Taraji P. Henson recalls abusive boyfriend in new memoir

Taraji P. Henson is opening up about her past in "Around the Way Girl," where she speaks about her ex and how they broke up after he became abusive.

TheGrio Staff

Oct 6, 2016

Taraji P. Henson is opening up about her past in her new memoir, Around the Way Girl. In the memoir, she speaks out concerning her ex-boyfriend, the father of her child, and how they broke up after he became abusive and hit her.

Henson described meeting Mark when she was only 17. They split after a turbulent relationship, and while they were separated, Mark fathered babies with two other women. They got back together in the early 90s, and she become pregnant.

But while Mark was supportive throughout the pregnancy, something changed after their son was born, and things came to a head when an argument turned physical one night.

“The next thing I knew, Mark’s balled-up fist was coming straight for my face. I fell onto the bed crying and holding my mouth; blood seeped off my lips and across my teeth. Droplets splashed across my shoes … slowly creeping into the fibers of my suede boots.”

Shocked, Henson screamed at him, “This is over! Get your s— and get out!”

Although her father encouraged her to reconcile with the father of her child, Henson said that she knew she couldn’t stay.

“With that separation, my forever man, my first love, was no more.”