Mo’Nique shared an open letter to fellow actress Whoopi Goldberg on March 9, calling for something she says is often missing in Hollywood: accountability. The Academy Award–winning actress addressed Goldberg directly, questioning whether she regrets the comments she made during Mo’Nique’s February 2018 appearance on The View. At the time, Goldberg appeared to dismiss Mo’Nique’s claims about the mistreatment she says she experienced while working with Tyler Perry, Lee Daniels and Oprah Winfrey during the press tour for Precious.
“I’m encouraged to send you this open letter after recently seeing the video of our last conversation on your show,” Mo’Nique, 58, 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?”
What happened during Mo’Nique’s 2018 appearance on ‘The View’ with Whoopi Goldberg?
During that 2018 appearance, Mo’Nique spoke about being labeled “difficult” in Hollywood after declining to participate in an overseas press tour for the hit 2009 film Precious. According to the comedian and actress, she had already fulfilled her contractual obligations and was not offered additional compensation for the extra promotional work.
In previous interviews and during her 2018 appearance on The View, the stand-up comic alleged that Perry, Daniels and Oprah used their influence in Hollywood to blackball her from high-paying roles after she refused to participate in the extended campaign for free. Whoopi Goldberg, 70, who cohosts The View, appeared to disagree with Mo’Nique’s position at the time, saying she could have “schooled” her on “what was expected.”
In her letter, Mo’Nique also pointed out that Whoopi Goldberg faced a contractual dispute of her own years earlier—something she said surprised her after their conversation aired.
“I was also intrigued to learn that in 1993 there was an attempt to sue you regarding [the 1995 movie] Theodore Rex because it was alleged that you had made a verbal commitment to the film. Your defense was that you never actually committed,” she continued. “You can imagine how confused I was when I discovered this, especially since when I explained that my only contractual obligation was to [Precious director] 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 explained that in that moment, she had hoped for Goldberg’s support, believing it was important for established women in the industry to stand up for those coming behind them. Instead, she said she felt disappointed by the response.
“The worst part is that another woman chastised me on a platform meant to empower women,” Mo’Nique penned.
She also questioned whether outside relationships may have influenced Whoopi Goldberg’s perspective, referencing The View’s former executive producer Candi Carter and her connections with Oprah Winfrey, as well as Goldberg’s professional ties to Tyler Perry.
“But what is interesting is hearing you now speak about the importance of standing up for what’s right. My question is: Is your stance truly about standing up against wrong, or is it about standing with the ‘right people’?” she wrote, before adding:
“I’ll await your reply about whether you still feel you schooled me correctly,” Mo’Nique added. “But I caution you: If you admit you were wrong, you know you’d be going against all the ‘right people.’ 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.”
Mo’Nique released audio of Tyler Perry apologizing to her in 2018 for the press mishap, and reconciled with Lee Daniels in 2024.
Years after the controversy first erupted, Mo’Nique received some validation of her claims. In 2018, she released audio from a private conversation involving Tyler Perry, her husband Sidney Hicks, and herself, where Perry could reportedly be heard acknowledging that it was unfair for the studio to expect Mo’Nique to pay for her own travel for promotional appearances. At one point, he even suggested that he would write her a check for the additional money the film made.
Meanwhile, Mo’Nique and Lee Daniels eventually reconciled in 2024 after years of tension. Following their long-running feud, Daniels publicly apologized to the actress, paving the way for the two to reunite professionally on the Netflix film The Deliverance that same year.
Reflecting on the reconciliation, Daniels spoke about the role personal growth and accountability played in repairing their relationship.
“Part of me trying to find my higher power was also understanding what that meant,” Daniels told The Hollywood Reporter in 2024, while speaking to how he and Mo’Nique came to collaborate once more. “And that meant forgiveness, that meant apologizing, even if I didn’t understand what I was apologizing for. I had to understand that she was hurt, and that is my sister, and that I love her.”
Still, the resurfaced Whoopi conversation suggests that some wounds from the situation remain unresolved for Mo’Nique.
What are your thoughts on her open letter?
