By: A.J. Niles
As the days go by, more and more black women in music and Hollywood are throwing their support behind Mo’Nique.
You even had Chance The Rapper throw his support behind Mo’Nique. Now Kimberly Elise and India Arie are standing behind her in her quest for equal pay in Hollywood.
Mo’Nique and her husband Sidney also addressed the comments Oprah made about her during her interview with Global Grind.
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Sadly nothing will change. Black women will continue to be underpaid and forced to be thankful for the scraps.
MoNique’s situation isn’t even unique. That’s why it’s so sad to see so many black women and men telling her to shut up about it. Even Gabrelle Union had to drag BET to court to get what she deserved. And after she sued them they got even and cancelled the show. As black women, you expect black people in power to look out for you. But some of us are actually worse than the white people in charge. I think that’s the real thing eating at MoNique. She didn’t expect her own people to dog her out and blacklist her.
Well said. And it’s like everyone wants to deflect from this. It’s, “Oh Monique has a nasty attitude!” “She calls her husband daddy!” “She dragged Oprah!”
And I’m like what does any of that have to do with her being underpaid in the business? Truth is all these powerful black people should have had her back. Oprah and Tyler are definitely in the position to pay black actors better than they do but they don’t because they know 99% of black people worship the ground they walk on. Why even work towards having so much power if you don’t plan on changing the system to help those who look like you?
Good for them.
I’m behind the whole pay equality thing but her relationship with her husband is still weird to me. Sorry.
Off topic but Monique looks great. The weight loss has been amazing.
You’ll find that many black actresses actually agree with Monique, especially about the people she’s called out. But they are afraid to speak out because they don’t want to be dragged like Monique is getting dragged.
Nonsense! Mo has said some vile things about Oprah in her comedy routine. It doesn’t have to be in an interview. That was very negative. She’s not a victim in this situation. I agree that how Mo was treated by Netflix was wrong bc she should’ve gotten her just due like Amy but, in the situation with Oprah and the movie “ Precious “ she should’ve been more humble. What celebrity from Will Smith, Denzil Washington to Halle Berry doesn’t promote their movie? That’s a obligation. And, now Mo is trying to lump apples with oranges. No ma’am! Just look at her career versus Gabby’s. To me that speaks volumes.. let’s be real.
Agreed! Should Monique be paid more? Absolutely. But her approach has been too trashy for me.
I wouldn’t compare Gabby to MoNique. Gabby is willing to go along with the bullsh-t like most. Gabby is severely underpaid in the business but keeps her mouth shut because Lee is the only person who will hire her consistently. Not everybody is going to do that. And part of being a comedian is saying “vile” things on stage. It’s like Monique has to play by different rules because she’s a black woman. Where’s the outrage when Kevin Hart drags his ex wife in his standups? MoNique is not the first to have a problem with Oprah. Oprah has controlling issues where she punishes/cuts off people for not doing what she tells them to do. Ask the Obamas. Ask Iyanla. Ask Whoopi. And believe me there are more. But the rule is you don’t talk about Oprah in public. MoNique just said eff it, I’m calling her out and Oprah is making her pay for that choice. Tyler and Lee have also been called out by others too. They aren’t perfect. This rule we have in the black community of treating Oprah, Tyler, etc. like gods is disgusting. They aren’t above reproach.
And I wouldn’t compare Will, Halle or Denzel to Mo’s situation. They aren’t getting paid $50,000 for a film and told by black directors to take low pay for another project down the line. That was messed up.
I’m not talking about pay. We all know that ALL BLACK ACTRESSES are underpaid. Even the ones that are considered “A” list. That’s not what I was speaking to. I was speaking to the way Mo was trying to come for Oprah when she knows that she’s said some disparaging things about her in public. You can’t resolve an issue by being disrespectful to ppl. Go to the person if you’re genuinely sincere about reconciliation and humbly discuss it. I definitely don’t consider Oprah, Tyler nor any human a “god”. However, you must show respect to get it. And in Hollywood there are “power players”. Once again, my point wasn’t that Mo should accept a low salary. My point was that she should not be disparaging others character bc she felt slighted. Most ppl feel like if you do something to me I’m going to get you back. That’s childish. Rise above it. Mo has every right to fight for herself and equal pay but do it in a way that’s dignified and respectful to others. And lastly, you missed my point about Will, Denzil and Halle.. no they’re not paid $50k however, they also probably deal with the same dynamics as black actors. Furthermore, they know how to play the “Hollywood “ game which is why they’ve gotten where they have. They recognize that promoting the movie they just starred end brings other rewards if not monetary.
It sounds like you’re into respectability politics (most people are), and I’m not really for them. So we can agree to disagree on those points. Especially because I agree with the quote that well behaved women don’t make history. People may not like Mo’s actions, but she’s definitely caused some conversations that should have been had a long time ago. I do hope something changes if not for her, the ones coming behind her. Anyway, thank you for the dialogue.
Black actresses have to deal with so much. And while there’s all these movements being led by white actresses for pay equality, most of them are silent about the fact that black actresses get the least. White actresses want to be on the same level as white men and black actresses are really out here getting $50,000 for movie roles. Mary J is out here getting nominated for an Oscar for a role that actually cost her money. What in the world is going on?