Academy Award-nominated actor, producer, #1 New York Times best selling author, mental health advocate and entrepreneur Taraji P. Henson has signed with Independent Artist Group (IAG) for representation. IAG will also represent Henson’s production company TPH Entertainment, which has a first look deal at BET.
During her career spanning decades, Henson has received an Oscar nomination, a Golden Globe and six BET Awards as well as multiple Emmy, SAG, Critics’ Choice and NAACP Image Award nominations.
More from Variety
Most recently, Henson starred in Peacock’s limited series “Fight Night,” which launched as the most watched premiere in Peacock history and their #1 original drama. The show earned NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Limited Television (Series, Special or Movie), with Henson taking home the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Television (Series, Special or Movie).
Prior to “Fight Night,” she starred in the award-winning musical adaptation of “The Color Purple,” winning an NAACP Image Award and receiving a Screen Actors Guild ensemble nomination.
Henson will next star in Tyler Perry’s “Straw” for Netflix. Additional projects this year include Apple TV+’s “Number One on the Call Sheet,” a two-part documentary that celebrates the achievements of Black actors in Hollywood, and CNN’s latest travel series “My Happy Place.”
IAG will work closely with Henson and her Emmy-winning Head of Development and Production Jamila Jordan-Theus in helping to build out TPH Entertainment, which has numerous projects in development that fit “our mission to bring bold, authentic and diverse voices to the forefront … push boundaries and create impactful content that resonates with audiences everywhere,” as Henson told Variety last year.
For IAG CEO Jim Osborne, the signing keeps up momentum on the heels of recently bringing Sylvester Stallone and his Balboa Productions to the agency.
Henson quickly rose to fame with her breakout role in 2005’s “Hustle & Flow,” earning a Screen Actors Guild nomination and a BET Award for Best Actress. Her additiona. feature film credits include memorable roles in “Hidden Figures,” “Acrimony,” “Proud Mary,” “Think Like a Man” and its sequel, “Smokin’ Aces,” “No Good Deed” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
On television, she has garnered multiple Primetime Emmy Award nominations, most recently for her guest turn on “Abbott Elementary.” Previously, Henson won a Golden Globe Award, received multiple Emmy nominations, and became the first Black woman to win a Critics Choice Television Award in the Best Actress in a Drama Series category for her portrayal of “Cookie Lyon” on the smash hit series “Empire.”
Her producorial efforts on the play “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding” earned her a Tony nomination for Best Play in 2024. In June 2024, she released her #1 NY Times sest selling and NAACP Image Award-winning children’s book, “You Can Be a Good Friend (No Matter What!).” Henson also released her New York Times bestselling novel “Around the Way Girl” in Oct. 2016.
In 2018, Henson created the Boris L. Henson Foundation, which exists to both normalize and improve access to mental health services for Black communities in hopes of eradicating the stigma around seeking help and support. Furthering her passion for creating and uplifting her community and beyond, Henson founded TPH by Taraji in 2020, an award-winning brand of inclusive, spa-inspired products. In 2024, Henson further expanded her business portfolio as the strategic advisor and creative collaborator for Seven Daughters Moscato.
She is represented by M88, 2PM Sharp and TriStar.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
