Oscar-nominated actor Terrence Howard is at the center of a surprising tax evasion case. On Friday, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, a federal judge in Philadelphia ordered Howard to pay close to $1 million in back taxes, after being pursued by the Justice Department for over a year for not paying a previous income tax bill. The initial bill, which covered what the Iron Man and Empire actor owed in his returns from 2010 through 2019, was for $578,000.
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The current lawsuit was set in motion after Howard allegedly did not turn up at hearings for the case or respond to the Department of Justice, and now would have the actor paying $903,114.72. This new number would account for the unpaid federal income tax assessments, penalties and interest for the 2010, 2011, 2016, 2017 and 2019 tax years. After the DOJ initially filed the suit, Howard allegedly responded with a voicemail to the case’s top DOJ attorney, Maria Elizabeth Ruwe, claiming it was “immoral” for the government to tax those who are descended from slaves.
“Four hundred years of forced labor and never receiving any compensation for it,” Howard allegedly said. “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… In truth, the entire United States should, by default, become the property of the descendants of slaves. 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.”
This is one of several cases that Howard is involved in, after he filed an unrelated case against CAA over conflict of interest for his salary for Empire.
Will Terrence Howard Return to the MCU?
Howard portrayed James “Rhodey” Rhodes in the first Iron Man movie, before Don Cheadle was cast in the role from Iron Man 2 onward. In the years since, Howard has made it clear that he has no desire to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise.
“You know what’s so funny? Even though I love Don Cheadle so much and I love what he’s done, I still hear a lot of fans asking, ‘Am I going to come back and be War Machine? Am I going to come back and be War Machine?’” Howard confirmed on Watch What Happens Live. “I think they could have a huge franchise off of it, but f-ck em.”
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