Naturi Naughton, who played Tasha St. Patrick on the hit TV show “Power,” has defended her co-star, Omari Hardwick, who is embroiled in a public feud with series creator 50 Cent.
50 Cent and Omari Hardwick may have had a great relationship while the latter was on the STARZ series Power, but their bond appears to have broken due to Hardwick’s recent complaints about compensation for the series.
Hardwick first made the claims on an episode of The Pivot podcast, where he revealed that despite earning $150,000 per episode, he believes he was underpaid as “the face of the network.”
“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,” Omari Harwick shared. “Period. It’s happening now, finally.”
During his most recent appearance on The Breakfast Club, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson stated that Hardwick “overvalues” himself, citing that the actor has not announced any major projects since Power’s 2020 finale.
“I think he overvalues himself,” said 50 to the morning show hosts. “Because it’s been a long time since he’s been in Power, why are we not excited about the new projects?”
A puzzled Charlamagne The God then asked, “What new projects? “I didn’t know…”
50 Cent continued, “See, that’s what I’m talking about. 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.”
When asked if they’re still “cool,” 50 responds without hesitation, “No, because you leave it like it’s me not giving you the money.”
In a recent interview, Naughton expressed her disbelief at 50 Cent’s claim that Hardwick overvalued himself during negotiations for the show. “That’s insane to me!” she exclaimed. “Omari is literally the epitome of ‘Power’. Omari started this, you know, like the journey.”
Naughton acknowledged the potential complexities of the situation but emphasized her admiration for Hardwick. “I don’t know all of what happened with 50 and O (Omari). But I will say this, I love Omari Hardwick. He’s an amazingly talented human. He’s also a good person. But there would be no ‘Power’ without Ghost. So I hope that they can find love and peace for each other because much love to 50 and to O (Omari).”
While Naughton declined to comment on specific financial details, she confirmed her own financial success from the show. “I don’t know about their checks. I know I got my money, though,” she said with a smile.
