Taraji P. Henson cries as he remembers telling his son, 9, his father had been murdered: ‘I had no words’
She is the star of the movie Hidden Figures and the TV series Empire.
But Taraji P. Henson is also known as a staunch advocate for greater access to mental health services.
On Tuesday, in a video clip promoting Wednesday’s episode of her Facebook watch program Peace Of Mind, the actress, 50, cried as she remembered how she had to deal with the murder of her son’s father 11 years ago.
Emotional time: Taraji P. Henson recalled in a preview of her program Watch on Facebook Peace Of Mind how she had to deal with telling her nine-year-old son that his father had been murdered
“My son’s father was suddenly taken and murdered when he was nine and I didn’t know how to tell him that,” she shared with host Tracie Jade Jenkins and therapist Sierra Hillsman.
“I couldn’t tell him that he was murdered, so I said he died in an accident,” she explained.
‘He was stabbed to death, it was the worst way for you to die … I just had no words. I didn’t know how to tell a nine-year-old. ‘
Further, Henson, 50, cried when he explained that he simply ‘didn’t have the words’. She said: ‘I couldn’t tell him that he was murdered, so I told him that he died in an accident’
Her son: The 50-year-old actress raised her son Marcell, now 26, as a single mother. He was photographed with her at his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in January 2019
Henson went on to raise his son Marcell, now 26, as a single mother and said that when he got older, he discovered the truth about his father’s death and asked why she hadn’t told him.
As a result, the actress said that the two began therapy together.
She spoke openly about doing therapy and, in June 2019, she explained: ‘It’s difficult when you’re in a dark place. Thank goodness I had really amazing people around me … since I went to the therapist, it helps me tremendously. ‘
Activist: Advocate for greater access to mental health services, Henson spoke at Congress in June 2019 about the need for more mental health resources for African Americans
In the same month, Henson spoke at Congress about the need for more mental health resources for African Americans.
She said at the time that she thinks being an advocate for the community has become her ‘purpose’ in life.
She also founded the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, in honor of her late father, who works with schools to provide therapy for students at risk and deal with child suicide.
In Facebook Watch’s Peace of Mind, Henson and his longtime friend Jenkins discuss mental health issues, especially those that arise in the African American community. and each episode focuses on a different topic.
The Empire and Hidden Figures star also founded the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, in honor of his late father, who works with schools to provide therapy to students at risk