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  • >> James: WELCOME BACK, TONIGHT OUR GUEST IS A NOMINATED

  • ACTOR FROM HUSTLE AND FLOW, HIDDEN FIGURES, COVERREE AND

  • SCAR I'M AND SO MUCH MORE, THE MAGNIFICENT, THE GLORIOUS, THE

  • ONE, THE ONLY, TIR-- TARAJI P HENSON IS WITH US, HOW ARE YOU,

  • ARE YOU WELL?

  • >> I AM AS WELL AS I CAN BE.

  • >> James: WHERE ARE YOU RIGHT NOW?

  • WHO ARE YOU WITH?

  • >> I AM FINALLY BACK IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.

  • I HAD MY SON, MY DOG, MY BROTHER WHO WAS ALSO MY ACTING COACH,

  • MORE LIKE MY BROTHER, WE WENT TO COLLEGE TOGETHER.

  • HE WAS HOUSE SITTING FOR ME AND IN THE PROCESS OF ABOUT TO MOVE

  • AND COVID HAPPEN AND THEY SHUT THE CITY DOWN.

  • HE GOT STUCK UP HERE.

  • MY FIANCE IS STUCK IN CHICAGO BECAUSE HE HAD TO FINISH

  • BUSINESS THERE BECAUSE WE ARE LEASING OUR CONDO.

  • SO SOMEONE HAD TO STAY AND FINISH THAT UP.

  • SO YEAH.

  • >> James: WELL, I GOT TO SAY, ISOLATION IS LOOKING GOOD ON

  • YOU, I AM LOVING THIS WHOLE LOOK.

  • DID YOU DO THIS YOURSELF?

  • >> I DID THIS MYSELF.

  • TOOK ME THREE DAYS BUT I WILL TIME, I'M LEARNING A LOT.

  • I DID MY NAILS, MY MAKEUP.

  • GOOD OLD TIME IN MY GLAM-UP.

  • >> James: ISN'T IT INCREDIBLE ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU DIDN'T

  • KNOW YOU WERE CAPABLE OF.

  • >> ACTUALLY, I WAS CAPABLE OF IT ALL, I JUST, I WANTED TO GO INTO

  • COSMETOLOGY WHEN I COULD NOT, WHEN I DID NOT GET ACCEPTED INTO

  • THE PERFORMING ARTS HIGH SCHOOL.

  • I WAS LIKE WHAT ELSE DO I LOVE TO DO AND I WAS A YEAR LATE

  • APPLYING TO COSMETOLOGY SCOOVMENT BUT IT WAS SOMETHING

  • THAT I ALWAYS HELD DEAR TO ME. AND SO MY LITTLE SIDE HUSBAND

  • NELL COLLEGE WAS I DID $20 ACRYLICNESS, I DID $20 ROLLER

  • SETS.

  • AND THAT IS HOW I ATE IN COLLEGE.

  • >> James: I JUST NOTICED, I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS TATTOO ON

  • YOUR BICEP BEFORE, THE TRUTH.

  • >> OH NO, YES.

  • >> James: IS THAT IN CASE ANYBODY UPSETS YOU IN YOUR LIFE,

  • YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH.

  • >> I HAVE BEEN CALLED THE TRUTH A LOT.

  • I HAVE AM KNOWN BECAUSE I CAN ONLY TELL THE TRUTH.

  • LIKE I CAN'T TELL A LIE.

  • I GET PAID TO LIE, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, SO IN MY REAL LIFE IT IS

  • VERY HARD FOR ME.

  • >> James: NOW TARAJI I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THIS.

  • YOU HAVE DONE SOMETHING INKREBLED.

  • YOU LAUNCHED THIS BRILLIANT CAMPAIGN, FREE VIRTUAL THERAPY

  • FOR AFRICAN-AMERICANS WHO HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY COVID-19.

  • TELL ME ABOUT IT, HOW IT IS GOING AND WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO

  • DO THIS AND HOW PEOPLE CAN GET INVOLVED.

  • >> WELL, I GOT, I WAS INCLINED TO DO SOMETHING BECAUSE AS YOU

  • KNOW, MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW, IN THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY

  • WE DON'T DEAL WITH MENTAL HEALTH IT SAY GENERATIONAL THING THAT

  • HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN, THE-- IT MAKES YOU LOOK WEAK OR WHEN WE

  • DO IT, SHOW WE ARE DEMONIZED FOR IT AND WE HAVE TRUST ISSUES, YOU

  • KNOW, WITH MEDICINE AND STUFF.

  • SO IT I HAVE BEEN TO CONGRESS, ON THE FLOOR OF CONGRESS, AND

  • WHEN THIS WHOLE THING WENT DOWN, I JUST THOUGHT ABOUT ALL THE

  • PEOPLE WHO ARE ISOLATING OR SUFFERING IN ISOLATION, YOU

  • KNOW.

  • I THINK ABOUT PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT BE, BECAUSE OF SO MANY REASONS,

  • UNEMPLOYMENT, THIS JUST LIVING CONDITIONS.

  • YOU CANNOT AFFORD MENTAL HEALTH.

  • AND RIGHT NOW WE ALL NEED IT AND IS I'M JUST THINK BEING THOSE

  • UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES WHERE PEOPLE, THAT'S THE LAST THING

  • THAT THEY ARE THINK BEING IS HOW DO I TAKE CARE OF MY MENTAL

  • HEALTH AND ARE TRAUMATIZED BY THIS.

  • BECAUSE THE NUMBERS ARE ALARMING IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY.

  • WE ARE BEING DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED BY THIS COVID-19.

  • AND THAT IS TRAUMATIZING.

  • AND SO I'M JUST TRYING TO DO MY PART, YOU KNOW.

  • WE'RE OFFERING FIVE THERAPY SESSIONS FOR FREE.

  • WE'RE ASKING PEOPLE TO DONATE.

  • TO DONATE WHATEVER YOU CAN, JUST TRYING TO SAVE LIVES AND MAKE

  • THIS A BIT EASIER ON PEOPLE.

  • AN ANOTHER THING, YOU KNOW, I THINK THIS IS THE TIME TO EVEN

  • TRY THERAPY, IF YOU HAVE EVER HAD ANY KIND OF RESERVATIONS

  • BECAUSE NOW ARE YOU IN THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN HOME AND YOU

  • HAVE NOTHING BUT TIME.

  • AND WHY NOT WORK ON YOURSELF.

  • I AM DOING IT.

  • >> WELL, ALSO OF THERE IS A THING, YOU KNOW, TO GET ACROSS

  • TO PEOPLE WHICH HAVE I EVEN DEALT WITH SAY WITH MY PARENTS,

  • FOR EXAMPLE WHO ARE FROM A GENERATION OF LIKE HEAD DOWN,

  • PULL YOURSELVES UP, GETS ON WITH IT, YOU ARE A FINE.

  • DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.

  • TO PEOPLE THAT WHEN ARE YOU AT YOUR MOST VULNERABLE, WE ARE ALL

  • AT OUR MOST VULNERABLE WE MIGHT ACTUALLY BE THE STRONGEST WE

  • KOAFER BE, YOU KNOW.

  • >> AND SEE THAT IS WHY I AM TAKING THIS TIME NOW, WE CAN GET

  • A LOT OF PEOPLE.

  • THE-- WAS SHUT DOWN FOR 30 MINUTES WHEN I DID CNN.

  • AND THAT JUST SHOWS YOU HOW MANY PEOPLE NEED THIS HELP, YOU KNOW.

  • I MEAN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH, CHILD ABUSE IS

  • AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH, ALCOHOLISM IS AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH BECAUSE

  • PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, YOU KNOW, SO I AM JUST TRYING TO

  • BE A LITTLE HELP, A LITTLE BREATHE OF FRESH AIR IN THE DARK

  • TIMES.

  • >> James: GIVE THE NUMBER, NO STIGMA.

  • >> TO 707007.

  • >> James: 707070.

  • NOW WE'VE GOT TO TALK ABOUT THE SERIES FINALE OF EMPIRE.

  • NOW YOU WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF FILMING, WAS IT THE LAST EPISODE

  • OR SECOND TO LAST EPISODE WHEN ALL OF THIS HAPPENED?

  • >> IT WAS THE SECOND TO LAST EPISODE SO WE WERE SLATED TO

  • FILM 20 EPISODES.

  • WE HAD 18 IN THE CAN.

  • WE WERE WORKING ON 19 WHEN COVID HAPPENED AND SHUT DOWN

  • EVERYTHING.

  • AND SO I HONESTLY, WHEN PEOPLE GO HOW IS THE FINALE.

  • YOU CAN GIVE US ANYTHING.

  • FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY CAREER SINCE I HAVE BEEN ON THIS

  • SHOARKS I CAN'T GIVE YOU SQUAT BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW.

  • I DON'T KNOW HOW IT'S GOING TO END.

  • >> I KNEW HOW IT WAS GOING TO END IF WE HAD CONTINUED BECAUSE

  • I RAID ALL THE SCRIPTS BUT NOW I JUST KNOW WHAT WE FIMMED AND I

  • DON'T KNOW WHAT KIND OF MAGIC THEY'RE GOING TO MAKE.

  • I'M SURE IT WILL BE BRILLIANT BECAUSE THEY ARE REALLY GOOD AT

  • WHAT THEY DO.

  • BUT IT WILL BE MOVIE MAGIC IN EDITING ROOM.

  • >> James: SO YOU DIDN'T EVEN GET TO SAY A PROPER GOOD-BYE TO

  • OFF THESE PEOPLE YOU HAVE WORKED WITH FOR SO MANY YEARS.

  • >> AND IT BREAKS MY HEART.

  • BECAUSE I AM A HUGE CREW PERSON.

  • I TAKE CARE OF MY CREW.

  • I TAKE CARE OF PEOPLE THAT TAKE CARE OF ME.

  • AND LISTEN, I BROUGHT THEM ALL LETTERMAN SWEATER BECAUSE IT WAS

  • OUR SENIOR YEEMPLET I LOVE TO PLAY SANTA.

  • AND I COULDN'T DO IT.

  • I COULDN'T SAY GOOD-BYE.

  • I COULDN'T HUG.

  • WE HAVE BEEN FAMILY FOR SIX YEARS.

  • AND YOU KNOW, THIS HURTS A LITTLE BIT.

  • AND WE'RE TEXTING EACH OTHER.

  • I HOPE WE GET A CHANCE TO SAY GOOD-BYE, AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE

  • WON'T.

  • >> James: ALSO THERE IS ONE THINGS, JOBS END AND YOU SAY

  • GOOD-BYE BUT THIS HAS BEEN SUCH A MONUMENTAL MOMENTS IN YOUR

  • LIFE, I MEAN I FEEL LIKE MORE THAN ANY OTHER SHOW EMPIRE CAME

  • OUT AND WAS AN IMMEDIATELY IN THE ZEIT GIET, PEOPLE WERE JUST

  • TALKING ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME AND PARTICULARLY TALKING ABOUT

  • COOKIE.

  • WHAT IS IT, WHAT IS IT ABOUT HER AND THAT CHARACTER THAT YOU

  • THINK JUST MADE ITS WORLD WANT TO TALK ABOUT HER.

  • AND THEN SUBSEQUENTLY TALK BUT, YOU KNOW?

  • >> YOU KNOW WHAT, CUZ COOKIE LIVES THE TRUTH. HER TRUTH.

  • SHE WASN'T AFRAID.

  • SHE WAS UNWAVERING.

  • SHE WAS THE MORAL COMPASS.

  • SHE SAID THINGS THAT PEOPLE WISHED THEY COULD SAY, YOU KNOW.

  • AND I MEAN, I THINK IF SHE TAUGHT US ANYTHING T WAS THE

  • TRUTH AND NOT BACK DOWN FROM THE TRUTH, THE UNAPOLOGETICALLY WHO

  • YOU ARE.

  • AND THIS IS COMING FROM A WOMAN WHO WAS A HERO BUT SHE WAS VERY

  • CLEAR ON WHY SHE WENT TO JAIVMENT HE IS A LIVING WALKING

  • TRUTH, TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT, LIKE IT OR NOT BUT SHE IS OKAY

  • BECAUSE IT IS HER TRUTH.

  • AND I THINK IF WE ALL DID THAT, WE WOULD LIVE A LITTLE LESS FREE

  • BECAUSE THE STRESS AND ANXIETY COMES FROM THINGS THAT YOU ARE

  • AFRAID TO SAY AND DO THAT IS WHEN ANXIETY CREEPS IN, BUT IF

  • YOU JUST LIVE AS BOLDLY IN YOUR TRUTH AND PLANTED YOUR FEET IN

  • THE GROUND AND SAY THIS SHOW I FEEL TODAY, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT

  • OR NOT.

  • YOU KNOW, MY DAD LIVED LIKE THAT.

  • HE WASN'T STRESSFREE BUT HE DIDN'T GO TO SLEEP WORRYING

  • ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS.

  • I MEAN FINANCIALLY IS DIFFERENT BUT YOU KNOW, HIS CONSCIENCE IS

  • CLEAN BECAUSE WHATEVER HE HAD TO SAY, HE WOULD SAY T YOU KNOW.

  • >> James: I THINK, I THINK AND I'M NOT SURE THE MANY PEOPLE

  • KNOW COMPLETELY THE JOURNEY THAT YOU TOOK TO GET TO THIS PLACE IN

  • YOUR KA REEMPLET YOU KNOW, YOU CAME TO L.A., I THINK IT WAS IN

  • THE '90S.

  • YOU WERE A SINGLE MOTHER.

  • YOU TRAVELED ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

  • TO GO TO L.A. STO TRY AND LIVE YOUR DREAM.

  • WHAT WAS THAT TRIP LIKE AND HOW DOES IT INFORM YOUR LIFE NOW

  • TODAY.

  • >> WELL, I THINK I WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT KNEW I WASN'T GOING

  • BACK.

  • MY MOM WAS LIKE OH, SHE'S GOING TO GO AND COME BACK.

  • WHEN I PACKED MY BAGS I WAS LIKE PEACE OUT.

  • I NEVER LOOKED BACK.

  • I KNEW I WAS GOFNLT I JUST KNEW THAT HAVING A CHILD SO YOUNG

  • ESPECIALLY A BOY, IF I DON'T LIVE OUT MY DREAM F I'M NOT OLD

  • ENOUGH TO TACKLE AND GO AFTER THEM, I AM GOING TO SEE, SO IF I

  • COULD JUST, IF I CAN LOOK INTO MY KID'S EYES AND SAY YOU CAN DO

  • ANYTHING, AND I HAVE, HE IS NOT GOING BELIEVE YOU, RIGHT.

  • SO YOU KNOW, I GUESS WHAT IT TAUGHT ME IS THAT FACE YOUR

  • FEARS BECAUSE LITERALLY I WILL A TODDLER HE WAS ONE, I HAD $700

  • IN MY POCKET AND I HAD A WHOLE LOT OF FAITH AND HI TALENT.

  • SO I HAD ALL THESE-- I WENT TO SCHOOL, I DID MY BIT, I GOT MY

  • DEGREE, I TRAINED ALL I COULD TRAIN.

  • SO NOW I GOT TO GO PUT IT TO WORK. AND I JUST KNEW I HAD A

  • GREAT SUPPORT SYSTEM, A TESTIMONY TEAM AROUND ME THAT

  • WHENEVER I WANTED TO QUIT, HE WHAT BE LIKE NO TARAJI, YOU HAVE

  • COME TOO FAR TO TURN BACK NOW.

  • SO WHEN PEOPLE ARE SOWING GOOD SEEDS INTO YOU AND YOU KNOW YOU

  • HAVE DONE ALL THE WORK, FEAR IS NOTHING.

  • FEAR CAN CRIPPLE YOU, AND SO THAT WHAT I LEARNED.

  • YOU HAVE TO FACE THE FEAR AND THEY CANNOT COEXIST.

  • >> James: AND THANK GOD YOU DID

>> James: WELCOME BACK, TONIGHT OUR GUEST IS A NOMINATED

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