she received nominations for three Oscars and two Golden Globes. Notably, the movie was a major box-office hit.

In 2014, Henson received the role of Cookie Lyon on the Fox musical drama Empire. Overall, the show has aired six seasons and 102 episodes. Multiple online sources confirm that Henson makes $175 thousand per episode.

A spinoff of the series about the character Cookie was in development, but it was scrapped.

As far as endorsements are concerned, Henson has reached a deal with M·A·C Cosmetics to release an exclusive capsule and became a spokesperson for their VIVA GLAM line.

Lastly, she is currently filming The Color Purple, based on the famed stage musical and novel.

Taraji P. Henson Instagram and Twitter

Currently, the entertainer possesses a whopping 19.4 million Instagram followers. To go along with that, she has another 5.5 million followers on her Twitter account as of June 2022.

Gliding into this long weekend liiiiike @usher let me dust my skates off 😩🤣. Y’all be safe and please find some JOY #joyovereverything ❤️❤️❤️💋💋💋 https://t.co/zwrE33RcyK
— Taraji P. Henson (@tarajiphenson) May 28, 2022

Personal Life

Nine years after giving birth to her first son Marcell in 1994, Henson’s high-school sweetheart William LaMarr Johnson, was murdered.

In 2018, she got engaged to NFL player Kelvin Hayden. However, she revealed that their engagement was called off in 2020.

Lastly, Henson considers herself a Christian and has been on a vegan diet dating back to 2017.

Taraji P Henson Net Worth

The Taraji P Henson net worth figure of $25 million has been amassed since the turn of the century, but mostly over the past decade. Her starring roles in Hidden Figures and Empire have yielded her millions on top of her various business endeavors.

Taraji P Henson FAQ

Where is Taraji P. Henson from?

Taraji was born in Southeast Washington, D.C. She attended school in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

What does the “P” stand for in Taraji P. Henson?

Henson’s middle initial, “P”, stands for Penda. Interestingly, both her first and middle names are of Swahili origin: Taraji (“hope”) and Penda (“love”).