Mo’Nique Calls Out Whoopi Goldberg in Open Letter, Revisiting Their 2018 “The View” Debate Over “Precious” Fallout
Mo’Nique is revisiting a tense television moment from years ago with Whoopi Goldberg, and she is demanding accountability.
The Oscar-winning actress shared an open letter directed at Goldberg this week, reflecting on their 2018 exchange during an appearance on the daytime talk show “The View.” In the message, Mo’Nique questioned whether Goldberg’s perspective has shifted since their on-air disagreement about contracts, industry expectations, and accountability in Hollywood.
“I’m encouraged to send you this open letter after recently seeing the video of our last conversation on your show,” Mo’Nique wrote. “The tone of the comments today seems different from the energy eight years ago, with many people now agreeing with my sentiment about not working for people or entities I don’t owe anything to. I wonder, have your feelings changed since that time?”
The actress also referenced a past legal dispute involving Goldberg and the 1995 film “Theodore Rex.”
“I was also intrigued to learn that in 1993, there was an attempt to sue you regarding ‘Theodore Rex,’ because it was alleged that you had made a verbal commitment to the film. Your defense was that you never actually committed,” Mo’Nique continued. “You can imagine how confused I was when I discovered this, especially since when I explained that my only contractual obligation was to Lee Daniels, it didn’t sway your opinion enough to stop you from saying you could have ‘schooled’ me on doing what they expected from me.”
Mo’Nique’s comments revisit a long-running dispute that began after the success of the film “Precious.” The actress has said she was effectively pushed out of opportunities after declining requests to travel internationally to promote the movie without additional compensation. During her 2018 appearance on “The View,” Mo’Nique maintained she fulfilled the terms of her agreement with director Lee Daniels.
“If I had done something wrong contractually, they would’ve sued me,” Mo’Nique said during the discussion. “What Tyler Perry, Lee Daniels, Oprah Winfrey, and Lionsgate showed me was ‘when you don’t do what we ask you to do, we’ll take your livelihood.’ So for eight years, for eight years, my family has suffered, and my career has suffered because what I would not allow those entities to do was bully me.”
Although Mo’Nique and Daniels later reconciled publicly, she said in the letter that Perry has privately apologized for describing her as difficult to work with but has not issued a public correction.
“People like Tyler Perry refused to take responsibility, while I had to take responsibility for refusing to sign up for an act of slavery against my will,” she wrote. “The worst part is that another woman chastised me on a platform meant to empower women.”
Mo’Nique ended the message with a direct challenge to Goldberg about accountability and leadership.
“But I caution you: If you admit you were wrong, you know you’d be going against all the ‘right people,’” she concluded. “So, are you willing to do what’s right for the little girls coming behind us, or is your position still ‘F’ the little girl coming behind us? I look forward to finding out. Because I was the little girl coming behind you.”