*Mo’Nique has given an in-depth interview with Vulture about her Netflix boycott, being blackballed after “Precious” and the moment she “felt sorry” for Whoopi Goldberg.
The comedian recalled her heated conversation last February with Whoopi on “The View” after Joy Behar pointed out that Mo has a reputation for being difficult, specifically on the movie “Precious.”
When Mo’Nique explained why she chose not to promote the film at Cannes, Goldberg interrupted her, saying: “I’m going to stop you because, contractually, when you make a movie, regardless of who you sign the deal with, your job is to go and promote said movie,” she said. “We’ve had this conversation, and I said if you had called me I could’ve schooled you on what was expected.”
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Mo then explained that “for eight years my family has suffered and my career has suffered because I would not allow those entities [Lionsgate, Winfrey, Daniels and Perry] to bully me. And because I did not allow the bullying to happen, this is what I sit in,” she said in reference to being blacklisted in Hollywood.
But Goldberg pushed back and told Mo’Nique to call her so she could “school” her on showbiz etiquette.
The actress told Vulture that in that moment, she “felt sorry” for Goldberg, who she believes “has always been the help” in Hollywood.
“Because what you’re saying to me is, ‘You must work for free. I could’ve schooled you,’” she explained. “When I look at this woman you say is our icon and our legend — she is. But, how many things has Whoopi Goldberg executive produced? Whoopi Goldberg has always been the help, and I say that humbly. So what is it that you’re going to school me on? I’ve been doing it for almost 30 years.”
Mo’Nique says she “just can’t” praise a woman “who says ‘I could have schooled you’” and “who accepted Ted Danson in blackface,” as others in the black comedy community do. “When you know you’re being fed the wrong food, you must say, ‘I can’t chew this, y’all.’”
The two women “did have a conversation” in the dressing room after the show wrapped.
“She said, ‘Mo’Nique, you gotta let that go. You gotta move on,’” she recalled. “I said, ‘Whoopi, I can’t let it go. I gotta think about the little sister who’s not here yet.’” When Goldberg told her to “stop worrying about the litter sister who’s not here yet” Mo realized she “was looking at a woman who didn’t give a damn” about her.
“And if she’s telling me, ‘Stop worrying about that little girl who not here yet,’ well, she forgot about the ones that came before her who were worried about her,” she said.
Mo’Nique and Whoopi exchange words on “The View” at the 6:45 mark below.
You can read her full interview with Vulture here.
