Mo’Nique is insisting on a public conversation with Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry to finally address their years-long feud.
“I’m still waiting for Tyler Perry. Still waiting for Oprah Winfrey to say, ‘Let’s have this open public conversation.’ Don’t run. Don’t run, because that may be able to heal our community,” she said.
During an interview with The 85 South Show, posted on YouTube on October 31st, Mo’Nique explained that the conflict stems from her role in the 2009 film Precious. She was contracted to promote the film domestically, but when Lionsgate wanted her to attend the Cannes Film Festival, Winfrey and Perry urged her to go without offering additional pay. She refused, and rumors soon painted her as “difficult to work with,” which she says cost her 12 years of her career.
Mo’Nique is hoping to end her feud with Tyler Perry and Oprah, by requesting a public sit down with the two; Photo Credit: Getty Images
“Well, for the people that said I’m hard to work with, they’ve not worked with me… But when you have a man named Tyler Perry saying, ‘She’s difficult to work with,’ and you’ve never worked with me, that cost me twelve years of my career,” she shared, noting that it also caused her to lose millions.
She reflected on how her Baltimore upbringing taught her to be brave and that brushing things off doesn’t resolve anything.
“Forgiveness doesn’t mean silence,” she said on the podcast, while emphasizing that she won’t waver from her truth even if it means keeping the fight public. “My knees don’t buckle,” she added.
Now, Mo’Nique wants the truth told publicly – no private apologies, no behind-the-scenes discussions.
