Following days of trading public claims, it appears the verbal war between Mo’Nique and Lee Daniels has extended itself for an additional week.
Mo’Nique leveraged her recent media blitz with an appearance Monday on “Good Morning America,” where she continued to express her thoughts on being “blackballed” by Hollywood after winning an Academy Award in 2010 for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Precious.”
“I had no idea, because I don’t think that Hollywood has turned its nose up to me. I think that those are feelings Mr. Daniels is having,” she said during the interview segment.
“And then he said, ‘There were things that Mo’Nique — she didn’t thank the producers and she didn’t thank the studio, and that’s just not things that you do.’ Well, it had nothing to do with the producers nor the studio. Mr. Daniels had a problem that I didn’t say his name the night of the Oscar awards.”
The 47-year-old actress-comedienne went on to underscore her thoughts from last week’s CNN interview in response to the “Empire” director’s comments on “playing ball” in “show business” in order to sustain a successful career.
“I appreciate that comment, because he’s absolutely right. It is show business,” she admitted. “A game does have to be played, but can’t we play the fair game? Why can’t we play the right game? If you’re asking am I willing to put my integrity on the line for Hollywood? No.”
Following Mo’Nique’s thoughts on how she handled the promotional campaign surrounding the 2010 film, her “Precious” co-star Gabourey Sidibe took to her Twitter account to weigh in on the matter:
It’s sad to see a project like Precious, that was made with such love, be dragged through the mud by selfishness and lies.
— Gabourey Sidibe (@GabbySidibe) March 2, 2015
Check out Mo’Nique’s “Good Morning America” interview segment in the clip.