Mo’Nique, a comedian and actress, has been facing allegations of power players in Hollywood who are blackballing her due to her fight for equal pay. She has feuded with Tyler Perry and Lee Daniels, and has also filed a lawsuit against Netflix for gender bias and discrimination based on race. Mo’Nique believes that Perry and Daniels contributed to her being blackballed in Hollywood, and major companies began to undermine her value, including Netflix.
During a conversation with Goldberg, Mo’Nique claimed that Goldberg made disparaging remarks about her husband and manager. Goldberg also allegedly told Mo’Nique to focus solely on herself and not create a movement for equality for those who come after her. Despite walking away from the conversation, Mo’Nique insisted she wasn’t upset and that Goldberg is the one who is misguided.
Mo’Nique also mentioned that people’s perception of her trying to be shady toward Goldberg was incorrect. She famously blasted Goldberg for not earning what she says Goldberg deserves for her work, and she explained that her husband has been her saving grace in her career.
Overall, Mo’Nique believes Goldberg’s advice was due to fear of losing everything in her fight for equality, but the damage was already done.
In February 2018, Mo’Nique and Whoopi Goldberg argued on The View about the promotion of their movie Precious. Goldberg criticized Mo’Nique for not standing with fellow black actors and criticized her for not being an American. Mo’Nique argued that Goldberg had been the help for almost 30 years and that she should move on with her life and career. This was not the first time Goldberg has been accused of not standing with fellow black actors. In 2016, Goldberg proclaimed that she is American, not African-American, while criticizing Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. This rhetoric provoked backlash and rekindled a debate within the black community about how to identify themselves. Despite this, racial commentary on the view became increasingly polarizing when Raven Simone joined the cast in June 2015. Simone had been criticized for not hiring someone with a stereotypical black name and for casting blame on a black South Carolina High School student. Goldberg has shown a penion for defending celebrities accused of rape and racial epithets, but her statements inspired a petition calling for her removal from the show.
Raven Simone, a former Disney Channel star, has been criticized for not providing strong black role models in prominent television positions. In 2016, Goldberg appeared to go against black actors, stating that the issue was not with the academy but the absence of black actors in leading film roles. She addressed the ongoing diversity row at the Oscars 2016 and responded to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’s pledge to double its minority and female membership by 2020. Goldberg also criticized the Oscar’s boycott of the 2016 ceremony, which was a slap in the face to host Chris Rock. Other celebrities who reacted strongly to the Oscars nominations include Lee David Oelo, Lupita Yono, and others. Some fans have expressed their opinions on the situation, with some arguing that Goldberg should not continue to be praised for her actions and aligning herself with whiteness.