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Mo’Nique and Netflix patched things up last month, with both parties agreeing to dismiss her 2019 lawsuit alleging racial and sexual discrimination against the streamer. On Tuesday, this original “Queens of Comedy” took to social media and announced she’ll soon have her own show on Netflix. On top of that, she’ll team up with an old buddy for one of his new projects, too.
“Can y’all believe this shit? I done came home to Netflix,” she said in the clip. “I’m so excited to share that I’ll be shooting my first Netflix comedy special. Oh, and in case you didn’t hear, I’m also reuniting with my friend, my brother, Director Mr. Lee Daniels on the Netflix film, The Deliverance.”
The comedy special will be taped later this year in Atlanta per a Variety exclusive. This news marks a season of reconciliation for Mo’Nique with both Netflix and Daniels.
Five years ago, Netflix reached out to Mo’Nique for a one-hour standup comedy special. But their offer of $500,000, and with no rights of any kind in perpetuity to Mo’Nique, incensed her, and she balked. She claimed the streamer lowballed her, especially when compared to the numbers they pitched the likes of Ali Wong and Amy Schumer (who was reportedly offered 26 times more than what was being given to Mo’Nique).
Netflix summarily quit negotiations with Mo’nique, and the actress appeared on Sway in the Morning in January 2018 to speak further on the matter. “I couldn’t accept that low offer because if I did… I couldn’t sleep at night,” she said. “If I accepted $500,000, what does Tiffany Haddish have coming? If I accept that, what does the Black female comedian have coming? Because what they’ll say is, ‘Mo’Nique accepted this and she’s got that.’ So what do they have coming?”
Netflix initially pushed back against Mo’Nique’s claims of discrimination, saying they believed their deal was fair. But last month, the presiding federal judge concluded that Netflix engaged in an “adverse employment action for purposes of a retaliation claim” and sided with Mo’Nique.
“At the very least, Mo’Nique’s allegations permit the plausible inference that, had she not challenged her offer as discriminatory, Netflix would have continued negotiating in good faith with her and increased her offer, consistent with its customary practice in dealing with talent in the entertainment industry,” read the judge’s findings. But the parties finally agreed to a resolution, the terms of which were not revealed.
And as for Mo’Nique and filmmaker Lee Daniels, the friends-turned-enemies shared a public reconciliation in April of this year. The Monster’s Ball director surprised Mo at her “April Fools Day with The Queen of Comedy” show in New York City.
“Sometimes in life you get caught up,” Daniels apologized to her in front the audience. “I am so sorry for hurting you in any way that I did, Y’all, and she was my best friend — my best friend. Y’all think that Precious was just … That was God working, through both of us.”
