Taraji P. Henson, Angela Simmons open up about past abusive relationships
"I'm missing a piece of my lip to this day," the 'Empire' actress shared.
Taraji P. Henson spoke out about a past abusive relationship in the latest installment of Peace of Mind With Taraji on Facebook Watch.
The Hollywood veteran shared a clip of her candid conversation with Growing Up Hip-Hop star Angela Simmons, who gets real about her own experience with an abusive ex. Henson said her breaking point came when “blood was drawn.”
“It started with the bruises and grabbing, things like that. And then once the fist came, once the balled hand came and the fists — and I’m missing a piece of my lip to this day — that’s when I knew I had to go,” she explained.
The actress noted that “Sometimes, as women, what we do is we fall in love and we go, ‘You know what? I’ll fix it later.’”
Henson shared with Simmons that she “grew up around [abuse]” and didn’t want her son Marcell Johnson, 27, growing up with it.
In her 2016 memoir, “Around The Way Girl,” Henson reveals that she broke off her relationship with the father of her son after he hit her.
Henson describes meeting the man she calls “Mark” when she was only 17. They split after a turbulent relationship; while they were separated, Mark fathered children with two other women.
They got back together in the early 90s, and Henson got pregnant. She said that Mark was supportive throughout the pregnancy, but something changed after their son was born. Things came to a head one evening when an argument turned physical.
“The next thing I knew, Mark’s balled-up fist was coming straight for my face,” Henson said. “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 Mark, Henson said she couldn’t stay.
“With that separation, my forever man, my first love, was no more.”
On thenew season on Peace of Mind with Taraji, Henson and her co-host Tracie Jade continue the discussion around domestic violence and mental health issues in the Black community.
The duo will also explore topics including gun violence, elite athletics, social media bullying, overcoming adversity, repression of emotion in Black men, and COVID loss. Henson and Jade will chop it up with stars including Megan Thee Stallion, Chance the Rapper, Chloe Bailey and Karl Anthony-Towns.
In related news, Henson revealed that she turned to a holistic doctor to treat a stomach issue she had been suffering from for years.
“Western medicine saves lives,” she tells Women’s Health for the November cover. “But it wasn’t helping in my situation.”
She’s also working on her first album.
“I’m just working on some really good, feel-good music,” she shared with Good Morning America Wednesday. “I’m not trying to toot my own horn here, but it was time for a pivot because I’ve done so many iconic roles, you know what I mean? It’s like, I can’t just, you know…acting it has to be something that excites me and challenges me.”
The Hidden Figures star said her love of music dates back to her early roots in musical theater.
“I want people to know that it’s never too late for anything,” Henson told Women’s Health. “You can get your health together and live out your wildest dreams.”
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