"Empire" actor Terrence Howard broke down in tears in court on Aug. 14, Friday, as he recalled his ex-wife Michelle Ghent's threats about releasing recordings that would jeopardize his career to get him to agree to a divorce settlement in 2012.
Howard, who stars on the hit FX television series "Empire," cried during a hearing in a Los Angeles court as he recalled the threats his ex-wife made years ago while they were finalizing a divorce settlement. The actor is currently seeking to overturn the 2012 settlement agreement, arguing Ghent had made him sign it under pressure.
Howard stated he was worried at that time Ghent would leak damaging information about him and his sex life, ABC News reported. He said the release of such information, which includes audio and video recordings of him, would have ruined his career.
"I was terrified of her releasing the private tapes," the 46-year-old actor revealed, adding that one video showed him in "intimate settings."
Even before the two got married in 2010, Howard said he already knew Ghent had taken his private audio recordings and downloaded it to her computer.
In his testimony, the actor said she threatened him of releasing the recordings while they were engaged. He admitted though he had been having an affair with other women during his and Ghent's engagement.
According to Howard, he had hoped to retrieve the recordings from Ghent during their marriage but failed to do so. He said the materials his ex-wife had taken include a recording of his last communication with his mother, recordings of some of his written songs, and phone sex conversations with other women.
The said items have not been presented in court, but a 2011 recording was played for a judge on Aug. 11, Tuesday, according to US News. The audio, presented as a key piece of evidence, revealed Ghent berating the actor and threatening him to leak a video of him dancing naked in the bathroom.
Howard started testifying about the 2012 settlement on Aug. 13, Thursday. before LA Superior Court Judge Thomas Trent Lewis recessed the hearing until Friday to decide whether the actor can testify about his conversations with Ghent at the time of finalizing their divorce settlement in 2012.
During a recent deposition, the lawyers of Ghent said their client denied that she tried to blackmail the "Empire" actor.
Howard's testimony in court will conclude on Aug. 17, Monday.