One thing you’re not going to do with play with Mo’Nique about her coins!
On Wednesday (April 12), Mo’Nique filed a lawsuit against CBS and Paramount for breach of contract over unpaid royalties from her hit sitcom, “The Parkers.”
“The Parkers” was a spinoff of the sitcom, “Moesha,” and debuted in 1999.
Mo’Nique starred in the series as Nikki Parker, a mother who returns to the same college her daughter (Countess Vaughn) is attending.
“The Parkers” ran for five seasons and aired 110 episodes on the now-defunct network, UPN.
The series has been rerun in syndication ever since on various platforms and was added to the Netflix library in 2020.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by Hicks Media, the production company owned by Mo’Nique and her husband, Sidney Hicks, alleges CBS and Paramount artificially suppressed the profitability of “The Parkers” to “retain millions that would otherwise be contractually due” to Hicks Media.
“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 suit says.
Mo’Nique took to her official Instagram to offer insight on why she filed the lawsuit.
The 55-year-old Oscar-winning actress and comedian wrote:
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. To further make my point, the Executive Producers of “The Parkers” took legal action for the same concerns that I have, and they’ve already settled.
Unfortunately, all too often, talent gets kept in the dark. We’re looking forward to shedding some light on the subject!
I LOVE US 4REAL!!
See Mo’Nique’s original Instagram post below.
Mo’Nique is no stranger to taking her battles to a courtroom.
discrimination and retaliation when their first attempt at negotiations for a comedy special went terribly sour.
The Oscar-winning actress was insulted when the streamer only offered her $500,000 for a one-hour show that Netflix would have complete control over, including owning the copyright and retaining all audio-only rights.
That was on the heels of the ginormous deals Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock secured for their comedy specials (reportedly $20 million per special).
Amy Schumer reportedly received $11 million for her stand-up special.
In June 2022, Mo’Nique and Netflix settled the lawsuit and she got the stand-up special she wanted.
Source: AP News
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