“Empire” star Terrence Howard blasted the U.S. government for charging “taxes to the descendants of slaves,” after being hit with a lawsuit for failing to pay an insane amount of back taxes.
Howard has been served a substantial financial blow after refusing to pay taxes for nearly a decade.
Following his alleged dismissal of the United States’ right to levy taxes on the descendants of slaves as “immoral,” Howard has been instructed by a federal judge to pay nearly $1 million in overdue taxes, including penalties and interest, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The attempt by the Internal Revenue Service to collect back income tax payments has extended over a year.
Terrance Howard has been ordered to pay nearly $1M in back taxes and penalties by a federal judge
This comes after he allegedly threatened a DOJ lawyer and said it was 'immoral for the United States government to charge taxes to the descendants of slaves'
(via @PhillyInquirer) pic.twitter.com/UIa1ucn6xT
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) March 1, 2024
Howard has reportedly not paid taxes amounting to $578,000 for periods spanning from 2010 to 2019.
Following legal action by the Justice Department against the 54-year-old in 2022, Howard reportedly responded with a voicemail to the lead tax attorney of the case in November.
“Four hundred years of forced labor and never receiving any compensation for it,” Howard said according to a transcript of the message.
“Now, you have the gall to try and prosecute and charge taxes to the descendants of a broken people that you are responsible for causing the breakage,” he added.
The “Hustle & Flow” star said that the country should belong to people whose ancestors were enslaved in a follow up message.
“In truth, the entire United States should, by default, become the property of the descendants of slaves,” Howard asserted.
“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.”
Despite the vocal animosity, the actor did not officially respond to the lawsuit.
His lack of formal reply culminated in a court decision last week in Philadelphia, where U.S. District Judge John F. Murphy consented to the government’s petition to enter a $903,115 default judgment against Howard.
Subsequent attempts to reach Howard for comment using the number from his voicemail and a lawyer who had once signaled the potential to represent him also failed.
Meanwhile, a London stage play titled Slave Play has sparked controversy with its announcement of exclusive summer performance dates for “black identifying” audiences only, a divisive gesture aimed at creating a space without “the white gaze.”
American playwright Jeremy O. Harris’s provocative drama is set to hit the NoĂ«l Coward Theatre in London’s West End from June 29 to September 21.
According to reports by the Independent, “Slave Play” will reserve its July 17 and September 17 shows exclusively for those who self-identify as black.
Termed “Black Out” dates, these performances are intended to offer a haven “free from the white gaze.”
"People have to be radically invited into a space to know that they belong there."
Playwright @JeremyOHarris explains 'Black Out' nights of the West End run of 'Slave Play' – inviting only people who identify as Black or Brown to buy tickets for select performances.#BBCWato pic.twitter.com/dDainPWDwj
— The World at One (@BBCWorldatOne) February 27, 2024
“Blackout nights are the purposeful creation of an environment in which an all-Black-identifying audience can experience and discuss an event in the performing arts, film, athletic and cultural spaces — free from the white gaze,” the theater’s website stated.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office blasted the concept in statement.
“The prime minister is a big supporter of the arts and he believes that the arts should be inclusive and open to everyone, particularly where those arts venues are in receipt of public funding,” the statement read.
“Restricting audiences on the basis of race would be wrong and divisive.”
Harris doesn’t agree with the assessment. “There are a litany of places in our country that are generally only inhabited by white people, and nobody is questioning that, and nobody is saying that by inviting black audiences here you are uninvited,” he countered.
“The idea of a Black Out night is to say this is a night that we are specifically inviting black people to fill up the space, to feel safe with a lot of other black people in a place where they often do not feel safe.”
The concept isn’t knew to Harris, who created Black Out performances for his 2022 play Daddy.
The London production boasts a star-studded cast, including Olivia Washington, the daughter of Hollywood legend Denzel Washington, alongside Kit Harington, known for his role in Game of Thrones.