Mo’Nique Claims Tyler Perry Admitted He Was Wrong for Blackballing Her From the Industry
As many know, comedian Mo’Nique has stirred up quite a bit of controversy over the years. Most of that controversy stems from claims she’s made about being blackballed by the industry by certain notable figures. Recently, however, Monique claimed that Tyler Perry admitted that he was wrong for blackballing the comedian.
Lee Daniels told Mo’Nique she was blackballed from the industry
The comedian has asserted that she’s been intentionally targeted by mainstream Hollywood for a while. According to her, the issue was brought to her attention when she won her best supporting actress Oscar for 2009’s Precious. Because of the depth of the role, it was a part Mo’Nique had no problem taking.
“It was never a hard decision for me to take that role. When I got that script from Lee Daniels, by the time I got to page 10, I called him and said, ‘Lee, what the hell is this? What is this?’ And I said, ‘Listen — if we do what’s on this paper, we can help save lives,’” Mo’Nique said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
After working on the film, Mo’Nique went on to win the Oscar for best-supporting actress. Despite the prestige of the title, however, she asserted the award changed nothing about her life.
“What I understood was that when I won that Oscar, things would change in all the ways you’re saying: It should come with more respect, more choices and more money. It should, and it normally does,” the comedian shared.
Winning the Oscar also didn’t stop Mo’Nique from being allegedly blackballed. The actor claimed that Daniels gave her the news over the phone.
“I got a phone call from Lee Daniels maybe six or seven months ago. And he said to me, ‘Mo’Nique, you’ve been blackballed.’ And I said, ‘I’ve been blackballed? Why have I been blackballed?’ And he said, ‘Because you didn’t play the game,’” she claimed.
Mo’Nique claims Tyler Perry apologized for blackballing her
Mo’Nique believed that Tyler Perry, who worked as a producer on Precious, also had a hand in getting her blacklisted. She alleges that Perry wanted her to promote the film Precious for free. When Mo’Nique declined to do this, she claims that she got a reputation of being difficult to work with not long after. This is one of the events that led to the actor being blacklisted from the industry.
But in a recent interview with Turnt Out, with TS Madison, Mo’Nique claimed Perry apologized for his actions.
“’What I did to you was wrong,’” Mo’Nique alleged Perry told her.
Still, Perry wanted Mo’Nique to apologize as well.
“Then he calls back and says I will meet with Mo’Nique but not with her husband, and then she had to apologize to me and Oprah Winfrey for saying we had anything to do with ruining her career. Now that was recent,” she shared.
Lee Daniels believed Mo’Nique blackballed herself
Empire creator Lee Daniels offered his own take on the situation surrounding Mo’Nique.
“I respect her actor [sic] because she gave me her soul and I gave her my soul and for that, she was given the Golden Globe and the Academy Award. It breaks my heart that she feels we blackballed her. No one blackballed her. Mo’Nique blackballed her,” Daniels said according to TMZ. “For her to continue to talk about Oprah, myself and Tyler, it’s disrespectful.”
