Mo’Nique’s Netflix special premieres less than a year after her discrimination case against the streaming giant was settled out of court.
In a new interview with the Hollywood Reporter published Wednesday, Mo’Nique opened up about her many Hollywood feuds, the most notable of which was the years-long feud she had with Oprah Winfrey.
She also welcomed her return to Netflix after her contentious legal battle with the company was settled out of court last June.
On February 22, Netflix released a trailer for “My Name Is Mo’Nique,” which premieres April 4.
“When you turn off your TV here, you say, ‘Now we understand that woman,'” Mo’Nique said in the trailer. “I’ve been funny for 32 years and I’m thankful for that gift. But this show here really makes you understand why I swing the way I swing.”
In 2017, Netflix offered Mo’Nique $500,000 to star in her own comedy special, but the Oscar-winning actor claimed the streamer was keeping her down and that the offer was discriminatory. She pointed out that fellow comedians Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock and Amy Schumer had gotten eight-figure deals and claimed that Netflix systematically underpaid black women.
Netflix withdrew its offer, and in 2019, Mo’Nique sued Netflix for negotiating in good faith.
The federal judge overseeing the case sided with Mo’Nique, and in June 2022, the lawsuit was settled out of court. “My Name Is Mo’Nique” was filmed in Atlanta later that year.
“We sat down with our lawyers, they had their lawyers, you go to mediation and we were able to come up with something that everyone was good at,” Mo’Nique told the Hollywood Reporter of her deal with Netflix. “I think when adults get together in the room and sit down and have a reasonable conversation and a logical conversation, you work things out.”
“Mo’Nique is an incredible talent who has proven herself on TV and film, earning well-deserved acclaim for projects across genres from comedy to drama,” said Tracey Pakosta, Netflix’s vice president of comedy original series, in the same statement. article. “She’s built a loyal following over the years and we think her fans will love these new Netflix projects.”
If her comedy special is anything like her sit-down with THR, viewers can expect a thing or two about Mo’Nique’s longstanding feud with Winfrey.
The “Precious” star has long been vocal about her fraught relationship with the former daytime TV host. Mo’Nique claimed that Winfrey blackballed her after she refused to participate in the Oscars campaign for “Precious.”
Winfrey was an executive producer on the film and was dissatisfied with Mo’Nique’s decision to withdraw her press duties. Not that it mattered: Mo’Nique went on to win the Academy Award for Supporting Actress for her role in “Precious” in 2010.
Things got even worse later that year when Winfrey had Mo’Nique’s brothers, father and mother – from whom she was estranged – on her daytime talk show to discuss the sexual abuse Mo’Nique suffered as a child at the hands of her oldest brother. Gerard Imes.
Although Mo’Nique told the Hollywood Reporter she’s in “a chapter of forgiveness,” she said she’s still waiting for an apology from Winfrey.