Terrence Howard says taxes left him too broke to pay alimony

Nov 2, 2014

Terrence Howard is claiming that a massive tax bill is keeping him from paying spousal support to his ex-wife Michelle Ghent. The 45-year-old actor and Ghent divorced in 2013 after splitting in 2011, but Howard reportedly owes his ex-wife close to half a million dollars for spousal support and legal costs.

In recent court documents, Howard indicated that he paid Ghent $2,000 for the month of November, the maximum he can afford given the huge tax bills.

Howard was recently assessed as owing $1.2 million in back taxes to the federal government, as well as $156,000 to the state of California. The actor reportedly earned $1.3 million dollars in 2013. The documents mention that much of this salary went to Lori McCommas, his first ex-wife.

But Ghent claims that Howard isn’t being truthful about his debts and that the actor’s salary should more than cover the money he owes to her.

Howard currently stars in two upcoming 2015 television shows — the Lee Daniels project Empire and Wayward Pines, a mystery series for FOX. He married his third wife, Miranda Howard, in 2013. It was recently announced that the couple was expecting their first child.