'Empire' Star Terrence Howard Admits He Was First Intimate at the Age of 4 in Shocking Interview — 'I Lost My Innocence'
Terrence Howard has revealed in a shocking podcast interview that he first had sexual encounters at age four.
March 9 2026, Published 10:53 a.m. ET
Terrence Howard opened up about a deeply personal chapter of his childhood, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
During a recent appearance on the "PBD Podcast," the Empire star spoke candidly about the early experiences that he says shaped much of his life.
First Sexual Encounter
Terrence Howard shared his first intimate experience on the 'PBD Poscast.'
While speaking with host Patrick Bet-David, Howard was asked when he first had a sexual encounter.
"I was four," the 56-year-old actor said. "It was the older girls who were watching me; they were like six and seven."
Howard alleged the behavior continued throughout much of his childhood.
"We did that every day until I was 13," he claimed. "I had more sex then than I've had in my adult life. My expectation for interaction was always those things."
Long Lasting Effects
The actor said he was first sexual at the age of 4.
According to Howard, his home environment at the time may have played a role.
He explained that his father had recently been released from jail and was working long hours, while his mother was attending school, leaving him frequently unsupervised.
"We're just fooling around. We played on hide and go get pants up, pants down," he recalled.
Looking back, the actor said the early experiences had a profound impact on how he understood relationships and intimacy growing up.
"I wish I had never done that. I would have been a completely different person, but it gave me an insightful view of interaction," Howard said. "I kept thinking that everybody was promiscuous like that."
He explained that by his teenage years, those early patterns had already shaped his expectations.
"So by the time I get 16, 17, I've done enough to where I'm starting. Now the spiritual side of me is starting to show up, but I slipped back into it at 25 to 30 something," he added.
'I Lost My Innocence'
He said it lasted until he was 13.
Howard also reflected on how he views the experience today, saying he now believes it amounted to a loss of innocence.
"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," he said. "I lost my innocence. It's effectively being molested."
The actor said the behavior continued among neighborhood kids until they were around 13 years old while he was growing up in Cleveland, Ohio.
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Terrence Howard Is Very Protective of Children
Now as a father of 5, he is very protective of children.
Today, Howard says those memories have made him extremely protective of children — particularly his own.
"When we have a family, a friend comes and visits, and they've got an infant, I'll secure the whole house and put pillows everywhere," he explained. "I'm just overly protective because I wanted somebody. I'm trying to protect myself."
"My kids are never alone," he added. "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 previously married before divorcing in 2015. The pair later became engaged again in 2018.
The actor also has three older children — Aubrey, Hunter, and Heaven — with his first wife, Lori McCommas.
