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Mo’Nique is sending a public message to CBS and calling on the company to fairly compensate her and her former co-star, Countess Vaughn. As The Shade Room previously reported, Mo’Nique and Vaughn starred in the ‘The Parkers’ sitcom between 1999-2004. The show reportedly aired for five seasons and released over 110 episodes.
Earlier this year, the comedian filed a lawsuit against CBS and Paramount for their unpaid royalties.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated on September 20 to reflect Countess Vaughn’s reaction to Mo’Nique’s public statements to CBS.
On Tuesday, the comedian took to Instagram to share a video alongside her husband, Sidney Hicks. In the video, the comedian let viewers know that she stands in solidarity with “all the unions” that are “striking right now.” The strikes that the comedian seems to refer to are the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike and the SAG-AFTRA strike.
As The Shade Room previously reported, the former strike affects writers while the latter pertains to actors.
As the video continued, Mo’Nique added that she has her own story to “share with the community.”
“Countess Vaughn and I did a show called ‘The Parkers.’ ‘The Parkers’ has now been on air for twenty-four years, and they’re trying to convince us [that] through our ownership of the show, that we made absolutely no money.”
Hicks added that CBS’s alleged actions are “baffling” because he and Mo’Nique have seen “profit-participating statements” showing that the series has made over $700 million. Hicks added that despite the multi-million dollar profit, the show was allegedly in a “billion dollar deficit.”
“So what we’re asking you, CBS, is can you please treat these two Black women fairly,” Mo’Nique continued.
The comedian went on by referencing a “bad” deal fellow comedian Dave Chapelle signed with CBS, as reported by REVOLT in 2021. Mo’Nique explained that CBS “made that deal fair” and “paid Dave Chapelle what he rightfully deserved.”
Today, the 55-year-old is asking CBS for a similar understanding.
“What we’re asking you, CBS [is] don’t pay us anymore but don’t pay us any less.”
Hicks added that the couple has made their statements to the CBS company public to hopefully shield future creatives from a similar challenge.
“We see the numbers, and they still don’t want to pay,” Hicks explained. “What will happen to you when you don’t even know the numbers exist?”
Mo’Nique then concluded the video by asking the “community” to stand with them in equality. Additionally, she asked CBS to treat them “fairly.”
The 55-year-old also shared the post with a brief caption.
“HEY MY SWEET BABIES
IT’S A HARD CONVERSATION TO HAVE BUT WE
HAVE THE PROOF TO BACK IT UP!!!
@countessdvaughn WE ARE THE PARKERS!!!!
I LOVE US 4REAL”
Countess Vaughn has since responded to Mo’Nique’s public statements by resharing the comedian’s video on her Instagram Story.
On Tuesday evening, Vaughn shared a video to her Instagram account where she seemingly defended Mo’Nique’s stance against those who allege her claims “are not true.”
Additionally, Vaughn demanded CBS give the actors their money and even provided additional context to her and Mo’Nique’s reasoning.
As The Shade Room previously reported, Mo’Nique filed a lawsuit against CBS and Paramount on April 12. At the time, she detailed her decision.
“Today we filed a lawsuit to make sure that we are fairly paid money that we are owed for ‘The Parkers.’ Actors rely on the good faith of Hollywood companies to honor their profit participation agreements. ‘The Parkers’ was a huge success and continues to be a source of revenue through syndication and streaming channels.”
Additionally, the comedian reportedly sued the companies alleging that they owe Hicks Media “millions.” As The Shade Room previously reported, Hicks Media is owned by the comedian and Hicks.
“While the Series has proven to be a major financial success for its producers and distributors, the series’ talent have not been permitted to share in the fruits of that success,” the lawsuit reportedly read.
At the time, it was reported that the comedian also named Big Ticket Productions, the sitcom’s production company, in the suit. Additionally, the comedian hoped to determine “the contractual compensation” she’s earned and “owed” from the series.
