Taraji P. Henson recently sat down with Michelle Obama and her brother, Craig Robinson, on their “IMO” podcast to chat about single motherhood. The 54-year-old actress got candid about her experience raising her son, Marcell Johnson, alone.
When Robison asked Taraji why Black women carry so much and where it starts, the Empire star explained how single motherhood was the norm for her. The actress watched both her mother and grandmother be solo parents.
“It’s just what I’m used to. Unlearning that trauma is where I am now,” she added.
Henson also recounted a time when her son was four years old and crying.
“I was so tired, I wanted to cry,” she said. “I wouldn’t wish being a single parent on my worst enemy, literally, because, think about when you’re exhausted and it’s like, the baby’s crying. ‘Oh, can you go get him, honey?’ There was no honey. I was honey. So If I work 12 hours and I come. If the baby’s sick. Everything fell on me.” Henson explained.
The Color Purple star also added that one day she was sitting on the sofa and wanted to give up.
“But that’s not in me either. You know, I think those thoughts, but then my ancestors go, ‘girl, you better get up,’” she said.
Although single motherhood was challenging, Henson has a moving story and created an outstanding life for herself despite the odds. The 54-year-old got pregnant with Marcell while attending Howard University. His father was her high school sweetheart, William LaMarr Johnson, and she eventually left him because he was abusive.
Despite getting pregnant while in school, the actress pushed through and graduated, then moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams with $700 she borrowed from family and friends.
“I just made a promise to him, and I just said, ‘I’m never gonna give up. Things are gonna be hard.’ He don’t even remember the hard days, he remembers the house with the pool, but I just made a promise to him and when you love that deep and you make promises, you have to keep them,” Henson said.
Sadly, Marcel’s father was murdered in 2003 when Marcel was just nine years old. However, the actress betting on herself paid off, as the roles she eventually landed in movies like Baby Boy and Hustle & Flow helped catapult her career. She also did a stand-up job as a mom, since Marcell is 30 years old, making music and forging his path.