"Empire" actor Terrence Howard cried in court while stating that he was threatened by his ex-wife Michelle Ghent upon signing their divorce papers in 2012 by revealing that he has a sexually transmitted disease or STD.
Howard tearfully testified in court that he was being blackmailed, according to TMZ. He stated that the divorce agreement should give Ghent $5800/month in support, aside from part of his "Empire" salary.
His statement continued saying that Ghent allegedly told him that apart from revealing he has STD, she will release a sex tape showing him getting intimate with another woman if he would not sign the divorce agreement.
"I was terrified of her releasing the private tapes," according to Howard. He was afraid that his ex-wife might reveal the tapes so he could not be able to work in Hollywood ever.
Additionally, Chicago Sun Times also revealed that Howard paid Ghent $40,000 "blood money" after another alleged threat. Ghent reportedly told Howard once again that she could sell a video of him getting dirty in the bathroom while naked for $2 million.
Other evidence that Ghent possessed included a phone conversation between him and his mother and a copy of a "phone sex" between him and another girl, to name a few.
Notably, none of this evidence was exposed during the said hearing.
After hearing Howard's testimonies, the decision will be finalized on Monday. Superior Court Judge Trent Lewis informed the lawyers that his ex-wife cannot state her arguments as they had not provided a "sworn declaration" from her.
Meanwhile, Ghent has not commented about the extortion allegation yet.
Despite his personal struggles, his "Empire" co-star Taraji P. Henson stood by his side and commented against critics.
"Let's pop the trunk to your life and see what's dysfunctional and what's bad ... at the end of the day, we're all human and we got flaws and we got s—t," she said, as quoted from The Wrap.
Howard and Ghent got married on 2010 but have broken up a year after.
