Terrance Howard and his ex-wife, 36-year-old Michelle Ghent, are in the middle of an ugly legal battle over their divorce settlement agreement from 2012. While in court on Friday, the stress of it all must have taken a toll on Howard, because he broke down and cried while on the stand, according to TMZ.
The 46-year-old actor was testifying that that he signed a divorce settlement agreement giving Ghent $5,800 per month in spousal support because she was threatening to release personal information about him, including a claim that he has an STD. Howard said that he feared it would be hard for him to get a job once the information became public. He is attempting to get the settlement revoked.
While explaining the extreme duress Ghent had put him under during their divorce, the “Empire” actor reportedly fought back tears while gasping for breath and blowing his nose.
Howard also testified that while they were married, Ghent had at one point thrown a violent tantrum over jealousy that Howard had kissed singer Jennifer Hudson during the filming of Winnie, a 2011 film based on Winnie Mandela. He said she kicked food all over him and the two got into a big fight, according to Daily Mail.
According to recent reports, Ghent is demanding a large chunk of Howard’s checks from his hit show “Empire,” in which he plays Lucious Lyon. He apparently makes around $125,000 per episode. She wants him to pay nearly $500,000 in back spousal support and cover her attorney fees.
Howard is claiming he only earns around $5,878 per month and that his first wife, Lori McMasters, receives the majority of that money.
On Tuesday, the divorcees’ representatives attended court, and Howard’s sister-in-law, Yvonne Howard, testified that Ghent was using a sex tape to blackmail her ex-husband. Howard’s attorney, Brian Kramer, said he plans to play a conversation featuring Ghent that the actor recorded in which she made the threats to release the tape. He said the audio will reveal her “heavy-handed acts of extortion and blackmail.”
Howard and Ghent were married in January 2010 and their divorce was finalized in May 2013. He married Miranda Pak in late 2013 and the couple had a son, Qirin Love, in May of 2015.
