And the divorce debate continues for Terrence Howard and his ex-wife Michelle Ghent. But this time, the “Empire” star has receipts…in the form of audio recordings of his former spouse threatening him. Get the latest inside….
Jetting from the “Empire” set in Chicago, Terrence Howard was in court today in an effort to have his divorce settlement with his ex-wife Michelle Ghent nullified. You’ll recall, Terrence was ordered to pay Michelle thousands of dollars in spousal support (which at one time he said he couldn’t afford) after only being married for a year. Not only that, she was given several bank accounts and Terrence was stuck with several debts, according to the settlement.
Now, the Oscar nominated actor, who has remarried, claims Michelle forced him into signing the 2012 divorce settlement after she threatened to leak details about his sex life. He claims Michelle extorted money from him, so the divorce settlement should be overturned. And he came with receipts to prove it.
In a L.A. courtroom, the famed actor’s attorney Brian Kramerplayed audio from a phone conversation between the “Empire” star and his ex-wife back in 2011. In the audio clip, Michelle is heard threatening to “bury” Terrence (we assume in legal woes) if he didn’t “pay the piper.” She reportedly said, "I will (expletive) bury you deep within the ground.” Following her comment, Terrence is heard saying,“I'll drain everything I got to take care of it."
And he did. According to testimony from his former business manager Charles McBride, Terrence wired Michelle $40,000 of “hush money” to keep her from leaking whatever information/evidence she had.
So what exactly is he trying to keep under wraps? Michelle supposedly has video of Terrence singing naked in the shower, which she said she could dump for a cool $2 milli. She also claims to have deets on Terrence fudging his tax returns with improper deductions.
Of course, Michelle is denying all of it. And it’s interesting to note, she is really gunning for revenge against her ex-husband. A few weeks ago, she filed new legal documents claiming Terrence allegedly beat her in Costa Rica in 2013. You can catch up on those deets HERE.
Oh…and get this…..
While Terrence was in court today, he ended up getting into a little trouble with the presiding Judge Thomas Trent Lewis. Apparently, he snapped a picture of the audience and reporters in the courtroom with his phone and was heard saying, "You guys are always in my business, you don't want me in yours.”
We’re not sure if the judge caught him in the act or if someone told on him, but once he returned from break, he was reminded that he was in violation of court rules. As Terrence tried to explain himself, the judge cut him off saying, "Are we going to have this discussion again, or are we done having this discussion.” Needless to say, that was the end of that. Ha!
The “Empire” star is expected to take the stand during the proceeding, which could end Monday. We’ll keep you posted….
Here's a question that needs an answer: If he always had these recordings in his possession, why weren’t they brought up BEFORE he signed the divorce settlement? One would think to try to exhaust all of your options before signing your life away.
Photo: Getty
