Mo’Nique Challenges Tyler Perry To Apologize To Her Publicly for Her Being Blackballed
Mo’Nique’s press tour regarding her career downfalls as a result of being blacklisted continue. The comedian alleges that her fallouts with Lee Daniels and Tyler Perry – as well as her speaking out against Oprah Winfrey – has led to devastating career challenges and a loss of income.
Now, Mo’Nique is calling for Perry to right what she says are wrongs. She wants Perry to publicly apologize for his alleged role in her being blacklisted to help clear her name.
Mo’Nique’s issues with Tyler Perry
Mo’Nique’s issues with Perry began during promotion for her Oscar-winning role in Precious. According to Mo’Nique, her contract only required promotion on a national level. However, buzz began to generate from critics about her performance and the film began circulating internationally.
Amid award season, she says the film’s director, Lee Daniels, asked her to attend the Canes Film Festival. Mo’Nique said no to the invitation. She alleges that Daniels, as well as Perry who helped to market the film, became upset with her decision. As a result, she says she was labeled as difficult to work with.
Related: Has Mo’Nique Been Blackballed Since Her Oscar Win?
As she began speaking out about inequalities in Hollywood, many of her colleagues did not defend her publicly, including Perry. She says she and Perry had private conversations in which he agreed with her stance.
Mo’Nique also accuses Perry of privately offering her $500,000 to stop talking about her issues with him publicly. She says Perry lacks integrity for not standing with her publicly.
Mo’Nique blasts Tyler Perry and calls for an apology, previous audio of a conversation between the two resurfaces
Following the long-overdue reunion between The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air stars Will Smith and Janet Hubert, Mo’Nique is praising Smith for apologizing for his alleged role in having Huber blacklisted. She’s calling for Perry to do the same for her.
“Hats off to Will Smith for apologizing for what he did to Janet Huberts (everybody’s Aunt Viv) career/life when he was young,” Mo’Nique writes in a recent Instagram post. “Perhaps Tyler Perry, who has admitted in private that he was wrong will follow suit & be man enough to apologize in public as he promised.”
Related: Inside Mo’Nique’s Long-Standing Feud With Media Mogul Oprah Winfrey
Bossip reports on the infamous private call between Perry and Mo’Nique, in which Perry can be heard saying, “I’m not anyone that wants to hurt or upset anybody especially you. It’s just heartbreaking, I don’t ever want you to think that I’m trying to blackball.”
Perry also claims the film studio he works with, Lionsgate, insisted that he not speak up about his feelings on siding with Mo’Nique.
During the call, Perry also speaks with Mo’Nique’s husband and manager, Sidney Hicks, and promises that after his film press tour, he would address his concerns publicly in support of Mo’Nique.
Perry tells Hicks, “I will let all this cool off and when I get back on my press tour I know it’s gonna come up, that’s when I will talk about it. It’s too hot, it’s too hot. Y’all heated it up.”
Perry has not responded to Mo’Nique’s latest post. She also says she is asking the same of Winfrey and Lionsgate as she is from Perry.