As Mo’Nique continues to make the rounds explaining why she wants folks to boycott Netflix, comics have begun weighing in on her plight.
Stars like Sinbad, Deon Cole and Lil Rey Howery have sided with the star to an extent, but they’ve also mentioned that Mo’Nique hasn’t necessarily gone about things the right way.
The “Queens of Comedy” star posted a now-viral Instagram video in January accusing Netflix of “color bias” and “gender bias.” She also said the streaming service offered her $500,000 for a comedy special compared to the $13 million Amy Schumer earned for hers and the $20 million Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock got for theirs.
While speaking about the subject on “The Breakfast Club” Thursday, March 1, Sinbad said he agreed with Mo’Nique needed to speak up for herself, especially since Schumer renegotiated.
“I mean, Mo’Nique did have more cred than Amy Schumer and they try to run the game that it’s not about your movies and stuff but then they used that as an excuse,” Sinbad says. “She was good until that video where she said, ‘I humbly say I’m the most decorated comedian alive.’ Everything you were saying was correct. That moment was when I said, ‘I can’t back that one.'”
Adding that the declaration put people off, he said he stood with the comic on her stance regarding bias against Black women. He also acknowledged that at one point in her career, Mo’Nique was worth more than $500,000.
“$3 to $5, she should have just got $3 to $5 [million],” Sinbad says of a proper Netflix offer to Mo’Nique. “They give that money away like candy.”
It seems at least one Twitter user applauded the former “A Different World” actor’s take.
“See I like what Sinbad said,” the user tweeted. “He said he would come to Netflix w/ a number, and would compete against any comic that they felt was worth more than that number, to prove it.”
And just a day earlier, several other actors were asked to sound off on the Mo’Nique drama.
During a recent red carpet appearance, “Grown-ish” actor Deon Cole said he loves Mo’Nique and that she should move on and do a special elsewhere “so we can hear you out.”
“Ain’t nobody getting what they’re worth,” he says. “So what makes you any different? My thing is, show ’em what you worth and get it because they gon’ give you what you’re worth to them, not what you’re really worth. Because if you do your special and you kill it, what can they say? So do it so we can be behind you. We love you.”
“Get Out” star Lil Rey Howery said he often gets offers he doesn’t like, but he speaks up and avoids taking things to heart.
“My whole thing is, if that’s what you’re doing, cool, but if you’re not speaking for everybody — which is why I think people are not all the way in like, ‘Yeah, we got you!’ ’cause who are you speaking for?” he says. “All of us get lowballed. That’s what these people do, it’s Hollywood. … So know your worth, but don’t be bitter about your worth.”
Meanwhile, “Martin” star Carl Anthony Payne II had a more sympathetic approach.
“I do empathize with her,” he says. “I know it’s been that way for a minute, not just in Hollywood. … I proably would not have handled it the same way. I would have taken a different approach. But I understand where her anger and everything comes from. I do. I do.”
In response to the comic’s red carpet takes, one YouTube user backed Mo’Nique’s cause.
“Much respect for Mo’Nique and her cause,” the user said. “Y’all don’t have to tell her to know her worth because she is on the radio and television speaking it every day. It’s you scared busters that are scared to stand up for what you are worth. These days you have to be willing to stand alone to get respect [and] what you are worth.”
