‘Empire’ Star Terrence Howard Faces $140K Tax Lien

Empire star Terrence Howard is allegedly facing a $140,000 tax lien.

According to The Blast, the State of California Franchise Tax Board filed paperwork claiming that their records indicate that Howard owes them $143,538.61 for taxes owed for 2010, plus interest and penalties for not paying on time.”

The department goes on to add that if Howard fails to settle the alleged debt then the government could potentially begin to seize his assets and property.

This is not the first time Howard has faced tax issues, as in 2010 he was slapped with owing the IRS $1.1 million and in 2006 he owed $600,000.

Howard is not the only Empire star to face legal trouble lately, as his on-screen son Jussie Smollett was recently accused by the Chicago Police Department of faking the hate crime attack he allegedly suffered in January.

The young actor was charged with multiple felonies for allegedly lying to police, but recently the case against him was dismissed.

In the wake of the charges being dropped, Smollett has continued to maintain his innocence.

“Today, all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him. Jussie was attacked by 2 people he was unable to identify on January 29th,” a statement from Smollett’s laywers read.

“He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public, causing an inappropriate rush to judgment,” the statement continued.

“Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions. This entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion. That is wrong. It is a reminder that a victim, in this case Jussie, deserves dignity and respect. Dismissal of charges against the victim in this case was the only just result,” the statement concluded.

At this time it is unknown if Smollett will return to Empire, but Taraji P. Henson — who plays Cookie Lyon, the on-screen wife to Howard and mother to Smollett — said that she “heard anything else” regarding his continued involvement with the show.

“I talk to Jussie all the time, and he’s doing well. We’re all doing well,” Henson also said. “The show is doing well. We’re on hiatus right now. The writers are trying to figure out what the next season is going to look like, what our storyline is going to be. They’re trying to drum up some really good juicy stuff for you guys.”