Mo'Nique Is Calling for a Netflix Boycott

From ELLE

In a video posted to her Instagram on Friday, comedian and actress Mo'Nique called for a Netflix boycott, asking fans to stand with her.

In the video, Mo'Nique explained that the company reached out to her about doing a comedy special, offering her a $500,000 deal. She goes on to say that, in comparison, Amy Schumer was offered $11 million by the company, and ultimately negotiated for more, while Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle were offered $20 million. In 2016, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Chris Rock signed a deal for $40 million for two specials, while Page Six quoted a source's claim that Chappelle would make $60 million for three specials.

According to Mo'Nique, when she asked the company to explain the discrepancy between the deals, Netflix responded that they believed "that's what Mo'Nique will bring." Mo'Nique - who has won an Academy Award, been nominated for an Emmy and a Grammy, and hosted a talk show on BET - says she asked, "What about my resumé?" In response, she said, Netflix claimed resumés weren't relevant to the issue.

However, she says, they then explained that Schumer's deal was attributable to her sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden and her recent movie, presumably Trainwreck, accomplishments which Mo'Nique points out could be considered part of Schumer's resumé. She ends the video by saying that Netflix told her team that Mo'Nique was a legend. So, she asked, "Why shouldn't I get what the legends are getting?" A Netflix spokesperson told ELLE.com that Netflix does not comment on contract negotiations.

Mo'Nique isn't the only woman to have brought up the issue of pay disparity in Hollywood in recent times. Jennifer Lawrence wrote an essay about discovering she was making less than her male co-stars. It's been reported that Michelle Williams was paid almost 10 times less than Mark Wahlberg for her role in All the Money in the World; when the actors reshot scenes for the movie, Wahlberg was paid $1.5 million while Williams was paid $1,000. During the Golden Globes red carpet, celebrities called out E! (while on E!) for the recent departure of Catt Sadler, who left the network after reportedly finding out her male co-host was earning twice as much as she was.