Actor Terrence Howard has filed a lawsuit against Creative Artists Agency (CAA), alleging a conflict of interest in the agency’s handling of his compensation for the Chicago-produced television series Empire.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday, accuses CAA agents of prioritizing their interests and those of the show’s producers, inducing Howard to accept below-market salaries during his six-season tenure on the hit series.
Howard, known for playing Lucious Lyon on Fox’s Empire, claims that CAA, which also represented the show’s producers, Brian Grazer, Danny Strong, Lee Daniels and Francie Calfo, urged him to accept talent fees that were less than what he believes he should have received. The actor accuses the agency of breaching its fiduciary duty, among other claims. CAA has declined to comment on the lawsuit.
“I trusted CAA to look after me, and they looked after themselves,” Howard stated.
This is not the first legal action Howard has taken regarding his compensation for Empire. In 2020, he sued 20th Century Studios over allegedly unpaid royalty fees for the use of his name and likeness on merchandise associated with the show. The lawsuit claimed breach of contract and sought an accounting of the fees.
Additionally, Howard faced legal challenges as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by his former talent management firm. Authentic Talent and Literary Management, accused Howard of breaching an oral contract by failing to pay post-termination commissions. The claim asserted that the management firm was entitled to 10 percent of all gross revenue Howard received from employment in Hollywood during their representation, including earnings from Empire.
Empire‘s journey began with the filming of its pilot episode in March 2014 at Cinespace Chicago Film Studios. The trio of Howard, Taraji P. Henson, and Gabourey Sidibe brought the characters to life, setting the stage for what would become a cultural phenomenon.
On May 6, 2014, Fox announced its decision to pick up Empire as a series for its 2014–15 television schedule. However, the network chose to debut the show as a midseason replacement rather than as part of the fall lineup. The anticipation grew as the pilot episode was confirmed to premiere on January 7, 2015, following the season 14 premiere of American Idol.
The show’s inspiration drew from William Shakespeare’s King Lear, James Goldman’s The Lion in Winter, and the classic ABC prime-time soap opera Dynasty.
Showrunner Ilene Chaiken joined the series, contributing to its continued success. The first season’s acclaim led to a swift renewal for an 18-episode second season, which premiered on September 23, 2015. The fourth season, comprising eighteen episodes, premiered on September 27, 2017, and featured a crossover with another Fox series co-created by Lee Daniels, “Star.”
On May 2, 2018, Fox renewed Empire for a fifth season, with Brett Mahoney taking over as showrunner from Ilene Chaiken. The season premiered on September 26, 2018, continuing to captivate audiences.
In a surprising turn of events, on April 15, 2019, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that a judge permitted 300 incarcerated youth to sue Fox for the use of their prison facility in filming Empire.
As the world faced the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, production of the final season of Empire came to an abrupt halt. The pandemic brought an unexpected pause to the series, leaving fans and the industry awaiting the conclusion of the show’s remarkable run.
As the legal proceedings unfold, Howard’s lawsuits shed light on the complexities of talent compensation and the relationships between actors, agencies, and entertainment producers in the dynamic landscape of the television industry.
More updates on this legal matter are expected in the coming days.
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