The battle continues. Comedian and actress Mo’Nique has been embroiled in quite a few battles in the last few years. Since 2017, she’s been on the outs with the streaming giant Netflix. Before that, the Academy Award-winning actress got into a heated war with Lee Daniels, Oprah Winfrey, and Tyler Perry over the film Precious. But, just when everybody thought that the waters were calm, Mo’Nique has come forward to reveal that there is still trouble afoot. According to the actress, she’s still at war with all of those mentioned above.
The Original Queen Of Comedy was one of the latest guests on TS Madison’s Fox Soul show Turnt Out With TS Madison. Mo’Nique spared no detail in her qualms with Netflix. “We’re actually still in the lawsuit with Netflix,” the Almost Christmas star said. In November 2019, Mo’Nique filed a lawsuit against the famous streaming giant, citing discrimination due to race and gender. The comedian revealed that Netflix attempted to lowball her with a rate of $500,000 for a 2017 one-hour comedy special. However, that amount was significantly lower than that of her comedian counterparts. In comparison, comedians like Eddie Murphy and Dave Chappelle received a payday from Netflix in the multi-millions for their comedy specials. Additionally, comedian Amy Schumer was reported to have been paid $11 million for her 2017 Netflix stand-up special.
In an Instagram post, Mo’Nique confirmed the lawsuit stating she realized the choice she had to make. “I could accept what I felt was pay discrimination or I could stand up for those who came before me and those who will come after me,” she wrote on her social media. Additionally, the award-winning actress concluded the message by sharing her appreciation and love for her supporters.
In retaliation, Netflix attempted to have a judge dismiss Mo’Nique’s lawsuit. However, a federal judge disagreed with the streaming giant and denied their motion to dismiss the suit. Mo’Nique recalled how she made a call to action for a boycott of Netflix because they were “blatantly unfair” in their treatment. “It’s so blatant that we oftentimes get so fearful that we just say, ‘OK, I’ll just let this one ride,'” she said. The comedian also remembered the support of her “good sister” and fellow comedian, Wanda Sykes. The latter revealed that the streaming giant offered her half of what Mo’Nique was offered. “What happens is, we’re all in a position to always be so afraid, we just let it ride, and we go somewhere else,” she said. Taking the stand against Netflix was her way of letting them know of her refusal to “tolerate” that type of treatment.
Mo’Nique then speaks of her “white sister” Amy Schumer, who, according to the comedian, states she didn’t deserve what the “legends were making.” As it pertains to Dave Chappelle and Eddie Murphy, Mo’Nique clarifies that they are legends who are deserving of what they get. “But when you’re having a conversation with Netflix and they say, ‘We believe Mo’Nique is a legend too, well, why is my legend different?” she questioned. Mo’Nique sheds light on Amy Schumer’s negotiating with Netflix that she doesn’t deserve the aforementioned legends’ pay, but she believed she should receive more. From there, Schumer was able to up her initial payment. All of this was her reason for taking Netflix to court “unapologetically and fearlessly.”
The interview did not conclude without the comedic legend addressing her feud with Lee Daniels, Oprah Winfrey, and Tyler Perry. “Everyone’s mad at me, ” exclaimed Mo’Nique. According to the actress, Daniels told her that her work in the film, Precious, would pay her $50,000. She agreed, understanding that it was an independent film. Upon receipt of the contract, she was also offered 5% of the film’s earnings. Mo’Nique explained that the movie began to receive praise after the Sundance Film Festival, bringing Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey’s involvement as executive producers.
It was now time to up the ante for the film, and they began to campaign for award shows and other promotions. According to Mo’Nique, she was in a “position” at the time as she juggled between her BET late-night talk show, the Queens of Comedy Tour, and her family. “So what I was not going to do was make Hollywood the priority,” she said. Feeling as though she’d already done her part by doing the movie, Mo’Nique stated that she didn’t feel the need to “campaign” for a trophy.
The comedian recalls Oprah Winfrey calling to offer her a ride in her private jet to a prominent festival. Still, she turned the offer down to spend time with her family. Instead, she received a call ten minutes later from Lee Daniels accusing her of not caring.
Mo’Nique then speaks about her experience at the Hoodie Awards, where she was confronted by Tyler Perry in front of his staff. Mo’Nique states that with two claps, the room empties except for her security. According to the actress, Perry attempted to convince her in campaigning as it would raise her stock. However, she would not do it because she had already fulfilled her contract with Lee Daniels. The two exchanged more words and could not come to an agreement.
Mo’Nique also recalled the taped conversation that she and her husband conducted containing Tyler Perry’s apology, which TS Madison confirmed existed. According to the comedian, the tape was shared with Kevin Hart, Al Sharpton, and others, which propelled Hart and Sharpton to reach out to Tyler Perry, who said he didn’t want to revisit the drama. Following the release of the interview, Mo’Nique took to her Instagram account to call out Tyler Perry directly. The comedian told the movie producer eventually people will see, listen and do something about him not keeping your word.
