Mo'Nique Grew up Admiring Oprah Before Their Years-Long Feud — What Happened?

Feb. 8 2024, Published 2:16 p.m. ET

Comedian Mo’Nique hasn't ever minced her phrases, particularly when discussing her unsavory studies in Hollywood.

Since 2015, the Oscar-winning Queen of comedy has adamantly mentioned that she was “blackballed” in the leisure trade. Mo’Nique stated Lee Daniels, who forged her in her Academy Award-winning position in Precious, used to be the person who advised her the industry blackballed her. More particularly, Mo’Nique claimed Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey have been at the back of her shedding out on roles, ultimately affecting her source of revenue.

It would be a critical understatement to mention Mo’Nique hasn’t come off of Oprah and Tyler’s necks since discovering their alleged job. In February 2024, she addressed her ongoing feuds with the media moguls on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast. During the 2-hour and 55-minute interview, Mo’Nique shared why her issues with Oprah stem additional than her allegedly plotting to spoil Mo’s career.

Here’s what happened between Mo’Nique and Oprah that led to their decade-plus feud.

What happened with Mo’Nique and Oprah?

Mo’Nique and Oprah’s feud began right through their time working together on Precious. Oprah and Tyler had been among Thirteen producers on Lee’s film starring Mo’Nique and Gabourey Sidibe. Mo’Nique stated on Club Shay Shay and in different interviews that she and Oprah to start with had a friendly courting.

The Parkers alum had long admired Oprah since she used to be on Baltimore’s WJZ-TV’s local communicate show, People Are Talking. Mo’Nique, who grew up in Baltimore, Md., said on Shannon’s podcast that seeing Oprah on-air allowed her to peer that anyone who “looks as if me” may just sooner or later be famous.

They say you must by no means meet your heroes, and Mo’Nique witnessed such firsthand all through Precious. First, the two disagreed on Mo’Nique doing further promotional appearances for Precious totally free after running on the movie. Then, their drama become more personal when Oprah brought Mo’Nique’s estranged brother, Gerald Imes, on her communicate display in 2010.

Mo’Nique publicly said in an interview with Barbara Walters that Gerald, her older brother, molested her when she was a child. She would later use the horrific studies to inspire her role as Mary in Precious. Following her Oscar win, Mo’Nique mentioned Oprah known as her directly to tell her that her brother sought after to come back on Oprah’s show to make an apology for his movements publicly.

Mo’Nique reportedly instructed Oprah she "didn't want anything to do" with her brother or the look however inspired Oprah to proceed with the interview. However, she later discovered thru ads that Oprah additionally contacted her mom, Alice Imes, and her father, Steven Imes, Jr.

"We never talked about my mother being there," Mo’Nique said about the ordeal at Club Shay Shay, adding she felt “betrayed” via the billionaire.

Mo’Nique has also accused Oprah of deliberately taking movie roles introduced to the comedian.

Oprah’s interview with Mo’Nique’s circle of relatives was once something the comic said affected her day-to-day life. She claimed she couldn’t pass into a grocery retailer with out somebody discussing her mom’s perceived greed and negligence with Mo’Nique rising up. Though Mo admitted she and her mom don’t have a good dating, she didn’t need the international to look her mom’s habits and said had she known she can be on, she would’ve advised Oprah to “shut that s--t down.”

In addition to airing out her circle of relatives’s business, Mo’Nique accused Oprah on Club Shay Shay of stealing main roles from her following Mo’Nique’s Oscar win out of jealousy. Mo’Nique said that Lee first of all offered her the lead in his 2013 movie, The Butler, where Oprah performed Gloria Gaines.

“Lee Daniels came out and stated 'I did offer Monique The Butler, however as he said to me, he said 'Mo, at the time I didn't have no power, and I didn't haven't any money,'" said Mo’Nique. "So when Oprah stated she sought after it, who played the lead position in The Butler? Oprah Winfrey."

Mo’Nique recalled a similar situation when Lee started casting for a Richard Pryor biopic he had in the works. Once again, Mo said Lee offered her the part of Richard’s grandmother, which led Oprah to tell Lee she wanted the part.

Oprah has only addressed her and Mo’Nique’s feud publicly once.

Since their 2010 fallout, Mo’Nique has stated on several occasions, including her time on Club Shay Shay, that she “loves” Oprah and simply wants her to do better. However, she stated that their feud would never be resolved until the talk show queen publicly apologized to Mo’Nique. After hearing Oprah’s take on the feud, an apology in front of the world seems unlikely.

For the most part, Oprah dodged Mo’Nique’s claims in interviews. But in 2018, Oprah had time to address the beef during her press run for A Wrinkle In Time. When Global Grind asked Oprah about her and Mo’Nique’s issues, she gave her only response on record, which was delivered in the most Oprah way imaginable.

“You can’t meet damaging power the place it's; you must upward push above it, it's important to go beyond it,” Oprah said whilst explaining why she never clapped back at Mo’Nique. “You have to be the light. It only takes a little bit of sunshine to banish the darkness. It takes a large number of darkness to conquer the gentle. It takes just a bit bit of light, and we are warriors of the gentle. I would by no means droop to try to fulfill somebody the place they are negatively. Don’t care who they're.”

Fortunately, Mo’Nique has squashed her beef with Lee, who apologized for his position in her being blacklisted from Hollywood in 2022. She additionally agreed to sit with Oprah and Tyler on another Club Shay Shay episode. Here’s hoping.

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