Mo’Nique has been letting it rip lately. In case you’ve been sleep for a few weeks, the comedienne/actress first made headlines when she slammed the hell outta Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, and Empire creator, Lee Daniels, during a stand-up comedy show. Then, she and her husband, Sidney Hicks, further discussed the controversy behind her statements during a Periscope podcast. Now, it appears Mo’Nique and Sidney are back at it, proving that they ain’t never scared…
According to The Jasmine Brand, the couple has offered more details about their discussion with Tyler Perry where A-list African-American actors and actresses are concerned. Taraji P. Henson was one of the actresses mentioned in the discussion.
Little To No Money:
Most Taraji P. Henson fans are well aware of the actress’ filmography. She had her big break when she landed the role of ‘Yvette’ in John Singelton’s 2001 film, Baby Boy. From there, the doors of opportunity began to open for Taraji. Seven years later, she landed a major role in the Blockbuster film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and earned an Academy Award nomination for her role. The film grossed more than $339 million at the box office with a $167 million budget. But despite the film’s massive success, Taraji saw very little profit from it. In her new memoir, Around the Way Girl, Taraji revealed her pay for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was equivalent to sofa change compared to the profits made by Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, reports IndieWire.
Here’s an excerpt from the book:
“Both Brad and Cate got millions. Me? With bated breath, I sat by the phone for hours, waiting for Vince[Cirrincione, her manager] to call and tell me the number that I thought would make me feel good: somewhere in the mid six figures,” she wrote.
“Alas, that request was dead on arrival. ‘I’m sorry, Taraji,’ Vince said quietly when we finally connected. ‘They came in at the lowest of six figures. I convinced them to add in a little more, but that’s as high as they’d go.’ There was one other thing: I’d have to agree to pay my own location fees while filming in New Orleans, meaning three months of hotel expenses would be coming directly out of my pocket. Insult, meet injury.”
Tyler Perry’s Reaction:
Mo’Nique has revealed Tyler Perry was absolutely shocked to know just how much A-list African-American actors and actresses are paid in Hollywood. Regardless of their talent, achievements, or celebrity status, they just aren’t treated the same as the Brad Pitt’s and Angelina Jolie’s of the world.
“[Tyler said to Monique] When he said ‘I was shocked to know what y’all quotes are. I was shocked to know what Taraji P. Henson’s quote is and what Octavia [Spencer’s] quote is. I was shocked to know how low their quotes are. I then said, ‘Well Tyler, you’re in the position to pay us fairly. See the quotes you gave us, they were right, but that’s what our white sisters are getting. So now you’re in the position to pay us fairly.
https://youtu.be/HgxBOsYgCH8
When Mo’Nique Confronted Tyler:
Of course, money was also part of the problem with Mo’Nique and Tyler Perry. After filming Precious, Mo’Nique was reportedly told the award nomination would increase her value as an actress. But, it doesn’t look like things turned out well for Mo’Nique, despite winning the Oscar. “You said to me ‘if you get nominated, your next movie is between $3-5 million. If you win it, your next film is $6-8 [million].’ I said ‘N*gga that’s why you ain’t called on me because you know I know the words you said.’ And then he said ‘When I really found out what the numbers were.’ I said “N*gga, I told you in Vegas, when you was running the numbers down to me, I said Tyler ‘you talking to a black woman. So, why you trying to run the numbers down to me. Me and you both know what this is.’”
Monique On Taraji:
Although Taraji is a big face on primetime television and Tyler Perry was the first to pay her a fair wage for a film, Mo’Nique believes Taraji should still be making more money. “See Taraji P. Henson in my humble opinion, she should be the highest paid in Hollywood. Or one of them, because this sister broke records around the world.’ What Tyler Perry said was ‘I’m paying Taraji more than she’s ever made’ and I said ‘but are you paying her fairly?’”
And there ya’ have it ILOSM fam.’ Although Tyler Perry and Mo’Nique have thankfully squashed their beef, Mo’Nique is still exercising her right to speak her truth.
