Mo'Nique Announces Netflix Stand-Up Special And Starring Role In Lee Daniels' Netflix Film
Mo’Nique is finally getting her things and we love to see it! The beloved comedian has faced a lot of criticism over the years for standing up for herself and speaking out against the mistreatment she received during the press campaign for Precious for which she won Best Supporting Actress in the 2010 Academy Awards. Many in the industry labeled her “difficult” and blackballed her for years as a result. Now, it appears that she has become victorious in her battle against Netflix and has repaired her friendship with one of the people she accused of blackballing her. On July 19, Mo’Nique made the surprising announcement via Netflix’s Strong Black Lead that she will be starring in her own Netflix comedy special as well as Lee Daniels’ next Netflix film, Deliverance.
“Hey y’all, it’s your girl Mo’Nique, and I’m excited to say that I’ll be shooting my first Netflix special; in addition to reuniting with my friend, director Lee Daniels on the Netflix film The Deliverance,” she said.“You won’t want to miss either of them, so stay tuned! Thank you all and I love y’all to life!” The news of her Netflix deal comes after she and the streaming giant settled the gender and race discrimination lawsuit in June.
The Academy Award-winner filed a discrimination lawsuit against Netflix in 2019 after she claimed to have received a “lowball” offer to star in her own comedy special in 2017 in comparison to other comedians such as Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, and Amy Schumer. According to Mo’Nique, the offer was $500,000 while Chappelle and Rock received $20 million and Schumer walked away with $11 million. She also called out the streaming giant for underpaying Black women.
A year before that, Mo’Nique called for a boycott against Netflix but was met with mixed reactions. One infamous moment was when the mother of four got into a heated exchange with Charlamagne Tha God during a 2018 The Breakfast Club interview after he gave her “Donkey of the Day” for asking folks to boycott Netflix. She responded: “What you’re saying to the community is, as Black women, you’re devalued. And if you stand up and you make a stand and you say ‘We need equality and we have to say what’s right and what’s fair,” she told The Breakfast Club host. “And then a brother that looks like me from South Carolina that ‘the Donkey of the Day,’ you have to explain that to the community.”
She, however, was backed by some of her peers like Jada Pinkett Smith and fellow comedian Wanda Sykes who revealed that she too received a lowball offer from Netflix.
.@moworldwide, thank you for speaking out. @netflix offered me less than half of your $500k. I was offended but found another home. #EPIX
— Wanda Sykes (@iamwandasykes) January 21, 2018
“.@moworldwide, thank you for speaking out. @netflix offered me less than half of your $500k. I was offended but found another home. #EPIX,” she tweeted.
While no details have come out yet about Mo’Nique and Netflix’s settlement, it’s easy to assume that The Parker’s star agreeing to do the comedy special came with a much larger payout than before.
What makes the announcement even more significant is that Mo’Nique reunited with Daniels after their fallout following Precious. The Queens of Comedy star repeatedly called out Daniels, Oprah Winfrey, and Tyler Perry for blacklisting her after she refused to do certain things during her press tour for the film. In an interview with Steve Harvey on his now-defunct talk show, Mo’Nique revealed the cause of her rift with the Black Hollywood elite. “We got labeled as ‘difficult’ because I said one word — and that was ‘no,'” she said of her and her husband/ manager Sidney Hicks.
“Now I said no to some very powerful people.. .the difficulty came in when people that looked like me, like Oprah, Tyler, Lee Daniels and I got to put my brother Steve on the list,” she added. “Y’all knew that I was not wrong. Each one of you said to me, ‘Mo’Nique, you’re not wrong.’ And when I heard you go on the air and say, ‘My sister burned too many bridges, and it’s nothing I can do for her now,’ Steve, do you know how hurt I was?”
Mo’Nique and Daniels reconciled publicly in April after the director brought her on stage at the St. George Theatre in Staten Island and apologized to her.
“It took me a long time to realize. I am so sorry for hurting you in any way,” he said.
“She was my best friend y’all — my best friend. Y’all think that Precious was just [us]? That wasn’t. That was God working through both of us. And we gonna f—king do it again!”
Along with The Deliverance, Mo’Nique will also be starring in Daniels’ Netflix thriller Demon House.
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ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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ItGirl In Motion: DonYé Taylor Asked Herself This Question When Creating Her Brainchild
"Being an 'ItGirl' is all about being yourself and taking all of the elements that make you who you are and displaying them at your highest capability," creative brainiac DonYé Taylor says in the introduction of the limited video series, "ItGirl In Motion."
In partnership with Hyundai, xoNecole has unveiled the limited series in conjunction with our inaugural ItGirl 100 list. The list boasts 100 Black women who not only innovate and take up space when it comes to putting on for their cities, but also as the driving force behind brands that create impact for the culture. ItGirl DonYé Taylor is one of the 100 featured ladies who put her purpose into action.
ITGIRL IN MOTION with DONYE TAYLORwww.youtube.com
As a marketing consultant, content creator, and CEO, a driving force behind DonYé's ambitions has been to show others how she sees the world by "creating art and doing things that shift perspective." In founding her brainchild, Nüclei, which is coincidentally also home to the ever-so-chic chrome brain piggybank, DonYé briefly touched on the inspiration behind the brand. "I was like, 'What would it look like if I were to be of service to myself?' And that's what made me create Nuclei," she said.
Watch the video above to take a peek into the life of the LA-based ItGirl, the importance of Black women receiving our "flowers" while we're here, and the three things she believes are absolutely essential to any ItGirl.
See our ItGirl 100 list in full here. Click through the gallery below for some BTS moments of DonYé and our partnership with Hyundai.
CREDITS
Director: Mikkoh @mikkoh
Production Company: @30inthemorning
AD/Gimbal Op: @jeffreyrattanong
DP: @jucelandrin_
Editor: @30inthemorning
1st AC: Bonnie Delgado @bonniebellevue
2nd AC: Liz Robles @lizfatimarobles
FPV Drone Op: Kai Kevin Goh @kaivertigoh
Gaffer: Nelson Nguyen @nelson_ftw
Key Grip: Ames Hoang @mangothemaker
SLT: Jamon Tolbert @jamon.tolbert
Sound Mixer: Deyo Forteza @introducingdeyo
PA: Breyona Holt @exquisite_eye
PA: Aminah Muhammad @aminahmuhamm
BTS: Marika Belamarich @marikarosegold
Featured image by Marika Belamarich for xoNecole