Actress and comedian Mo’Nique and her husband Sidney Hicks were special guests on Breakfast Club Power 105.1 FM. Mo’Nique came on the show to discuss why one of the hosts of the show, Charlamagne Tha God, gave her "Donkey of The Day," a popular segment on the radio show that highlights idiotic actions, after she was encouraging her followers to boycott Netflix after she failed to negotiate a contract for a comedy show with the streaming platform. Charlamagne Tha God believes Mo’Nique is not relevant enough to receive the amount she wants from Netflix. Mo’Nique, however, thinks it is bigger than that. Mo’Nique deserves the amount she is asking for, and she is right to call out Netflix in participating in racial and gender inequality. Here’s why Mo’Nique deserves what she is asking for:
1. Mo’Nique is a legend along with Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle
Netflix offered Mo’Nique a non-negotiable amount of $500,000 under the conditions that she could not work for two years to do a comedy special. Mo’Nique was insulted because she feels that she has enough credentials to receive a larger amount. She considers herself a legend in the comedy industry along with Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle, who were both offered $20 million by Netflix, so the amount they offered should have been higher. She has been in huge films for Precious and Almost Christmas and won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She has the same credentials as her male counterparts but she is not being valued.
2. Mo’Nique’s resume is comparable to Amy Schumer resume
Mo’Nique rightfully called Netflix out on racial bias for offering her such a low amount compared to Amy Schumer. Amy Schumer was offered an $11 million deal from Netflix. Both women have accomplished a lot in their time in the entertainment industry. It is odd that two women with great accomplishments have such a large gap in the amount that was offered.
3. Charlamagne Tha God was wrong. Relevancy does not matter to Netflix.
Charlamagne Tha God makes a stance by saying she may not have enough drawing power to receive a large amount. That comment shortly backfires after Tiffany Haddish, a comedian on the rise who has recently starred in a hit movie Girl’s Trip and been a special guest on Saturday Night Live, has only been offered an amount of $800,000 to do a comedy special. Charlamagne Tha God used Tiffany Haddish as an example of someone who would receive an exceptional amount of Netflix because of her new-found fame during the interview. The low amount Netflix has recently offered her reiterates Mo’Nique’s point. Women of color in the entertainment business are undervalued and are not getting a fair pay compared to their counterparts with a different gender and race.
There are people across the nation making tweets that are in support of Mo’Nique and her message and disapproves of Charlamagne Tha God giving her Donkey of The Day. Here are some standout tweets about the problem:
