What happened between Mo’Nique and Oprah? The comedian just called out the media billionaire and Tyler Perry – both producers on Precious, which she won an Oscar for – in an expletive-filled rant

May 4 , 2024

It’s safe to say that US comedian and Precious actress, Mo’Nique, is not a fan of Oprah Winfrey. Photos: @therealmoworldwide, @oprah/Instagram

The long-standing feud between Mo’Nique and Oprah Winfrey is showing no signs of going away. According to TMZ, Mo’Nique is once again criticising Winfrey and Tyler Perry – and she wasn’t afraid to use profanity in her remarks.

Oprah Winfrey seems to be almost universally loved – but not by comedian and actress Mo’Nique, it would seem. Photo: Getty Images for Elle

Apparently, it all kicked off when Mo’Nique took to the stage during Katt Williams’ comedy tour. “F*** you Oprah Winfrey, F*** you Tyler Perry!” she said, per TMZ. She also questioned the nature of Winfrey’s relationship with Gayle King, insinuating that the pair were romantically involved, before continuing: “I’m too motherf***ing old to be scared of this b****. I’m too old to be intimidated by this b****. I’m too old to hold the motherf***ing truth.”

So … yeah. Not pretty. Here’s everything we know about Mo’Nique and Oprah Winfrey’s beef and how it all began:

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Who is Mo’Nique?

Mo’Nique is currently touring with comedian Katt Williams. Photo: @therealmoworldwide/Instagram

Mo’Nique, full name Monique Angela Hicks, is an American actress and comedian. She is perhaps best known for her role in Precious (2009), which she won an Oscar for, but has also starred in action thriller Domino, TV show The Parkers and the comedy Phat Girlz.

As a stand-up comedian she’s become known for her blunt remarks. In an interview on the Club Shay Shay podcast that went viral, she said, “If I was a white woman, do you know what my name would be? Melissa McCarthy. If I was a white woman, my name would be Melissa McCarthy. Same track record! Five-year sitcom in syndication. The opportunities are not the same.”

Mo’Nique used to look up to Oprah Winfrey

Years before they met, Mo’Nique viewed Winfrey – who starred on her home state of Baltimore’s local talk show People Are Talking – as one of her idols, according to Distractify. In an appearance on Club Shay Shay, Mo’Nique said seeing Winfrey as someone who “looks like me” meant there was hope she could one day be famous.

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When did Mo’Nique and Oprah Winfrey’s feud begin?

Mo’Nique won the Oscar for best supporting actress for Precious in 2010. Photo: Reuters

According to Distractify, the duo’s spat began while they were working together on Precious. Winfrey and Perry were among 13 producers who worked on the film, and reportedly got into a disagreement about Mo’Nique’s decision not to do promotional appearances for free after finalising the project.

Things only got more heated when Winfrey brought Mo’Nique’s estranged brother Gerald Imes on to The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2010, where he admitted that he had molested Mo’Nique when he was 13 and she was seven or eight, as reported by Today.

“I abused and betrayed the trust of another sibling, my sister, my blood sister,” Imes said, adding, “I’m sorry, Mo’Nique. I’m sorry.”

What happened between Mo’Nique and Oprah Winfrey?

Mo’Nique seems to be on better terms with Precious director Lee Daniels these days. Photo: @therealmoworldwide/Instagram

According to the LA Times, Mo’Nique’s husband Sidney Hicks told her that Winfrey seemed annoyed that people were cheering for Mo’Nique rather than Winfrey on the night she won the Oscar for Precious. She then noticed that a number of films that were initially offered to her ended up going to Winfrey.

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While it’s clear Mo’Nique isn’t on good terms with Winfrey, it seems she has made peace with Precious director Lee Daniels, according to her interview with The Hollywood Reporter last year.

Before filming Precious, Mo’Nique and Daniels were “inseparable”, but Mo’Nique’s aforementioned refusal to do promotional work gratis in the run-up to the Academy Awards caused a dent in their relationship.

After they buried the hatchet, she said, “we were taking in the beautiful scenery, and Lee looks at me and says, ‘Why didn’t you just shut up during all those years?’ And I said, ‘Had I shut up, you and I wouldn’t be walking down this river.’”

Fame and celebrity

The long-standing feud between Mo’Nique and Oprah Winfrey is showing no signs of letting up, with Mo’Nique criticising both Winfrey and Tyler Perry on stage at a recent comedy gig
Years before they met, Mo’Nique viewed Winfrey as one of her idols – but things went downhill after the pair worked on the Oscar-winning film Precious together and Mo’Nique declined to do the promos