So, Terrence Howard is at it again, airing his grievances with Hollywood, and this time he’s specifically calling out Robert Downey Jr. Terrence says he was instrumental in helping RDJ land the Iron Man role, but when Marvel replaced him with Don Cheadle for the sequel, RDJ didn’t stand up for him. Now, Terrence is threatening to expose all the dirty secrets of the industry, trying to clear his name after being labeled as difficult and unstable.
But there’s another angle here. Some folks think Terrence might be playing the victim to get ahead of any negative stories about himself. There are rumors linking him to Diddy and some scandalous activities. On top of that, Terrence recently sued the Creative Artists Agency, claiming they shortchanged him on his earnings from Empire. The agency is questioning why he waited so long to speak up and why this lawsuit is coming up now, especially with all the buzz about his ties to Diddy. It’s a bit like when someone sues a company, only for it to come out that they might have their own issues to deal with.
Terrence Howard has openly admitted to having a history of trouble with physically confronting women, which makes his latest claims a bit suspect. He’s been accusing Robert Downey Jr. of betraying him, suggesting he’s been unfairly blacklisted from Hollywood. But is there more to this story?
Here’s the background: we had a three-picture deal with Marvel. The original terms were $4.5 million for the first film, $7 to $8 million for the second, and $12 million for the third. After we signed the deal, Marvel reached out to my agent, Charles King, who was with William Morris at the time, just after my mother passed away. They wanted Terrence to come back, but only for $1 million instead of the agreed $8 million.
Terrence has been making a lot of noise about being mistreated and cheated, and now he’s pointing fingers at Robert Downey Jr. But some people are starting to think that this might be more about distracting from his own issues, like his temper and those rumored connections to Diddy and questionable parties.
Terrence has been a figure of controversy for years. In 2001, he was arrested for assaulting his first wife, and a decade later, his second wife, Michelle Gent, had to get a restraining order against him for domestic violence. Terrence admitted to being aggressive, saying in a 2015 Rolling Stone interview, “She was talking to me real strong, and I lost my mind and slapped her in front of the kids.” Yet, he told ET that harming anyone goes against his nature, saying, “Anyone who knows me would say I couldn’t hurt a fly. It’s completely against my spirit.”
So, which version is true? Did you lose your temper and slap her in front of the kids, or are you truly incapable of harming anyone? This inconsistency is reminiscent of Diddy’s denials of allegations, only to be caught in the act. Despite Terrence’s claims, those who know him tell a different story. His anger issues were reportedly why he was replaced by Don Cheadle in Iron Man 2. One former associate told the New York Post, “Terrence has to be in control all the time. When he doesn’t get his way, he loses his temper easily.” This isn’t a one-off; he has a history of physical confrontations over minor issues.
In 1997, he allegedly assaulted a flight attendant who asked him to return to his seat. In 2005, he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after a scuffle at a Philadelphia restaurant over a line-cutting accusation. Plus, in 2011, a voicemail surfaced where he threatened a fan’s life for allegedly flirting with his wife. Radar Online reported he said, “Ninja, this is Terrence. You’ve been calling my wife. If you call my wife again, I’m going to come to your house and cut your effing throat. Understand that? I’m going to tell you this one time: you call my wife again, I’m going to K you.”
But things only seem to get worse. Allegedly, Terrence kept his third ex-wife, Mira Pak, virtually imprisoned in their home, cutting her off from friends and social interactions. Before their divorce in 2015, Mira spoke out in an interview with Rolling Stone, revealing the grim reality of their marriage: “He doesn’t do the dishes, cook, or do anything to help. I probably leave him 30 times a month. He’s so selfish. Our life isn’t normal. In two years together, we’ve only gone to restaurants a handful of times. We’ve never been to the supermarket or the movies together. I’ve never received a gift from him. I’ve developed a bit of agoraphobia and rarely go out. I have no friends here. I feel like Rapunzel, trapped in a penthouse with my baby.”
Adding to the controversy, Terrence has a history of victim-blaming. He previously defended Chris Brown’s assault on Rihanna and suggested that women’s attire provokes uncontrollable reactions in men. According to Terrence, provocative clothing incites a response in him that he struggles to control—whatever that means.
This is quite ironic coming from someone who has admitted to being physical with a woman in front of their children and was rumored to have participated in wild parties at Diddy’s place. Although Terrence used to be a party fixture at Diddy’s events, their relationship soured when Terrence took on the role of Lucious Lyon in Empire, with Diddy believing the character was based on him. Despite their estrangement, rumors suggest Terrence might have appeared in some controversial tapes.
Recently, Orlando Brown made some sensational claims, alleging intimate encounters with several industry figures, including both Diddy and Terrence. “We made love. We made love,” he stated.
“Who did you hook up with?”
“Diddy.”
“Didn’t you just say you saw BU at the airport?”
“Yeah, out here getting to know you. You hooked up with Drake?”
“Oh, so you had a thing with Drake, Terrence Howard?”
“Terrence Howard, Terrence Howard, Usher.”
“Usher is definitely a gusher.”
And here goes Terrence again, playing the victim and claiming that the whole industry and government are out to get him. Earlier this year, a federal judge told him to pay $1 million in back taxes. Terrence fired back, saying it’s unfair for the government to tax him because he’s a descendant of slaves. “It’s hard to argue with that. Four hundred years of forced labor with no compensation, and now you’re going to slap taxes on the descendants of those who were wronged?”
But Terrence isn’t done. He recently appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast and made a bunch of outrageous claims, from saying he invented a new branch of science to accusing Robert Downey Jr. of stabbing him in the back and stealing his money. Terrence argues that the universe works on a principle he calls “equinity,” which he says Einstein missed in his theory of relativity. “Gravity is caused by electric force. Electricity always seeks a higher pressure condition. It spins northeast, trying to reach the center of an area, but as the next electric wave arrives, it gets pushed out, creating a vortex.”
As for RDJ supposedly betraying him, Terrence claims Marvel tried to lowball him for the Iron Man sequel, offering him less than they’d agreed on. Instead of negotiating, Terrence’s agent told Marvel to go take a hike, and Marvel quickly replaced him with Don Cheadle.
“I was working on Iron Man… and then out of nowhere, they pulled it away. We had a three-movie deal with Marvel—$4.5 million for the first film, $7 to $8 million for the second, and $12 million for the third. We signed it. They called my agent, Charles King, the week my mother died, and said, ‘We want Terrence, but we’re offering him only $1 million instead of the $8 million we agreed on.’ My agent got emotional and told them to forget it. Next thing I knew, they went to Don Cheadle.”
Terrence also claims Marvel spread the word that he was difficult to work with, a claim he denies, even though several people say otherwise. He then tried to reach out to Robert Downey Jr., hoping he’d back him up. Terrence says he called RDJ 27 times and never heard back until three years later when they ran into each other at Brian Grazer’s wedding. At that point, RDJ told him, “Oh, but everything worked out for you,” which Terrence found really hurtful.
Some fans think Robert Downey Jr. should have stepped in to help Terrence Howard repair his relationship with Marvel. But a lot of people believe that anything Terrence Howard says should be taken with a huge grain of salt. One fan put it this way: “Terrence is like that guy you end up stuck with at a bus stop in a sketchy neighborhood at 2 a.m. You want him to stop talking, but you’re afraid he might get violent if you tell him to shut up, so you just keep quiet.” Another fan added, “This is probably why he got dropped from Iron Man. He probably cornered Kevin Feige at a party with his drama, and Feige was like, ‘I can’t deal with this for another ten years.’”
As for the rumors about his connection to Diddy, some fans think there’s probably something to it. They point out that Terrence and Diddy have similar traits. One fan said, “The weirdest thing about Terrence Howard is that there’s always this unsettling vibe about him in photos and videos. It’s in his eyes and the way he stares during interviews. His speech and body language seem so calculated, like he’s playing a role instead of just being himself.”
What do you think about Terrence blaming everyone else for his problems? Do you think there’s any truth to the rumors about him and Diddy? Let us know in the comments!