Mo'Nique's Drama Lasagna: This Beef Has Layers

Let me ask you a question. You ever lose a receipt to something and you know you're gonna need it later so you tear everything up looking for it? Well, that's what I did when I went searching for receipts to the Mo'Nique + Lee Daniels + Tyler Perry + Oprah Winfrey =Beef drama. I remembered I had 'em, just didn't know where I put 'em. All morning long I've been searching, gathering and stacking receipt piles just to lay them all out here for you. Le'ts begin at the end. This is what happened when Mo'Nique hit the stage at the Apollo Theater this weekend.

*WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE*

Yeah, she said it and it was clearly documented without any Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere editing needed. I remembered Mo'Nique's feud with Lee Daniels but didn't know the 2010 beef was still in effect!! Let's rewind a bit. In 2010 when Mo'Nique was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in the movie "Precious", Lee Daniels (and Tyler Perry) advised Mo'Nique to "play the game" and jump on the campaign trail to insure her win. She refused to do so and said that she should be judged on her work alone. Well, she won. . . HOWEVER, because she didn't "play the game" and campaign, Hollywood saw her as uncooperative and difficult. So, this caused them not to offer her roles she anticipated would be flooding in after the win. I don't think she wins this argument so that's 1 Point for Daniels, 0 for Mo'Nique.

I had also forgotten the additional layer of beef in this drama lasagna that was added when Daniels denied Mo'Nique's claims that she was the original choice for Cookie in his TV Drama "Empire". Daniels claimed he never said that but Mo'Nique provided an email trail of proof to let the world know that "The Butler" director was a liar. 1 Point for Mo'Nique, 0 points on this issue for Daniels. I'll allow this beef because he essentially called her a liar and put her integrity in question.

Now, if you watched the clip of her Apollo appearance above, you might be wondering where Tyler Perry and Oprah come in to the mix of our "drama lasagna"? Well, if Daniels is the beef, let's call Tyler Perry the noodles and sauce. ALLEGEDLY Tyler Perry was on board with Lee Daniels back in 2010 in encouraging Mo'Nique to play for potential pay. Perry told her that playing the game would up her pay grade taking her from a nominee's asking price of $3-$5 million to $6-$8 million if she won. Mo'Nique claims that after she won her pockets did NOT get the increase that Perry said she would receive. She accused him of withholding funds because she didn't play along. Listen sis, sometimes you have to use what you got to get what you want. What you had was an opportunity to play nice to get the coins you desired. You didn't do the work, you can't expect the pay. Yeah, I just quoted "The Player's Club" and Iyanla Van Zandt in the same paragraph. "Who gon check me?" 1 Point for Perry, 0 for Mo'Nique on this one.

Check out this video from 2015 where Mo'Nique and her husband give details on this same backstory:

The cheese in this drama lasagna is none other than Mother "O", Oprah Winfrey. I'm calling her the cheese because you can add her in here as much, or as little, as you want. She is close to both the "Beef" and "Noodles 'n Sauce" but she's kinda optional depending on how you like yours. In 2010 after "Precious" had been released and the movie was making all sorts of waves. Mo'Nique was asked where she drew inspiration for her horrible character? Her answer: her brother! Mo'Nique alleges that her brother Gerald Imes molested her as a child and that she used that abuse as the mold for her character. During the movie's press circuit, her brother landed on the now defunct "Oprah Winfrey Show" and he did admit to the abuse and offered an apology. Mo'Nique claimed that his apology was insensitive of her plight, half-hearted, insincere and pure trash so. . . she blamed Oprah. Wait. . . I know you're not blaming Oprah for something your brother said? You are? Ok, girl. What did you want Oprah to do, badger him 'til he broke down in tears in his apology? The only reason this recipe has cheese in it is because Oprah let him voice his apology on her show? Girl, bye. 1 Point for Oprah, 0 for Mo'Nique.

This recipe was a disaster from the start. There are plenty of people out here who are reinventing themselves after career damage and I hold to the truth that all things are possible! Mo'Nique girl. . . I'm praying for you. I want you to succeed but you gotta let go of the past and move forward with your career. I know you've got children to support and the work just isn't coming in the way you want it to but use this as a time to reflect, reconnect and recharge. Write your own film, star in it (hire me to shoot it) and drop it at an Independent Film Festival. Claw your way back from where ever it is that you think they've banished you. I spent all day gathering these receipts for this drama lasagna and couldn't find anything that wasn't at least 2 years old. I'm spent. Let it go!

Let's discuss this in the comments!