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.”
Photos courtesy of WENN.
It’s a mix of both her bad rep and the fact that Daniels did probably blackball her. Heck she was supposed to be in Empire and he denied it until she dropped the receipts.
If she were white this wouldn’t be a story. But here we are
I don’t remember there being any receipts dropped on that one
It’s a story that Katherine Heigl was blackballed. And she’s white. The fact is, if people don’t want to work with you and they don’t have to (ie, you make them tons of money), then they won’t
Whatever the truth is behind he rant – I wouldn’t want to work with someone who publicly speaks of their former colleagues this way. We are all entitled to opinions, and to stand up for ourselves, but this can be done without aggro and name calling.
Why would anyone want to work with her and be on the receiving end of her wrath, should they step on the wrong side of her? Especially when there are plenty of wonderful talented black female actors available to do the job. Why is anyone going to risk their reputation/product? Would you be surprised if you went on an abusive rant about your former boss, on a public forum, and then struggled to get another gig in the same industry? Nope.
To get away with this kind of behavior, and still be in demand, you have to be a seriously big opener. She’s not. Simples.
I agree. She may have been able to repair these business relationships at some point and get work again but she just burned those bridges for good. She should have vented to someone she can trust and not do it publicly like this. This won’t make her look good with future employers either.
Thats tone policing, she has every right to be angry. When you tone police you protect privilege.
You can call it what you like, but we ‘police’ our tone in the work place every.single.day. It is a legitimate expectation, to assume that an employee won’t go around publicly abusing their bosses/colleagues. I (and most people) don’t get to have a shitty attitude, tell my boss he is an enormous asshole, and then get a great reference out of it, or expect them to tell their friends how fantastic I am. Come on.
Call it what you want but that’s not how you conduct a successful business.
I understand what QueenB is saying. She is entitled to be angry. And white dude actors have been publicly sh*t talking their colleagues from the beginning of cinema. BUT in life, while you are entitled to use whatever tone you like, others are entitled to avoid you for it. And unless you are a big money ticket, they probably will. Wisdom…Monique has none.
QueenB, that sounds what a perpetually angry person with a victim complex would say. And how is this helping her? You might say she has right to be angry but maybe there is more to gettin a job than just acting talent and plenty of people have talent. Who would want to hire her instead of Viola Davis or Osctavia Spencer for example.
I just realized that Monique’s rant was part of a stand-up comedy special. While it’s still probably not a smart move to publicly go after such powerful execs like Oprah etc, I think the context makes her words *slightly* more understandable. It’s not like she just randomly decide to go on like that. It’s part of her routine.
Oh well, at least she’s able to find some work on the comedy circuit.
I agree 100%, Clare. Based on this rant, this is not someone I would want to work with. Heck, I wouldn’t have wanted to work with her back in 2015 or so when this story first really blew up. The entertainment industry is about who you know, not what you know, and she is fully aware of this. Calling out some of the biggest power players in Black movies is not the way to go. And, because she’s Black, no white power players are going to swoop in and cape for her. Badly played by Mo’nique.
I wouldn’t call her words abusive at all. I don’t agree with her choice back in 2010, and I think she made a big gamble at the time and lost, but it was her right to do so. However, the bigger point is that she’s going to face these consequences because there aren’t exactly a lot of power players in the black movie industry, and she’s alienated the 3 biggest ones. If she were a white man her choices wouldn’t be nearly so limited – even Alex Pettyfer somehow convinced someone to let him direct a movie.
Omg. How on earth does that lunatic Alex Pettyfer get a shot at directing? I’ve repeatedly read somewhere (Datalounge, so not a reliable source) that all his come backs were negotiated on his knees aka casting couch but I never believed it until now. That maniac will set one of his camera men on fire, for sure.
As for Monique, good acting parts for black women, no matter their age or size are rare. And I imagine the delightful Octavia Spencer gets the first call on anything suitable for Monique. The way to get around the “black balling” is by reaching out to Oprah with an apology and “lessons learnt”. Not this!
Yeah, I was really surprised to read that. He couldn’t even get along with Channing Tatum, who comes across as incredibly easy-going and professional.
Monique had exceptionally bad timing in that we now live in a time of “added value” when it comes to hiring. Now it’s not always about who does the best job, but who will also work to sell the movie, who has the followers, who can bring more eyeballs to the table on their own. Monique made it extremely clear that she wasn’t doing anything that she wasn’t contractually obligated to do – and she’s not Kevin Hart, who has a MASSIVE following and who negotiates what he tweets in his contract. There just aren’t that many parts for black women to begin with (which is a whole different conversation) and she’s competing against some of the best hustlers in the business, flat.
Omg how does Alex Pettyfer pull off the casting couch though? He looks hard and rough esp in the face as if he’s spent time in some crack den.
This also reminds me of Katherine Heigl.
And Lindsay Lohan.
Yep that crossed my mind. Seriously if this is your livelihood, just tell it to a few you trust and keep it that way.
Good point! Like Holly Hobby says, tell it to a few friends … and as Brad Pitt put it … he could smell his own “hubris” lol. Maybe Mo’nique needs to take a good sniff once in a while. She’s talented though, it would be good to see her back on screen.
According to some of my friends in Hollywood, she had a bad rep before “Precious.” While she can be a good actress, she allegedly has a very high opinion of herself and does not play well with others on set. Making good movies is hard enough, and anyone who makes the process more difficult – and costs the studio extra $$$ – often finds it tough to get work.
I’ve heard the same thing from different sources. It’s her big mouth & attitude that get her into trouble and if you don’t have to work with her you don’t. Kevin Spacey said in his interview at the Actor’s Studio something to the effect that if you’re difficult to work with, eventually people won’t. She needs to take responsibility for her own actions and stop blaming others for the fallout.
I can relate to Monique and it’s really not going to get you anywhere. Sometimes you have to look at yourself and ask what have you done to get to where you are? It can’t just be a blame game you know. I’m still learning that there’s a time and a place for everything.
Mad props to you for realizing this about yourself and working to make it better. That’s a very hard thing to do.
She deserved her Oscar, but she’s not the first person who won and didn’t get everything they wanted.
I am sure what she says from her perspective is being honest and true and I felt like that too but I also know that you pay the price for saying what you think to you managers or work colleagues is it can be defined as ..difficult..etc..
So unfortunately the freedom to say what you think can cost you..
She does not ‘get’ that we would all love to say things ..but cannot afford the price you pay to do that..
You’re absolutely right that a white male actor would have been given more leeway usually…except…she made the cardinal mistake of involving money. Even garbage dumps like Sean Penn generally shut up long enough to sell their movie and support an awards campaign that means extra PR for the movie. As long as they do that? The studio could not care less about the rest.
Johnny Depp on Pirates 5 you say? Ah, but right now Disney believes they can make more money than he cost them with his lateness and general unreliability. If they don’t make that money it will be bye bye Johnny. If they do? Well he’s an eccentric artist don’t ya know! Ugh.
So that’s where she slipped up. Hollywood believes her behavior and demands will cost more than they’ll make off of her. And that is that, she’s done.
It also felt a bit disrespectful to the audience. Promotion serves to make me pay attention to the movie and for the talent to try to get me to see the product.
And for her to basically say that if she was not paid for it, she would not do any publicity, gave me the impression that she could not care less to get me to the cinema.
I think some publicity has to be part of your job as an actor and that has nothing to do with your age, gender, race or even level of fame.
Depp also might be late on sets (this is not the first time he has done this) but does anways a ton of work promoting films and he never says anything against the films or people he worked with.
I just looked at her IMDb out of curiosity and…wow she really was does seem to have been blacklisted. Not a *single* movie or tv role for 5 years after Precious. Since 2014 she’s been working a bit again in a supporting role here and there. I know she may have brought some of her issues on herself with her attitude, but it was still surprising to me that she literally could no find any work after her Oscar win. I suppose it’s also possible that she was offered some work, but didn’t feel that the roles were good enough for an Oscar winner.
Monique was hosting a talk show at the time of the Oscars.
She has several points but she also seems extremely unprofessional.
What do you mean by describing her as “unprofessional”?
“Suck my dick” has no place in a conversation about colleagues.
It’s not true that Monique wasn’t liked before Precious. She was known mostly in the black community as a comedian, and she had been around a long time and earned her place. She was very well liked and most of black Hollywood was friendly towards her. She got married around the time of Precious and made her husband her manager and that was her big mistake. Following the lead of a man with no industry experience who decided how she should run her campaign and now she’s paying dearly for it.
I agree her husband/manager Sydney is responsible for some of it.He was making outrageous demands wanting her to be paid to promote.Sharon Osborne claimed Monique wanted to be paid to do interviews,they discussed on the Talk.Sheryl Underwood(Monique’s friend) say Monique is frustrated that’s why she lashed out at Oprah,Tyler and Lee.Sheryl said other people considered “difficult” still get work.That’s true but those other difficult people are not Black women.
News flash: everyone is not treated the same.
A white guy who won an Oscar could probably act like a jerk could probably make outrageous demands,be called difficult and still get plenty of acting offers.
She should ask Katie Heigel how talking smack worked out for her. Same goes for Alex Pettyfer.
Holly Hobby, Alex Pettyfer just directed a movie.
She has come on my local radio station morning show many times and has always been very profesional. She always was on time, super nice to all even the behind the scenes people, funny on the air and willing to talk about any silly thing they asked. She also has said that the reason she was seen as difficult was because they expected her to pay for her own travel, accommodations, wardrobe, etc. to promote, “Precious”. She as a large black women was expected to say yes to all this because she should just be honered to even be in the movie. They would not have dared even ask for it from Bradley Cooper or any other white actor. A black women in Hollywood who doesn’t except being treated less than everyone else is considered difficult and bitchy, ok.
Chingona, thanks for providing this context, especially this: “She as a large black women was expected to say yes to all this because she should just be honered to even be in the movie.”
Boy, have I been there before–the most talented at my job but still treated as if I should be grateful just to work there. They stay doing this to black women.
>>>She also has said that the reason she was seen as difficult was because they expected her to pay for her own travel, accommodations, wardrobe, etc. to promote, “Precious”.
Is this true? Can anyone verify this?
Realistically, Monique’s stand wasn’t about her wanting her work to speak for itself – she spoke many times about how she wasn’t being paid for the awards circuit. And that was her choice, and her work did speak for itself, but she also made it clear to any future employer that she wasn’t going to be working to promote the projects that she’s in beyond what was contractually required. It’s not a shock that Lee Daniels was so unhappy about her non-Oscar campaign, because Precious was his movie. I think it’s no coincidence that the 2 highest profile roles she says she was up for were filled instead by Oprah and Taraji, 2 women who will HUSTLE to get people to see their project. Monique made a huge gamble with her career and lost. Now, if she were not a black woman would the L have been so severe? Likely not.
I always thought they were shading Monique. She wasn’t being difficult, she just has standards.
She has honed her craft, she should be compensated for her work. They throw money at mediocre white actresses
(God only knows how many chances Katherine Higiel’s rude ass has been given.)
What’s sad is that when you are Black (and a woman) you get called out by other Black people just for telling the truth and having a back bone…that’s so weak! You would think people who are shit on so much by establishments would become anti-establishment…but not us…we want a seat at the table so bad that we call “hater”,”bitter”, and “angry” on those who warn us that the seats ain’t comfortable.
And right under Monique’s anger and right indignation is hurt/pain. I’m sure this situation is triggering as hell because of her weight/complexion. Lee Daniels and Tyler Perry are awful human beings!
Preface: It was a stunning performance and she truly earned that win.
But IIRC the fallout was less about her Oscar campaigning or lack thereof (& honestly, she’s being more than a little disingenuous here-she & her team may have done no push but the studio most certainly did on her behalf(she certainly appeared at pre Oscar events) And many other people did as well-Oprah threw a party in her honor) and more about her actions during the pole dance surrounding the film’s release–Wanting to paid for appearances to promote the film, refusing to do prescheduled interviews etc. The Oscar thing just dug the hole a little deeper. She’sTaylor Swifting, she was then & she definitely is now.
You get to sit at the grown up’s table when you carry yourself as such and take ownership rather than point the blame onto others.
I hate Lee Daniels so I never ever want to defend him but they were asking her to do things that even high profile white actresses have to do. They wanted her to promote the movie; she wanted to be at home with her kids and husband. Oprah even tried to accommodate her and her family to fly out to France and she wouldn’t do it. I’m sorry but every actress, black or white, has to promote their film and show up at events like the Cannes Film Festival. She then insulted Sandra Bullock, Gabby Sidibe, and every other actress who ‘campaigns’ for their Oscar by saying she didn’t have to do that to win her award. Cool, you’re so great that you didn’t have to do the Oscar campaign but don’t be surprised if no one wants to work with you. I wouldn’t hire her either because of how difficult she seems to be. Taraji is perfect for Cookie but she also is a hardworker and will promote, do interviews, and magazine shoots for Empire to keep the fanbase interested.
Thumbs up to this. She messed up and now wants to blame everyone but herself.
This!
I don’t like Lee Daniels either, and Mo’nique isn’t compelty wrong about some of the things she said but, well, look how things are now. Gabby Sidibe is still working steadily and is well liked, even though she’s dark skin (not “light” which Hollywood usually goes for wrt black women) and not Hollywood thin. Black Hollywood clearly likes and supports Gabby. They’ve lifted Gabby up because she’s more than happy to work and promote her projects, and always has been. Promoting your projects (which, in turn helps promote yourself) is a pretty standard thing that ALL actors have to do now, regardless of race and/or gender. (Hell, more and more writers and directors are having to do it too).
People like Oprah were trying to help and lift Mo’nique up, and she refused. So this is why she is where she is now.
Sounds like a Katherine Heigl situation. Has it ever occurred to Mo’nique that she deserves the bad rep? It’s a shame because I do like her and would’ve liked to see where her career would have gone after Precious.
Correction: she didn’t promote the movie/her nomination for Oscar consideration because they wouldn’t pay her for it, not because she was a performance purist. That’s fine, but Lee Daniels, Tyler Perry and Oprah didn’t ask you to do that, it was her choice. She fought for something and she lost a bit. Right or wrong. Her lack of work is not their fault.
But Monique still works, she was in Bessie, she had a recent holiday movie with some major black actors, some other work as well. Maybe she just thinks she still not getting what she deserves (roles or attention). Which might be more her problem more than someone else’s.
She’s not completely ‘white-balled’ she’s going through what most black actresses go through when they win a major award; she expects to be getting phone calls everyday for roles but she’s not. That’s because there aren’t a lot of quality roles for black actresses.
So not surprising that people in these comments are blaming a Black woman for being demanding what’s due to her..
Ummm no, I’m a black woman and once Monique explained the full situation it’s clear that she just didn’t want to promote the movie. She was busy with her show and family and didn’t want to make time for it unless they paid her a lot of money. That’s way past demanding what’s due to her; it’s pulling a I won’t leave my house without $xyz amount. The only actresses who could demand something like that and get away with it are Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston, Sandra Bullock and Halle Berry.
I always loved her comedy, and she absolutely deserved that Oscar. Like someone said above, her husband as manager was probably not the best idea. And from all reports, things behind the scenes get heated and of course there is a clubby, go along with things atmosphere most likely. Pushing the movie is important. She would have been better served by not taking her grievances public. But then, so much of what resonated with fans was her authenticity. So it’s just unfortunate. I wish things could work out somehow and she could get in movies again. I think she’s very talented.
Kudos to Mo’Nique for calling a spade a spade. Policing her reaction to a root CAUSE (which involved family, finance & reputation) shows an ignorance to the layers. What was deemed highly unprofessional for her, would have been sweeper for many others. Hopefully she’ll stack what she has, multiply it through investment & go the indie route as many artist are attempting to do.
Oprah will give a second chance to people only when she deduces that they’ll make her money and make her look saintly and magnanimous. Case in point, lindsay.
I do not get why they are so many people out there who do not see her for what she is when millions of others like me can: a manipulative self aggrandizing clown who only self serves and knows how to use and discard people.
Don’t forget: she is the puppeteer behind Dr Phil.
Time and time again, I have heard producers and directors say that they just do not want to work with people who are difficult. Once that reputation takes hold, it’s pretty tough to overcome.
That said, her expenses absolutely should have been paid for promoting the film, no actor should have to do that on their own dime. I don’t know if that’s what really caused the rift, but if so, that’s unfair.
I can’t imagine why they all wouldn’t be fully compensated for such promotional work. It’s a separate thing and a separate skill from acting in the movie. It adds to the profits ultimately.
I like her. I think she’s gorgeous and I love she says it as she likes.
That said… she isn’t tactful in her delivery. And that’s a big thing. I may not like my coworkers, but to maintain a friendly work environment you choose your words.
Mel Gibson did far worse things than Mo’nique and is still warmly welcomed back into Hollywood. So I find it hard to completely fault Mo’nique for her supposed “attitude problems” and maybe even her bitterness, when the cards have been stacked against her from the get-go.