Terrence Howard Reveals Shocking Childhood Sex Confession That 'Really Messed Him Up'

Terrence Howard is speaking candidly about a deeply personal chapter from his early life. During a recent interview, the "Empire" star opened up about childhood experiences that he says shaped his understanding of relationships and ultimately impacted how he approaches parenting today. While speaking with Patrick Bet-David, Terrence Howard discussed growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, and shared how some of his earliest childhood experiences still influence him decades later.

During an episode of the “PBD Podcast,” Howard was asked about the first time he had a sexual encounter with a girl, and his answer immediately caught attention. “I was four,” the 56-year-old star answered. “It was the older girls who were watching me; they were like six and seven.”

Howard explained that the interactions didn’t stop there, claiming the behavior continued throughout much of his childhood. “We did that every day until I was 13. I had more sh-t than I’ve had in my adult life," the actor added. "My expectation for interaction was always those things.”

The actor suggested that those early experiences shaped how he initially viewed relationships and intimacy later in life.

According to Howard, the circumstances surrounding his upbringing contributed to how the situation unfolded. He said that at the time, his father had recently been released from jail and was working long hours, while his mother was attending school. Because of that, he said he was often left “unsupervised.”

“We’re just fooling around. We played on hide and go get pants up, pants down,” Howard shared. Looking back, Howard believes the lack of adult supervision and the environment he grew up in allowed the behavior to continue for years.

Howard reflected on the emotional impact those experiences had on him as he grew older. “I wish I had never done that. I would have been a completely different person, but it gave me an insightful view of interaction. I kept thinking that everybody was promiscuous like that. So, by the time I get 16, 17, I've done enough to where I'm starting," Howard told listeners. "Now, the spiritual side of me is starting to show up, but I slipped back into it at 25 to 30 something."

He added that his perspective on those childhood events has shifted over time, especially now that he has children of his own. “That was my experience, and I'm like, I look at my sons, nine and ten now, and I can't imagine them getting involved in that. I lost my innocence. It's effectively being molested," Howard said. "That lasted until we were like 13, but all the kids in the neighborhood were doing that,” he added, explaining that the events took place while he was growing up in Cleveland, Ohio.

Howard explained that those early memories have had a lasting effect on how he now approaches parenting and protecting children. Because of what he went through, the actor says he is especially cautious about ensuring kids are safe and supervised.

“When we have a family, a friend comes and visits, and they've got an infant," the actor said. "I'll secure the whole house and put pillows everywhere. I'm just overly protective because I wanted somebody. I'm trying to protect myself. My kids are never alone. They are never alone without at least two people watching them, just because I don’t want what happened to me to ever happen to them."

Howard is a father of five and has been married four times to three different women. He shares sons Qirin and Hero with Mira Pak, whom he was previously married to. The pair divorced in 2015 but later rekindled their relationship and became engaged again in December 2018.

Howard also has three older children, Aubrey, Hunter, and Heaven, with his first wife, Lori McCommas.