Mo’Nique reiterated the stance on inequalities she’s held for years regarding the ongoing writers strike impacting Hollywood.
On July 19, the award-winning actress and comedienne took to Instagram to show solidarity with members of the Screen Actors Guild—American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, SAG-AFTRA and thousands of TV and Film writers who are fighting for better wages. Mo’Nique posted a video montage that featured previous interviews where she spoke about the inequalities present in Hollywood. The quick clip captured Steve Harvey, Whoopi Goldberg and a few other well-known celebs who did not stand up for the comedian when she went public about the mistreatment she endured in Tinseltown.
“Hey, my sweet babies. Folks keep asking me how I feel about the strike!” the Almost Christmas star captioned the video. “As you can see from above, I’ve been verbally striking for years. But some of my brothers and sisters, as the video shows, have been striking me down for years.”
The 55-year-old industry vet went on to cite her ongoing lawsuit with CBS and Paramount as proof of Hollywood’s trifling behavior towards actors and screenwriters.
“Yes, I support the WGA and SAG-AFTRA. That’s why Countess D. Vaughn and I filed a lawsuit to get our money from ‘The Parkers!’ [Vaughn], we are ‘The Parkers!’ I love us [for] real.”
A few fans and celebrities praised the actress for being vocal about Hollywood’s trash behavior regarding inequalities.
“You saw the freight train coming and tried to let us all know!” singer Nicci Gilbert wrote. “The ancestors used to say “A hard head makes a soft A$$.”
Another Instagram user penned, “She’s been saying it! But now you’re realizing it’s affecting you and your family you want to hop on the train lol! KEEP SPEAKING MO’NIQUE.”
Some fans took issue with Whoopi Goldberg’s clip in the jam-packed montage. Netizens felt like the Hollywood veteran was trying to make a fool out of Mo for speaking out against the industry’s inequalities and tomfoolery.
“Whoopi talking with all that bass in her voice with you talking about ‘I could have schooled you’ felt so demeaning and disrespectful,” one fan noted. “It didn’t sound like a sisterly motion of trying to help you…it sounded like a reprimand and diss. You are a very strong person Monique.”
“Listen to Black Women When WE TALK! DAMMMIT! @therealmoworldwide you BEEN told ’em!! I always rode for you, Sis!”
Mo’Nique and her co-star Countess Vaughn filed a lawsuit against CBS and Paramount in April alleging that both companies failed to give them royalties from their classic sitcom.
“While [‘The Parkers’] has proven to be a major financial success for its producers and distributors, the series’ talent [has] not been permitted to share in the fruits of that success,” the suit noted.
After news of the lawsuit hit the media, Mo’Nique lit into the Hollywood giants on her Instagram page. “Actors rely on the good faith of Hollywood companies to honor their profit participation agreements,” she penned. “To further make my point, the executive producers of ‘The Parkers’ took legal action for the same concerns that I have, and they’ve already settled. Unfortunately, all too often, talent gets kept in the dark.”
The case came just one year after the comedian settled with Netflix over a discrimination lawsuit she filed in 2017. The star alleged that the streaming giant lowballed her for a comedy special, but after five years of litigation, Mo’Nique privately settled with the company for an undisclosed amount in 2022.
The writers strike has been raging on since May. Fran Drescher president of The Screen Actors Guild — American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, previously said she would stop at nothing until writers were paid a fair wage for their work.
“We are the victims here,” Drescher told reporters at a press conference in June, according to the Los Angeles Times. “We are being victimized by a very greedy entity. I am shocked by the way the people that we have been in business with are treating us,” she added.
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