Following Katt Williams’ explosive interview last month on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast, Oscar-winning actress and comedian Mo’Nique is now creating her waves. In the podcast’s latest episode, The Parkers star engaged in a candid conversation with Sharpe. Mo’Nique slams Hollywood power players, discussing her upbringing, inequalities, and betrayals in Hollywood. She shed light on industry peers who have mistreated her. Mo’Nique also highlighted that she had addressed the same issue Taraji P. Henson raised about Hollywood’s insufficient pay a decade ago. However, she pointed out that, unlike The Color Purple star, she didn’t receive the same support, possibly due to her tendency to name names.
In the discussion, Monique “Mo’Nique” Hicks candidly expressed her past and present frustrations with individuals such as Tiffany Haddish, Kevin Hart, D.L. Hughley, Will Packer, Tyler Perry, the President of Lionsgate, and more.
Feud with Tiffany Haddish
With no holds barred, the 56-year-old addressed various issues, including Haddish publicly speaking about her husband, Perry spreading damaging rumors, Packer asserting himself as “The Head Ni**a In Charge” on set, Oprah disrespecting her family, Hart not fulfilling his promises, Hughley allowing inappropriate questions about her husband, and more.
Commenting on Haddish, she remarked, “When I saw that, it’s like, Tiffany, if you had a husband like mine, you may not have two DUIs. If you had a husband like mine, you may not be caught up in what looks like you could have been grooming a child.”
Feud with D.L Hughley
Regarding Hughley, she confessed, “I never knew D.L. Hughley had a problem with me. [He said] I was bitter. I was dangerous with what I was doing … my husband didn’t know what he was doing.’ This went on through the years. ‘I was unloved.’ All of these things, and I said to myself, ‘I’m a see you.’”
She also brought up an appearance on Hughley’s show where she was asked to participate in the questions game, “Would You Rather?” Unfortunately, instead of being lighthearted, the game took a distressing turn when she was asked a question implying uncertainty about her husband’s sexuality.
Criticism Towards Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey
Mo’Nique didn’t hold back in directing criticism towards Perry and Winfrey, alleging that both influential figures in movies and TV had actively prevented her from securing opportunities in Hollywood. Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey are the biggest players as Mo’Nique slams Hollywood power players. Recounting an incident involving Winfrey, Mo’Nique shared that Winfrey had called her to inform her that only her brother would be featured on her talk show to discuss molesting the comedian in her youth. However, when the episode aired, Mo’s mother also appeared without her knowledge. Mo’Nique emphasized that had Oprah been upfront about including her mother, she would have put a stop to it. She also accused Winfrey of passing on roles that were initially offered to her over the years, such as in Lee Daniels’ “The Butler.”
Feud with Perry
“I made it clear that Hollywood wasn’t my top priority,” she stated, recalling a recorded conversation with Perry. “I told Perry I’m not in the business of working for free. We reached a mutual agreement, no problem. We hugged, everything was good. When they realized I wouldn’t succumb to pressure just because of who they were, that’s when the blackballing began.” The NAACP Image Award recipient revealed that Perry has acknowledged on audio spreading the rumor that she was “difficult to work with,” a fact Sharpe also verified. Mo’Nique expressed disappointment that many who could have supported her, including Winfrey, chose not to.
“Let me be clear: I love those people. We love those people, my husband and I love [them],” she said. “They’re our brothers and sisters, and as my husband always says, ‘Momma, we ain’t calling anybody out; we’re simply calling them up to say, listen, let’s make our community better by making it right, not running and hiding behind what you consider is your power.”
Furthermore, the mother-of-two elucidated how she believes she became an example of the consequences Black women face when speaking up, despite her successful track record. “If I were a white woman, my name would be Melissa McCarthy,” she remarked. “Same track record. A five-year sitcom in syndication. Same track record. The opportunities are not the same.”
What Happened with Kevin Hart as Mo’Nique slams Hollywood power players?
Regrettably, the details of the situation between Mo’Nique and Kevin Hart remain somewhat unclear. Fortunately, Club Shay Shay provided Mo’Nique’s perspective on the matter.
According to Mo’Nique, Kevin lent her money, and she promptly repaid him with interest. Additionally, Kevin assured Mo’Nique that he would assist her in reclaiming her talk show.
“Mo, I talked to Tyler. He said he didn’t want to revisit it, but I’ll tell you what: let’s move past that, Mo. Let’s just do great things together. Don’t even worry about it,” Mo’Nique recounted her conversation with Kevin to Shannon. “Whatever you want to do, I will partner with you. I’ll executive produce with you. You just let me know.'”
However, Mo’Nique alleges that instead of following through, Kevin used his manager, Dave Becky, to distance himself. Mo’Nique claims Dave conveyed to her team, “Kevin doesn’t want anything to do with Mo’Nique.” Consequently, the two comedians have not communicated for the past two years.