Money is the root of it all. 50 Cent and Omari Hardwick, once close collaborators on the STARZ series Power, appear to be at odds over Hardwick’s recent remarks regarding his compensation for the show. In an interview with The Breakfast Club, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson expressed frustration, saying he believes Hardwick “overvalues” himself, especially since the actor hasn’t been part of any notable projects since Power concluded in 2020.
Here’s the comment from the 50 that might sting …
“I think he overvalues himself,” 50 Cent told the show hosts. “Because… it’s been a long time since he’s been in Power, why are we not excited about the new projects?”
Charlamagne Tha God, seeming puzzled, asked, “What new projects? I didn’t know…”
“See, that’s what I’m talking about,” 50 replied. “If there was noise going on, if he was that big of a draw, then we would see noise, we would see new things happening. We’d see you out where you’re actively in a place where they’re looking for you.”
That part.
When asked if they still have a good relationship, 50 responded bluntly: “No, because you leave it like it’s me not giving you the money.”
If you don’t know the why of it all, the tension traces back to a June 2022 episode of The Pivot podcast, where Hardwick shared that he earned $150,000 per episode on Power, a figure he felt was too low given his role as “the face of the network.” Hardwick revealed, “I still haven’t made what I should have made. I still never made the money—no, the money, I never made what I should have made. Never. Period. It’s happening now, finally.” He added that he had to borrow money from 50 Cent to support his family during production breaks and was proud to have repaid it. Hardwick suggested that 50 and series producer Courtney Kemp knew he was being underpaid, although he primarily blamed STARZ.
As for 50 Cent, even a minor mention of his name alongside Hardwick’s compensation issues was reason to take offense. “If you’re saying, ‘Courtney and 50 know,’ you’re saying that, but they don’t know who Courtney is—I introduced people to her. They don’t know who she is, so you’re leaving it as, ‘50 didn’t make sure I got paid.’ Mary [J. Blige] will tell you, she got paid a lot of money on the show the whole time. I made sure that sh*t was right.”
Basically, 50 Cent’s comments reflect his frustration with the implications that he or Kemp played a part in Hardwick’s compensation issues and hint at a fracture in their previously strong working relationship.
Here’s the thing. Pay in television is based on a variety of factors. How deals are negotiated and when mean pretty much everything. Who would have thought Power would blow up to be what it is today? Omari Hardwick may have a point and then again, how much of this falls on 50 rather than the deal that was negotiated with Starz. We don’t know but there seems to be more to this story so stay locked in.
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