Taraji P. Henson says firing her entire team after they did nothing with her 'Empire' success was the best business decision she's made
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- Taraji P. Henson fired her whole team after they failed to get her more exposure after her "Empire" success.
- Henson said they were only focused on landing her a spin-off for her "Empire" character, Cookie.
- "That's why you all haven't seen me in so long," she said. "They had nothing set up."
Taraji P. Henson said that she fired everyone on her team after they failed to capitalize on the success of "Empire," and it's the best decision she ever made for her career.
"Everybody had to fucking go," Henson told Variety reporter Angelique Jackson during a recent conversation for the SAG-AFTRA Foundation.
About an hour into the interview, she was asked to share her best acting business decision. Without hesitation, Henson said, "Firing everybody after Cookie."
"Where is my deal? Where's my commercial? Cookie was at the top of the fashion game. Where is my endorsement? What did you have set up for after this?" she said.
Henson gained recognition for her Oscar-nominated role in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" as well as parts in movies like "Hustle & Flow" and "Hidden Figures." But she's probably best known for playing Cookie Lyon on Fox's "Empire."
During the show's six-season run between 2015 and 2020, Henson landed two Emmy nominations and won a Golden Globe for her performance. A spin-off focused on Cookie was reportedly in development with Henson but was ultimately scrapped in 2020.
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During her SAG-AFTRA interview, Henson said she would've starred in a Cookie spin-off, but only if it had been done correctly. She said her team was fixated on the potential series. When they didn't get it right and didn't deliver anything else, she fired them.
"That's why you all haven't seen me in so long," Henson said. "They had nothing set up. All they wanted was another Cookie show."
The actor added that it took her years to reach that place.
"You are the prize," she said. "Don't you ever forget that. You are the talent. You are their check. Don't ever forget that. They work for you. And if they're not, somebody else will do it."
Since "Empire" ended, Henson played Miss Hannigan in NBC's 2021 TV special "Annie Live!," starred in "Muppets Haunted Mansion," and did voice work for "Minions: The Ruse of Gru" and "PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie." She also earned an Emmy nomination for her guest-starring performance on season two of the ABC sitcom "Abbott Elementary."
Henson currently portrays Shug Avery in Blitz Bazawule's reimagining of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "The Color Purple," now playing in theaters.