Mo’Nique called out Whoopi Goldberg nearly a decade after their clash on “The View,” asking the fellow Oscar winner if her feelings had changed at all in the aftermath of their public falling out.
The “Precious” star took to Instagram Monday evening and posted a lengthy open letter to Goldberg, noting she felt “encouraged” to send the note after seeing empathetic comments made by “The View” co-host on the show.
“I’m encouraged to send you this open letter after recently seeing the video of our last conversation on your show,” Mo’Nique wrote. “The tone of the comments today seems different from the energy eight years ago, with many people now agreeing with my sentiment about not working for people or entities I don’t owe anything to. I wonder, have your feelings changed since that time?”
She continued: “I was also intrigued to learn that in 1993 there was an attempt to sue you regarding ‘Theodore Rex,’ because it was alleged that you had made a verbal commitment to the film. Your defense was that you never actually committed. You can imagine how confused I was when I discovered this, especially since when I explained that my only contractual obligation was to Lee Daniels, it didn’t sway your opinion enough to stop you from saying you could have ‘schooled’ me on doing what they expected from me.”
For those who may not recall, Mo’Nique and Goldberg found themselves at odds during a 2018 episode of “The View,” after Goldberg criticized Mo’Nique’s refusal to promote 2009’s “Precious” overseas, stating she could have “schooled” her on contractual obligations. However, Mo’Nique hit back at this notion, noting, “If I had done something wrong contractually, they would’ve sued me.”
In her open letter, Mo’Nique called out “Precious” producer Tyler Perry, who she said has yet to “publicly correct” the notion she is difficult to work with, despite admitting “on audio that he was wrong for saying [it.]”
“People like Tyler Perry refused to take responsibility, while I had to take responsibility for refusing to sign up for an act of slavery against my will,” she added. “The worst part is that another woman chastised me on a platform meant to empower women.”
Mo’Nique questioned whether Goldberg’s stance had been influenced by former Executive Producer Candi Carter’s relationship with Oprah, who served as an executive producer on “Precious,” or, additionally, by her professional ties with Perry.
“But what is interesting is hearing you now speak about the importance of standing up for what’s right,” Mo’Nique said. ” My question is: Is your stance truly about standing up against wrong or is it about standing with the ‘right people’?”
Before finishing up her note, Mo’Nique said she wanted to know if Goldberg still felt that she “schooled” her correctly.
“But I caution you: If you admit you were wrong, you know you’d be going against all the ‘right people,’” she concluded. “So, are you willing to do what’s right for the little girls coming behind us, or is your position still ‘F’ the little girl coming behind us? I look forward to finding out. Because I was the little girl coming behind you.”
Read Mo’Nique’s full letter above.
A representative for Goldberg did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
