Mo’Nique Boycotts Netflix After Pay Dispute, Calls For Others To Follow Suit

Comedian and Oscar award winning actress Mo’Nique is boycotting Netflix claiming the streaming giant discriminates on the basis of color and gender – and urged others to follow suit.

“I was offered a $US500,000 deal last week to do a comedy special. However, Amy Schumer was offered $11 million; Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle $20 million,” she told her Instagram followers.

 

Mo’Nique noted that after discovering the amount that Chappelle and Rock were paid, Schumer asked Netflix for a better deal, ending up with $13 million. “I believe women deserve equal pay. However I don’t believe I deserve equal pay to Chris and Dave. They are legends and 2 of the greatest comics of all time … I didn’t ask for the same as my friends. I did ask for more than the initial offer,” Schumer said.

Although Schumer’s pay was increased, Mo’Nique’s request was still refused. Netflix originally told Mo’Nique, “We don’t go off of résumés.”

“Netflix offered me less than half of your $500k,” fellow comedian Wanda Sykes tweeted.

Following up after Skyes’ tweet, Mo’Nique raised the question, “How is it that when it comes to these two black female comedians that are still at the top of their game, after 50-plus years being in this business, be offered $750,000 collectively? Make that make sense.”

As Rock put it in 2015, “Black women have the hardest gig in show business. You hear Jennifer Lawrence complaining about getting paid less because she’s a woman — if she was black, she’d really have something to complain about.”