published on in today

Monique claims she was whiteballed by Lee Daniels, Tyler Perry & Oprah

Premiere of Almost Christmas

In 2010, Mo’Nique won the Best Supporting Oscar for her role in Precious. Since I’ve written about this a million times, I’m just going to cut & paste from a previous story: While her performance was widely acclaimed, Mo’nique’s Oscar campaign (or lack thereof) left something to be desired. Mo’nique very publicly stated that she would not campaign or do any behind-the-scenes work (attend screenings, shake hands, kiss babies) and that she wanted her performance to speak for itself. That strategy ended up winning her the Oscar, but it also alienated her from much of Hollywood. She was seen as someone unwilling to play the game. She was seen as rude and unwilling to pay her dues.

All of that ^^ is still true, although now that we’re seven years past this moment, I will add that Mo’Nique also suffered from the “bad reputation” label because she was A) black, B) a woman and C) considered to be “mouthy” or “outspoken.” It’s a little bit of everything – in 2010, she genuinely alienated people with her bad attitude, but she would have been given more leeway if she was a white dude. Back in 2015, Mo’Nique gave an interview where she claimed director Lee Daniels had blackballed her from Hollywood following the 2010 Oscar campaign. Daniels always insisted that he didn’t blackball Mo’nique
from anything, that she failed to get work because of her own well-deserved bad reputation. Well, now Mo’Nique has more to say. Part of what she said (on Instagram):

In a clip posted to Instagram by a fan, Mo’Nique decided to finally address her claims, calling out Lee Daniels, as well as Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey.

“No, I was not blackballed, I was white-balled by some black d—ks who had no balls.” “So, thank you, Mr. Lee Daniels. Thank you, Mr. Tyler Perry. Thank you, Ms. Oprah Winfrey. No, baby, I wasn’t blackballed… know they like to say, ‘Mo’Nique, you talk too motherf—kin’ much.’ It would kill me not to say the real s—t. You are not paying me equally. You are not treating me fairly. Y’all could suck my d—k if I had one.”

[From Page Six & Clutch Magazine]

Yeah, I’m still not sure if coming for Oprah is the way she should go. Oprah is still very well-liked and well-respected in the industry, and Oprah has a reputation of giving many people “second chances” even after most of Hollywood has written them off. Mo’Nique has long claimed that Lee Daniels is the person telling all of his friends to not work with her, and hey, maybe that’s true. Directors and producers talk to each other, and it’s quite common for one power player to call up another power player and basically ask for references. What is Lee Daniels going to do, pretend that Mo’Nique is all sunshine and professionalism? She’s not. I’m totally willing to say that Mo’Nique has been treated unfairly throughout her career. But I also think Mo’Nique’s biggest problem might be her personality? She seems very much like one of those people who keeps a running tab of what they believe they are “owed.”

Mo'Nique

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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