An old entertainment feud that saw fans take sides was between actress and comedian Mo’Nique and director Lee Daniels. That beef was squashed on April Fool’s Day.
Actress Mo’Nique and Director Lee Daniels Finally Squash Blackball Beef After Over a Decade
Mo’Nique claimed that she had been blackballed from the entertainment industry after she had racked up a ton of awards for her supporting role of Mary Lou Johnston in the film Precious.
Others in the industry have said that Mo’Nique was difficult to work with during the promotion period for the film during awards season. Mo’Nique said that the promotion required additional travel and time but came with no extra pay.
At any rate, this wouldn’t help her future prospects on the big screen. Mo’Nique’s film opportunities declined and we’re exactly the output of someone who was in a film that took 75 of 135 awards it was nominated for—with her claiming 50 of those awards for either supporting actress or ensemble cast.
In the years following the film’s success, Mo’Nique had been outspoken about Lee Daniels, Oprah, and Tyler Perry for the perceived slight.
The reconciliation between the actress and Daniels came during the Monique and Friends: April Fool’s Day with The Queen of Comedy event on Friday, April 1 in Staten Island. Daniels came on stage and apologized saying “I am so sorry for hurting you in any way that I did.”
He also said “Y’all, and she was my best friend—my best friend. Y’all think that Precious was just…That was God working through both of us.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUIZajd7hl0
A New Project for Both
Daniels then declared that the two of them would be working together again. Mo’Nique will be replacing fellow Best Supporting Actress award-winning actress Octavia Spencer in the Daniels-directed Demon House. Spencer bowed out due to scheduling issues with other projects.
The two would signify the end of the feud by sharing a hug in front of the crowd. Mo’Nique would post a photo of them reconciling backstage on her Instagram.
While Precious was the duo’s most notable collaboration and Demon House will be their third project, the two first worked together on the 2005 thriller Shadowboxer which also starred Cuba Gooding Jr and Helen Mirren. Prior to landing the role in Precious, Mo’Nique made her name on Def Comedy Jam, Showtime at the Apollo, and her most memorable television role as Nikki Parker on Moesha, The Hughleys, and The Parkers between 1999 and 2004.
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