The ongoing feud between Mo’Nique and Black Hollywood’s trifecta of Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, and Lee Daniels continues. The “Parkers” star recently accused the elite group of stars of costing her money and then some.
During a recent episode of Fox Soul’s “Out Loud” with host Claudia Jordan, the Oscar-winning actress said that not only did the three entertainment giants cost her money, but they cost her family “generational money.” The actress said that because of her problems with the three, she lost money due to not being able to secure consistent work.
But before Mo’Nique could get into why she felt this way, Jordan asked her about a previous conversation she’d had with fellow actress Whoopi Goldberg. Mo’Nique said Goldberg advised her in private to leave her husband and manager, Sidney Hicks, citing he was the real reason the star was missing out on work opportunities.
Mo’Nique responded, saying she was “heartbroken that day in her dressing room, personally, because I was watching our icon and our legend be scared.”
She continued, “As I was looking into her eyes and she said to me, ‘It’s your husband, you gotta get rid of your husband,’ and I said, ‘Whoopi, my husband negotiated the biggest deals I’ve had in my career, along with our attorney Rickey Anderson, two Black men,’ and she went dead silent. And then she said, ‘Listen, you better stop worrying about that little girl coming behind you, and you better worry about you.’ And at that moment, I knew Whoopi Goldberg wasn’t worried about me because I’m the little girl coming behind her.”
Now, for those unfamiliar, the feud between this group dates back to 2009, following the comedian’s Oscar win for Best Supporting Actress in the blockbuster hit “Precious.” However, shortly after her success, Mo’Nique claimed that her well of opportunities dried up because she refused to do promotional tours for the film and was labeled “hard to work with.” She also didn’t shout out Daniels during her acceptance speech, which didn’t sit well with the director.
While the falling out between her and Winfrey stemmed from the legendary host’s unwillingness to rebut claims that Mo’Nique was challenging to work with. She also claimed, when it came to Perry, that he wouldn’t support her publicly but he agreed with her in private.
Mo’Nique later told Jordan that, “When you have Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, and Lee Daniels saying you are right in your position, so what happens historically, when you understand what a Black woman has to deal with in a place called Hollywood, it’s always, we will get them on the next one.” She added, “Well, god—-t it, I’ve been showing up for 30 years. At what point is it the next one?
She continued: “And when you know the history of Hattie McDaniel when you know the history of Eartha Kitt … When you know the history of Esther Smith, when you know the history of these women that gave everything, and the moment they said something ain’t right, they became difficult, they were blackballed, and most of them died in despair, alone with no families, because they gave it all to a place called Hollywood.”
Check out the full interview with Mo’Nique below.
