Club Shay Shay - Mo'Nique Part 1

Episode Date: February 7, 2024

Mo'Nique joins Shannon Sharpe at Club Shay Shay for a candid and uproarious conversation. First, Mo'Nique delves into the heated moment when Skip Bayless told Shannon to "put his glasses back on," setting the tone with her bluntness and brutal honesty for a rollercoaster of an episode. Then, Mo'Nique shares poignant memories of her upbringing in Baltimore, drawing inspiration from the Jackson 5 and seeing a young Oprah’s local daytime TV show. The revelations keep coming as she discusses Katt Williams' Club Shay Shay appearance, shedding light on the nature of truths that the public finds surprising. Mo'Nique then explains why the public's response to her actions differed significantly from the reception Taraji P. Henson received when they both voiced their concerns about Hollywood’s financial disparities. Mo'Nique fearlessly confronts the industry challenges she's faced, including the complex dynamics with heavyweights like Oprah, Tyler Perry, and Kevin Hart. Amidst stories of her undeniable talent, Mo'Nique reveals hilarious anecdotes like being the "best Popeyes drive-through worker of all time" and how her comedy career was sparked by a dare from her brother. #VolumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news and the best analysis delivered by the time you get your coffee. The show hits every single game every single week, but I can't do it alone. So I'm bringing in all the big guns from NFL media like Colleen Wolf. Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Someone said Shanna Sharp don't mess with black women. My grandmother told me something when I was a little boy.

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Eligibility and deposit restrictions apply. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. Terms at Sportsbook.DraftKings.com slash BasketballTerms. Hello, welcome to another episode of Club Shea Shea. I am your host, Shannon Sharp. I'm also the proprietor of Club Shea Shea. And the young lady that's stopping by for conversation on the drink today is one of the best loved comedians.

She's one of the most decorated actors. She won an Oscar, a Golden Globe. She's a British Academy Film Theater and Arts Award. She's a Scripps Howard Guild winner, NAACP Image Award winner. She's been nominated for a Primetime Emmy and a Grammy. She's a Scripps Howard Guild winner, NAACP Image Award winner. She's been nominated for a Primetime Emmy and a Grammy. She's a talented host, executive producer, writer, and an author, a versatile

entertainer, a famed Hollywood star, a powerful name in the industry, a veteran stand-up comedian, a mother, a wife, a legend, the one, the only, Monique. Wow. Wow. No one does that better, baby. Do it again. Hello. Welcome to another episode of Club Shay Shay. I am your host.

Come on now. Put them damn cards down and read all that again. Oh, brother. Thank you. Thank you. When we start by, I want to toast you for your amazing, amazing career, not only in front of the camera, but behind the camera and your stand up career. Monique, thanks for stopping by today. Thank you for having me, brother. Thank you. But it drinks water. OK. Oh, yes, indeed. Let me just say this before we start yeah this right here yeah i'm gonna talk right to the sisters one sip and get you right there now i'm back to you shay i'm back to you baby that's enough for me baby but oh sisters if you're trying to make up with your man if you're trying to get

pregnant this right here shannon sharp one sip takees. Ooh, baby, that thing right there. Okay. Monique, when you hear everything that I read on the card, what goes through your mind when you hear that? What goes through my mind when I hear you read that? I'm humbled by that. I'm grateful for that. I've been allowed to share a gift because that's what it is but when you start reading that there's a part that says who is he talking about and there's another part that says

i'm grateful that i was able to put that work in to achieve those things but all with humility you said you want we were talking off camera you said i want to get something there's something i want to share with you and i need to get it off my chairs early because that's why i'm looking at you now like why are you going into that because i told you we could not talk till i dealt with you okay listen okay so let me say this to you the day i watched skip bayless okay lose himself with you and that's what he did he lost himself himself. And when I watched Skip Bayless say to you, put them goddamn glasses back on boy. Now I know he didn't say goddamn and boy, but that's what everybody heard. And I was waiting for you to snatch his ass across that table, baby, and give

it to him. I was like, Shannon, this is the perfect time. I don't condone violence. I don't say be violent. But that day, I was in my feelings for two days. Me and my grandbaby could not watch you for two days. And my husband had to say, Mama, let's talk about this. Look at Shannon Shaw. He retired in 2004, but he could still get on that field and run touchdowns, tackles, everything. Had he snatched Skip Bayless across that table, he would have died in Shannon's arms that day. Right. So Brother Shea Shea handled that right. Now we can talk.

Okay? I just had to get that off of me because I know everybody around the world heard what I heard. No, he didn't say them words, but we heard it in his mind, and we was looking for you to say space and opportunity, Skip. Space and opportunity. That's that be more coming out of you you know what that's your aunt mary coming out of me that's your aunt mary coming

out of me baby i got an aunt named marynell monique you and her are spitting image i remember the very first time i saw you and my sister and i we were talking and my sister looked at me and i looked at her i said she's a spitting image of my aunt Mary. And you are, you are hopefully we're going to put pictures up when we, when we run this. So you're from Baltimore and I read everything that I read when you were growing up in Baltimore. What did a young Monique want to be? Just what I'm doing right now, baby. You dreamed of this. Just when I tell tell you shannon from a little girl i always wanted to be famous okay because i saw the jackson five okay and i saw people screaming for them and hollering and i'm like damn it i want them to scream and holler for me but i couldn't sing

right but i knew somewhere i was going to be famous right so i prayed to the universe just let me be famous i didn't understand what all came with that. As a little girl, you just see the lights, the glamour, the glitz, and you fall in love with that. So that little girl fell in love with the lights, the glamour and the glitz. That little girl fell in love with a woman named Oprah Winfrey on a local talk show in Baltimore called People Are Talking. And when I looked at that woman, Shannon, I saw me. I saw a big woman with a big head, big shoulders and big feet. And I said, if that woman can do that, so can I.

So that's what that little girl was thinking about from Baltimore. Are you the type of person that if you see someone do something one time, that means they can be done again? Because you saw Oprah do it. You say, well, we're doing it. Why can't Monique do it? I think Oprah, when I saw her do it as a little girl, was a push. However, had I not seen Oprah, my dreams would have still been my dream.

OK, but when you see somebody that's inside of that space, because how many big black women are on TV even now? Correct. So back then you didn't see any big black women on TV that was doing it. So I think had I not seen her, I would have still wanted to do it. But seeing her, let me say, OK, it's possible. It's right there. Right. What was Monique like as a little girl? What you're saying right now baby nothing you've always just got listen let me tell you something a lot of people in this industry don't like me right yeah they didn't like me as a little girl shannon i'm so used to this shit

people didn't like me because i was gonna tell it i'm going to tell i'm going to tell on you so what you're saying right now is the same thing you're getting they tried to fight my ass in the 12th grade shannon they surrounded me a group of them okay wanted to fight on me why because i told the truth what you tell i told i told andre that that was not luan's baby because that's what let me tell wait a minute oh you're going to calm yourself down. Okay. Do you see Shannon losing herself with me? You better back that up, Shannon. Let me tell you something. Okay. Okay. I'm a person for right. Right. Right. And if you tell me something and you say, Monique, I've done something to somebody, but don't say nothing. Shannon, I'm going to need you to fix that

because if you don't fix it, I'm going to need you to fix that because if you don't fix it, I'm going to have to tell that because it's wrong. So when she tells me this is not his baby, but I'm going to tell him it's his baby. I can't let you do that. That's not right. So what I stand for is right. And I think where we run into a problem in our community, in our group, we get so caught in, well, that's not your place, but you see wrong happening, right? So when you see wrong happening, what you do? Do you just stand back and say, that ain't my business? Or do you look and say, well, I knew that wasn't his baby.

Now the baby 21 years old, he's trying to find his father. What you going to do? I'm asking you, what you going to do? What you going to do? I'm asking you what you're going to do. Well, honestly, Monique, if somebody say, well, I'm going to tell you something and I'm going to tell you this in confidentiality and I don't want to go any further than me, you and this table. Yes. It stays with me, him and the table. Well, let me say this because I'm going to go back and forth with your head. OK, I would say before you tell me, did you hurt somebody? OK, yes. Before you tell me, is this something that would make me question your character?

Before you tell me, you got to be clear about what you get ready to tell me, because if you'll get ready to tell me something and I know that you've done something wrong, I know that you're wrong and I not say anything. That's why people are allowed to keep harming people for years to come. See Harvey Weinstein. Yes.

Well, there's a lot of people that knew what was happening. But it felt it wasn't their place. It wasn't their place. Right, until it becomes you. So I think the moment we get into a space, and I was in the 11th grade at the time, okay? But when we get into a space where we say, listen, if I know you're doing wrong and I take a position that's not my place, eventually you will succumb to what you support.

What was your relationship with the young lady that told you this in confidentiality? I'm not going to focus it on. I was in 11th grade. Now I'm 56. But when she told me, I told her, I'm going to tell. See, I'm that. I'm going to tell him what you said. So we clear. I'm going to tell him what you said because that's not right. Oh, my goodness, Mo. See, I think that's the problem that we're dealing with right now, Shannon.

Okay. When we know something is wrong, everything Cat Williams said here and said. Right. We all know it to be the truth. However, we get so caught up in, well, I ain't going to say nothing. Well, can you believe he said it? Or it's the messenger. It's the messenger, baby. We get so caught up in the messenger that we'll overlook the message. People have a hard time hearing a five foot five giant tell the truth. People have a hard time with a black woman over 200 pounds.

Tell the truth, because people that look like us, we should just be grateful we got invited to the party. Right. We should just be grateful that someone paid us attention. I've dealt with that my whole life. I've dealt with that. So when you get to a space where you say, listen, I want to be free. I want to be free. I don't want to walk around intimidated, scared, fearful, what might happen, what they're going to say, what they're going to do. If it's your story and it's the truth, What they're going to say, what they're going to do. If it's your story and it's the truth, tell it. Because what you can do is be in a position to prevent it happening to someone else over and over and over again.

So if I go back to the 11th grade with that sister who's no longer with us, rest her, with that sister, I would do that again. Because if you tell me something and we know it's wrong, but you're going to pin that on somebody else, is that right? No, it's not right. And what would your Aunt Mary do? Man, Bodega, I swear, Bodega. You're not answering my question. What would your Aunt Mary do?

Well, she's going to tell it because you're gonna tell anything anyway so they probably don't have to tell her but that's why you love our marriage because our mary kept it in check yeah even though you didn't want to tell her right she was gonna tell that baby you know that's not your daddy right we're not gonna play like that you love our mind i do um the uniqueness of your name mo hy-O-hyphen. Most of the time, Monique is a singular. It's not M-O-hyphen. What was that like? Because people say, oh, you're trying to be different. You're trying to be bougie. You know good well you spell your name Monique like everybody else spells Monique. I do. That's my stage name. When I'm not on stage, my name is M-O-N-I-Q-U-E. When I'm on stage, it's M-O, the little hyphen, N-I-Q-U-E.

That's just entertainment. Did you ever think about changing it to the hyphen? No. On stage is one person. Off stage is somebody different. And sometimes we get the two mixed up. Right. On stage, I am an entertainer.

Right. Off stage, I'm a wife. I'm a mommy. I'm a friend. I'm a sister. I'm these different people. But I keep that stage on the stage. How much of stage is actually Monique? That's good. That's good. All of the stage is Monique. But there are certain things Monique's going to say on stage that she wouldn't say off the stage.

There are certain things on that stage. You know, there have been people that said, oh, she cussed so much. Oh, I'm a performer. I'm an entertainer and I'm on stage. But no one will ever find an interview of me doing what I do on stage in an interview like I'm having with you. It's two different things. What type of student was Monique? I read that you were in,

I don't know if this is the correct way, but you were in the class that... The slower one. Yeah. Yes, yes, yes. Yes. Yeah, you had a couple... Say it, baby, now.

I want you to say it. You want me to say it? Spell it out. How about this here? Hey. You got two naps. You got two recesses. a helmet okay okay okay now since you want to go there i did not have to wear that helmet baby so yes as as i sit here with you today you didn't all of a sudden become this advanced why were you in that class i'm not gonna play with you shannon okay some of them damn words cat was using i was like what

i said oh he's talking to him you know i never connected with school because i always felt like it wasn't adding up so when you're trying to teach me about the boston tea party but people that look like me is at the bottom of the boat i can up. So when you're trying to teach me about the Boston Tea Party, but people that look like me is at the bottom of the boat, I can't connect to what you're saying. I never connected to, because I always felt like something was off. When they were teaching me about history, we were always the savages and we were always the bad people. And then you saw these white people be all the heroes. And as a little girl, I said, something's not adding up. So I don't look at that as a bad thing. I just didn't connect with it. It made no sense to me. So you never had a problem with learning,

but the disconnect was what they was teaching and what you actually saw. You like what you teaching me is not what I actually see. You know what, Shannon? It's a combination. OK, it was a combination. OK, I wasn't grasping it and I didn't believe it. So it's a combination. And when you have a child that is full of energy and is sitting in a classroom that is closed in all day long and you're trying to tell me all that I'm not. It just did not add up to me. It just did not make sense to me.

So there's no shame to it when people say was you in the soul class yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah you know we call it so when you but don't overlook what you don't think is the package supposed to be right again, we come back to the messenger. Nobody thought that I would be, and I'll go to my family. Nobody thought, not the fat one. She's not going to be the one, not her. So I've been used to people doubting and counting me out. And for me as that little girl, it's like one day, one day, one day. and that one day is right here even your family so how how was your family how was your your brothers and sisters because i mean look we join me i got bro i got a brother and sister and you know we joke with each other

and and i can imagine if the situation were if one of us was in those class oh we're gonna we're gonna get them jokes off modica i'm just is what it is. No one paid enough attention. Really? Like no one paid enough attention because though we lived in a household together, we were very individual. So no one even paid attention to what was really going on and to include my parents. And that's not a victim story. That's not. Oh, what was me? It's just what it was. And that's not a victim story. That's not, oh, what was me? It's just what it was. So it wasn't like, oh, you dummy. The jokes were always fat. They were always fat jokes. Okay. So I'm so used to that. Are you the only one in your family? Baby, the only one that sneaks snacks. I'm the only one that'll sneak them damn snacks in and I'm the only one. Yes. So how would,

so what, so what would you say your relationship then and now was with your family? Well, my relationship now with my family, they're my biological family and I wish them well. Here's the thing I watched you do. And I think it was like a little clip and they were talking about interracial dating. Yes. And you said, why would somebody stay where they're miserable?

Right. That applies everywhere, Shannon. It just doesn't apply to that, especially in our community. We've been taught, take care of your family, make sure. Well, there are some families that deserve it. And there are some families that you have to say, listen, I'm so glad we had this time together. And that's it. That's where I am with mine. I wish all of them the best.

But that's what it is. So even as I sit here with you now, with all that's going on in Hollywood and all of the stuff I had to go through, I've already been through it with people that you call your family. And I have to say, you know what? That has to just wash off when I know what I'm standing in and what I'm standing on. You're absolutely right, Monique. My grandmother used to always tell us, she'd say, son, teeth and tongue may fall out, but family never should. And she stood on that. No matter what transpired in the family, no matter what, how bad someone had treated you, you should never fall out. But hearing you say that that's different because just because we're blood, that doesn't mean we're we're family through blood. But sometimes it's somebody on the outside that's not blood that's actually closer. Yes.

Than the actual biological. We've been taught to say trauma is OK. biological. We've been taught to say trauma is okay. We've been taught to say you mistreated me, you abused me, you violated me, you disrespected me, you belittled me, but I'm supposed to look at you at Thanksgiving and say, how you doing, Unc? That's what we've been taught. You swallow that pain. That's why people have such a problem with Cat Williams. People have a problem with people that says, I'm going to tell the truth. I'm going to tell the truth. And that causes a ruckus. And you would say, why are people upset with the truth?

When you hear Steve Harvey say there are repercussions when you tell the truth. Well, remember when we were children, what would your grandmother tell you? Tell the truth. Tell the truth, because if not, there will be what? Repercussions. Well, now it's got turned around. When you tell the truth, there'll be repercussions. So what's the opposite of that? Should I tell a lie and get a reward? So that's how we're rolling right now. That's how we're dealing with one another right now. So when it comes to family and people said, oh, Monique, how could you? Listen, I want to live the rest of this journey that I have in peace. I want to be with my family,

in love with my man. He in love with me. We watch our babies grow and develop their own families. I don't need anything in the midst of that because you family that I should accept that trauma. I should accept you not taking accountability for what you've done, what you've said. And we just washed the slate. That's why we're in the position we are now as a community, as a black community, as a community in entertainment. Everybody's been so afraid to say, look what they did to me. Look what they said. And it's like, oh, well, listen, now we don't want to ruffle no feathers, feathers, especially if the messenger doesn't fit the what people should think the messenger is supposed to look like and we keep repeating

history shannon is it a situation monique where people look and say well you made it thus far well it couldn't have been that bad because if it has been as bad as you said it was monique how would you have ever gotten out of be more how would you have ever gotten into hollywood how would you ever have a talk show how would you ever be on a sitcom? So how is it that bad, Monique? And you end up like this. You know, when you first got in the NFL. Yes, ma'am. Your eyes were like this. Yes. And it was, oh, I made it. I'm here. And then after you start getting in it and you started seeing things and you started feeling things and you start. Now your eyes start getting a little closer because now you're understanding what the business is. a little closer because now you're understanding what the business is right so when you first walk through the door you're walking through the door saying come on baby oh this is all I've ever

prayed for and when my baby cat William said he and said no one's ever gone out to LA and got a sitcom like that I was in LA for three months and here comes a show called the parkers and there we go from there it it took off from there so i think that when people say if it was so bad you mature you begin to understand what you're dealing with right you begin to understand what you're in the midst of. And once you understand it is when you can speak on it. But before you really know what you're looking at, how do you speak on that? Right. Because when you first walk in the door of Hollywood, you have everybody telling you, oh, my goodness, you're going to be amazing. Oh, my goodness. This is going to be incredible. Well, that's all you know.

That is all you know. Yes. But you're so happy to be here. Yes. And you like, OK, when you when I listen to your story, you say dirt poor. Yes. Bad from outside. Yes. It was we had to make it work. However, we can make it work. Correct. And then you get that first big check. Yes. And you think the people that gave it to you was awesome because they gave it to you. And it's more money than you've ever seen before. Until you find out this ain't the right money. This ain't the right amount. Wait a minute. If they got this, why am I getting this? Then you start putting the pieces together and you start saying it's not right. And I'm going to speak about it. See, when I saw Taraji broken on those platforms, it was painful to watch. However, Taraji and I had a conversation over a decade ago in my trailer when I was doing the Monique show. And she said, you know, you got to keep on getting it until your

turn come. And I said, Taraji, most of us die before our turn comes. We got to ask for it right now. Now I understand that because there was a time I felt the same way because that's what I was told right you just keep going and we'll get him the next time we'll get him the next time we'll get him the next time and the next time never comes and then you see our sister broken sitting on those platforms now when I said it when I said it why did they get the traction when I said it. Why didn't it get the traction when you said it, that when she said it, now all of a sudden everybody is coming and I don't have a problem. I'm glad.

Yes. But if you said this a decade ago and I remember you saying it over a decade ago, why didn't they get the traction? Why didn't they get the support? Why wasn't it propped up when Monique said it? I think there's a few reasons why. Number one, it was the messenger. I should just be grateful I got invited to the party. You a big,

fat black woman. How dare you be the one? And then on top of that, you're saying names. You're saying Oprah's name out loud. You're saying Tyler's name out loud. You're saying Lee's name out loud. You're saying Lionsgate out loud. That's not what we do. We say they. We say the people. We say the studio. We say the producers.

How dare you actually say our heroes' names? You're very specific. These are our heroes. How could you say their names out loud? Because they're the ones that did it. And if I don't say it out loud, now you see a woman that is swallowing that pain that is so stressed out. Then you see our sister Taraji P. Henson sit on that platform. And I love that baby because she's a beautiful spirit. But to see her that broken, what our community was saying was we have a hard time, some of us, we have a

hard time seeing a strong black woman with a back straight and a chin up and a strong black man standing by her side. We have a hard time accepting that, but we can accept seeing a black woman broken. Now it's really serious because she's falling apart. Our community had a hard time with those two things. And when I would hear people say, why is her husband there? Why is he there? It's a sad day when we're questioning why a black man would stand with his black wife. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week,

you'll get all the latest news, previews, recaps, and analysis delivered straight to your podcast feed by the time you get your coffee. No dumb hot takes here, just smart hot takes. We'll talk every single game, every single week,

but I can't do it alone, so I'm bringing in the big guns from NFL media. That's Patrick Claiborne, Steve Weiss, every single game, every single week, but I can't do it alone, so I'm bringing in the big guns from NFL media. That's Patrick Claibon, Steve Weiss, Nick Shook, Jordan Rodrigue from The Athletic, and of course, Colleen Wolfe. This is their window right now. This is their Super Bowl window. Why would they trade him away?

Because he would be a pivotal part of them winning that Super Bowl. I don't know why, Colleen. Catch the podcast, the NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal every day. Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. And who doesn't want that? Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So when you hear black women saying we're the most undervalued, disrespected, underserved, mistreated, violated, exploited, we get all of that.

Then you see a black man standing with his black woman saying, not on my watch. And you hear some black men saying, why? Why? Her husband got to be there. You hear some black men saying, why? Why? Her husband got to be there. We're in a sad state of affairs when we begin to question black love and black unity. So they didn't want to hear me. Some of them because of what I look like, because I spoke about their heroes and because they saw that man standing right there strong did they question the validity the because we had never seen this before not so not so public not so present yes did they question you and his relationship me and my husband husband? Yes. When you say question, what is it?

Because they did, but I want to understand what you mean. Because, okay, did they think that was your husband or what? Was he your manager? Because he's been everything. He's your lover. He's your manager. He's your confidant. Name him. He's your father.

Come on, name him. Whatever it is, he's all encompassing. Yes. He's a toolbox with all the tools that Monique needs. All of them. And so when I heard people saying that, why is he there? Why does he have to be in every interview? Why does he have to be in the background?

Why can't Monique do that? Why not? Why not? Why not? And that's when you see, and these are my sisters, but when you see? And that when you see and these are my sisters. But when you see Taraji, when you see Viola, when you see our sister speaking out, you'd never see their representation sitting right there with them. You never see them saying, listen, we got to fight together. My husband is also my manager, which is my representation.

my manager, which is my representation. Right. But again, we've been so beat down that some of us have a problem with this black man saying, I'm standing right here strong and I will not flinch and I will not budge. What a sad state of affairs we are now in where you have people that look like you and I that would question why this man is standing there. That for the life of me, is disheartening. When we heard Brother Malcolm say, we've been run amok, we've been hoodwinked, we're now doing it to ourselves. We're now doing it to ourselves.

So when you say, Monique, it was different because we had never seen that before. You said their names. Let me say this. I'm not the first one. Right. I'm not the first one. But we get washed away in history so easily that we start thinking, oh, this the first one. This is the first one. Her name is Claudette Colvin. And she's not the first one, but she was before Rosa Parks. And she's not the first one, but she was before Rosa Parks. But because Claudette Colvin did not fit the picture that they thought she should look like, she was dark skin and she had coarse hair. And because the the organization, I believe it was the NAACP, did not think she would be accepted by the white people. They had to get somebody that they said the white people could accept. We keep repeating the same thing because what I said is no different than what anyone else is saying.

Not not at all. Right. It was the messenger. And it was the way that I'm not putting my head down. I'm not shedding one tear. I'm not going to say, I don't want to say their name because I might get in trouble. I'm going to say all of it. Because when you really think about that little girl coming behind you, what I don't ever want that baby to see is me broken. I don't want her to see me falling apart. And I understand it. I understand how it can happen, Shannon, when you may not have a foundation at home, when you may not have that man at home or that woman at home, whomever that support person saying you're not crazy. I got you. Come on. We're going to go do this. We're going to get through this. So for us, if we start taking things for what they are and get out of our emotions, we will be so far along.

of what they are and get out of our emotions, we would be so far alone. Do you believe punishment? Punishment is not only meant for the perpetrator, but it's also to deter others from said acts.

You see it. Do you believe the punishment that was bestowed upon Monique was not only to punish you, but to deter others from saying what you said. Well, Shannon, see, and I'm going to answer that. But sometimes we act like we don't know our history. See, back in the day when they had us in chains, they would beat one real good. Right. But in front of the others, in front of the others, and they let everybody know what you don't want is that type of ass who in front of the others and they let everybody know what you

don't want is that type of ass whooping right so what they said was we're gonna beat Monique really good we're gonna sit her down and and and I made it public financially my family took a hit Shannon and when I tell you we took a hit right we took a hit so when you see our sister go through that you see her go through and we act like our eyes didn't see what it saw when we watched that promotion happen with the color purple. Right. We wanted to act like we didn't see how Oprah Winfrey treated Taraji. And my humble opinion, when you saw her walk up, you saw that there was tension. You saw that there was something happening. And then when you see Taraji write her a love letter it's like listen we gotta stand tall

and stand strong on what we know you we know you were mistreated we know it wasn't right we know it was unfair and then you turn around and say oh but Lady O handled it I have a problem with that I have a problem with that because that allows lady o to keep on doing what she's doing and we're in a position of i don't want to say nothing because we saw how monique got whooped now again that's just my humble opinion but i don't know what else to i don't know how else to frame that it's like listen you better fix that because you saw what they did to her you saw how they treated her is it a situation do you believe it's a situation that Oprah might have faced something similar that maybe wasn't as public as you? And, and, and she's looking at it. Well, if I face that, went through it and came out on

the other side and look at me, it should be okay. Because sometimes we get that with parents, you know, I struggle. You say my kids should have to struggle sometimes also do you think that might be something going on with her or you just like she there's a disconnect there's a disconnect okay there's a disconnect and there's been a disconnect for years there's a disconnect and i think what happens is we place people on these pedestals and we say oh no you can't do no wrong. We don't even want to hear it. And when you hear cats say, you know what they do? They don't say anything and they act like it didn't happen. I'm going to keep talking until you take accountability,

until you say, uncle, I've done this. That's why it was so important from Oprah Winfrey to Tyler Perry, Lee Daniels. Now, Lee Daniels was the only one I had to deal with. Did you see Lee Daniels apologize? He walked out on the stage. Not only did he apologize on stage, that man apologized to our children. That man apologized to our children and said said I need to apologize for what I put y'all through he's the only one I had to deal with however it became a problem with Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry that I wouldn't do something and work for free now when you say well maybe Oprah feels like she came through it why can't you well there's a story with Oprah Winfrey when she was on the show people are talking Richard Scher was making $55,000 she was making $22,000 these are her words it was her co-host she said I had to leave because they

wasn't paying me fairly now you say black woman who did nothing wrong. And you're in the midst of this situation because she called me. Tyler Perry called me. Lionsgate called when you were on the phone with my husband. You said, I agree with Monique. I agree with the position she's taking. But but when it came time to say it out loud Oprah Winfrey went totally silent now to Tyler Perry's credit Tyler Perry called us up right and he said I can see the pain in you and I can hear it and I want to let you know that I I would never do nothing to hurt you. But the conversation kept going on. Only for Tyler Perry to admit he did start a rumor that I was difficult to work with. He lied. Only for Tyler Perry to admit I was wrong.

And when my movie Boo come out, I'm going to say that. Right? Now, here's where, when you did that interview with Kat cat i could respect how you do it because cat said you let them people lie in your face and your response was cat i don't know if they're lying or not right because i can only take them at their word at their word right yes well we sent you the audio of tyler perry i don't want you to take me at my word. I want you to hear his words. And what did you hear that man saying?

What did you hear that man saying? He said it. What did he say? Is that is, you know, you're not supposed to be recording people. No, no,

no, no. Let me back up. Okay. Everything we did was legal and here's where black woman really gets the kick in the ass had i not recorded tyler perry then it would have been my word against his and then on top of that it would have been he's so powerful we can't even pay no attention to that right well now I have them on audio which is legal to do where we live right okay we have them on audio and do you know what some people then said why would you record him just like you sat there and said you know what's illegal to

but did you hear what the man said I violated violated you. Yeah. I mistreated you. Yeah. Do you know, Shannon, that's cost my family tens of millions of dollars? Yeah. Over a lie and a rumor. Is he going to make a cut? He's going to compensate you for that. I want you to look in your camera.

Yes. And I want you to talk to Tyler Perry because you heard what that man said. So ask him, will he compensate my family for that? Tyler, will you come on club shea shea and let's have a conversation about the fair compensation for what transpired between you and monique you can sit right here and she's sitting right here and you and i can have a conversation and we'll do you one better and give me five on that baby where do you want better shea my husband and i'll sit right next to him, with this whole situation and some of the people that Kat talked about, ironically, I have this issues with those same people.

There were people that reached out to Tyler Perry on my behalf. OK. And I was grateful for that. OK. There was Al Sharpton, the Reverend Al Sharpton, civil rights leader. Yeah. I sent him that audio. He listened to it. He said, baby, what that man did to you was wrong. And you're like my daughter and we're going to have to get him to fix that. Right. We didn't hear from Al Sharpton for six months. The next time we saw Al Sharpton, he was on a podium

talking about, we don't need to fly commercial because we can fly Tyler Perry's private jet. I said, that's why maybe I'm not hearing back from him. OK, then we had our beautiful sister, Stephanie Mills. Yes. OK, who is she don't play. Yes. Right. I told her what happened, sent her the audio. Now, i don't know if she listened to that audio or not but however she called tyler perry she said monique tyler perry does not want to revisit this okay fine right while we're on the phone tyler perry calls her back and says i will meet with monique but not with her husband are you ready ready for this? Yeah. And then Monique has to apologize publicly to say, Oprah and I had nothing to do with messing up her career.

But that'd be a lie. Look in the goddamn camera. I thought you, I thought that was a stage the way you look in the camera. Yes. Because you heard it. Yes. Right.

Yes. So when you have, when you hear what this man is saying. So I said, Stephanie, tell Tyler Perry never will I meet with him without my husband. And I owe no apology. So I'm not going to give one that goes away. Kevin Hart. Now, you know, when Cat Williams said gatekeepers. Yes. Kevin Hart. I do his podcast. Yes. Yes. Kevin Hart. I do his podcast. Yes. And I want you to listen to the podcast so you can hear it for yourself.

When he first comes on, he says, you're like my mother. You're like my aunt. You're like my sister. OK, then we do the podcast. We speak about the Tyler Perry situation. Oprah Winfrey, he said, I don't really know Oprah, but I'm going to reach out to Tyler. I appreciate that. Kevin kept his word. He reached out to Tyler Perry. Kevin Hart called me back about maybe a week or so later. He said, Mo, I talked to Tyler. He said he don't want to revisit it. He said, but I tell you what, let's move past that, Mo. Let's just move past that and let's just do great things. So whatever you- That's what Kevin said. I want you to hear me, Kevin Hart. Let's move past that, Mo. Let's do some great things together.

Don't even worry about it. Whatever y'all want to do, I will partner with you. I'll executive produce with you. You just let me know what you want to do. Now, let me say that before we go any further, because I want to make sure I give Kevin Hart his proper credit. When my family was up against the wall, Kevin Hart wrote us a check and said, here you go. We're forever grateful for that. When we were able to give it back, we said, brother, we appreciate you with some interest on top because I don't ever want nobody to think. So I want to make sure I put that out there.

That brother really helped us out when we needed to be helped out. Then when he came back with, I got you, I didn't ask Kevin Hart to do anything. He said, I'll executive produce. I'll partner with you. I said,

good shit, Kevin, because we're in a deal with in the mall and we're trying to get our talk show back. Mo, whatever it is, I got you. Now,

Kevin Hart is one of the biggest entertainers right now in the world right and was then we got off the phone with kevin hart we called in the mall immediately and said kevin hart said whatever we want to do he got us he's going to partner executive views they was like oh this is incredible because when you put kevin hart name on it you already know what it is correct two weeks go by we get a call from in the mall in weeks go by. We get a call from Indemaw. Indemaw says, we just got a call from Kevin Hart's manager, Dave Becky. And Dave Becky said, Kevin doesn't want anything to do with Monique. So whatever she told y'all, he doesn't want to do anything with her, nothing.

You know, he doesn't want any kind of relationship with Monique. So what changed between the two weeks and when? And plus, he gave you a check. You gave the money back. Then said he would partner with you, executive produce, whatever you need more. Hey, we got you. So what transpired or what do you think transpired between then that to that two week period? Well, soon as we got off the phone and they told us what Kevin manager David Becky said, I called Kevin Hart immediately I said hey baby we just got off the phone we're in tomorrow and they said Dave Becky called them up and said you don't want anything to do with me he said Mo that's that's a miscommunication I can tell you right now I

said wait a minute are you okay though with this white man calling him up getting in between our relationship after something you said he said Mo um that's a miscommunication and we're gonna talk Tuesday don't worry about it I'm telling you right now it's a miscommunication that was two years ago if you talk to him i talk to him i've never talked back to kevin hart again so that's what we're faced with when you allow somebody to come in between a relationship with a woman that you said i'm like your mother you. You said, I'm like these things. I didn't ask you for that. So everything that that baby was saying, sitting here, everything he was saying was on the up and up. Because when you hear people say, get the anger out your heart, oh man, no one's saying he's lying. No one ever said I was

lying. It's so easy to discount and devalue because of what we look like. However, when it comes to Tyler Perry, I will not allow you to discount or devalue because that is your voice on that audio. Remember on Good Times when Penny's mother was whooping up on him and then, and she had recorded it. That you on tape so how does it go from you saying you're going to give me an apology to now i owe you an apology but what are you on an apology for what what what could i possibly owe you an apology for when you've admitted see when lee daniel says to me because because Cookie from the show Empire, I was offered that role. Now, Taraji tore it up, baby.

Listen here. However, I was offered that. Then Felita called me back and say, baby girl, they said you're too difficult to work with. But you hear on the audio that a man told David Talbert I was difficult to work with. Do you see how that cost my family? Yes. And with no accountability because, oh, it's the great Tyler Perry. No, you've got to be accountable for that. Oprah Winfrey, you've got to be accountable for the things you've done with my family.

You've got to be accountable for that. Is there any relationship between you and Tyler and you and Oprah currently? No, no, but I thought there was an apology. I read what there that I thought I read somewhere that Oprah had issued you an apology and Tyler had issued an apology. That's not correct. No,

no. The only person that's given you an apology. You saw it is Lee Daniels. That's the only person. So we are in a place where we're too afraid to call them for what it is. We're too afraid to say if it looked like a duck and it quacked like a duck. What is it, Shannon? It's a duck. you see the struggle of the black woman as I'm sitting here talking to you and you say Mova why would you record him but you heard the man violate me the first thing wasn't I can't believe that Kat did that to you it's why would you do it and we understand it right because we've been conditioned that way because when you you had to get somehow because when you're telling people these are lies, nobody is believing Monique. So now, even though you have him record his voice and that's him and he's saying he made it up now is no longer.

Oh, man, I can't believe he lied. Oh, Mo. Mo, why'd you record it? So now they put the owners back on you. Where's the win? How do we win? So now they put the owners back on you. Where's the win? How do we win? How does a black woman win when you say here he is right here? And I look to the community and say, how long do we allow us to keep being exploited, used up, taken advantage of? And because we think somebody can give us an opportunity, we just shh I'm not gonna say nothing if we keep operating like that Shannon you're gonna have a whole lot of us sitting right here in the same seat almost telling the same story why do you think Tyler is afraid to meet with you and your husband why does it need to be you one-on-one when he meet with other representatives and and and and the client

their client what what is it about you that he feels it needs to be just you and he does he think your husband is some kind of negative influence on you he thinks the husband is saying things that that Monique probably wouldn't say if I just had an opportunity to talk to her one-on-one what do you think that is? Let me say this. People better be glad my husband is by my side because there are people in Hollywood that know wherever you act up is where I show up. People know in Hollywood, baby,

and I don't say it with a badge of honor. It's just what it is. Well, I've had to say, who do you think you're talking to? And we're sitting there with the president of the studio. My patience level is's not gonna allow i've been molested i've been violated so the moment i see you trying to do it we're gonna have to address it my husband is nothing but a gentleman and you know why people have a problem with my husband because he's right to it there's no we're gonna dance around the bush he's right to it and There's no we're going to dance around the bush. He's right to it. And people like Tyler Perry, people like Oprah Winfrey, they look at my husband and say, how dare you be so direct? How dare you not put your eyes down when you're talking to me? How dare you do that?

My husband is also my manager. Why would he want to exclude my management? It's like Tyler, you should want my husband to be there you you you may want him to be sitting right there so that way we can have a conversation that everyone can be heard but I appreciate you Shannon because most people are too afraid that's heard the tape they're too afraid to say no I heard it and this is what he said. I appreciate T.S. Madison because T.S. Madison was the first one to say, no, I heard what he said. So when folks were trying to jump on her, she knocked down for the black woman. Listen, baby, y'all don't even understand the fights that's just to be having when ain't nobody watching for the black woman.

Right. So I appreciate you looking in that camera right well i mean look sometimes there are some some black people some not all some that my grandfather used to say mo is that if you're not careful you'll become the very thing you despise the most in a person now what do we despise most about trump supporters, ex-President Trump, is that no matter what he says, no matter what he does, they give him an out. There's some people in our community, no matter what powerful black people say or do in our community, we'll give them an out. And we can't. And we've become the very thing we despise the most. What we despise most about President Trump's, ex-President Trump Trump supporters is that no matter what he does or says, it's OK. Yes, we can't do that.

We can't. If somebody is wrong, like you said, Mo, if somebody is wrong, we have to be man or woman enough to say they're wrong, regardless of what comes along with that. They don't know. They don't understand what them saying i'm sorry will mean for them see when i i read because that's not for you and i'm sorry it's not for the person that you offended it's for you because currently you're in hostage your feelings because you have to live with that you know what you've done so when you see a woman say me turning 70 i'm so happy because I've never heard anyone.

Stop it. Stop it. Because there's a black woman that has been calling your name for over a decade that you seem to want to make go away. And I know I'm not the only one. Would you what would you say if Oprah called Moe today? Would you sit down and have a conversation with her? Let me tell you what I'll do if Oprah called Moe today would you sit down and have a conversation with her let me tell you what I'll do if Oprah called me today Shannon Sharp we will sit down and have a conversation with Oprah Winfrey we will sit down and have a conversation with Tyler Perry we will sit down and have a conversation with the presidents of Lionsgate we will sit down and have a conversation with anyone that is I'm gonna say brave enough to sit down and have a conversation. But what happens is within seconds, within seconds, if Tyler Perry was to sit right here, you would say, man, I heard you.

What you trying to tell me about the system? Within seconds, Oprah Winfrey would know that people would say, hold up. See, when I speak about Oprah Winfrey and let me be clear, I love that sister because she's our sister. She just got to come back across the street. We got the light on. When I speak about Oprah Winfrey, I speak about that woman because she's spoken about me. And when you begin to speak about me privately, I'm going to speak about you publicly. You've been unfair. You've been unjust.

And you watched a black woman be thrown under the bus and you said nothing. And here's what's interesting as well. My husband was saying to me after I won the Oscar award, right? And she had the people come, you know, to talk to the Oscar winners. And I go on the stage and I talk to the Oscar winners. Well, when we go to a commercial, the people in the audience, and I say this humbly, as my husband was telling me, he said, Mama, they wasn't screaming Oprah. They were screaming Monique. Right? So much so, I had to say, y'all gonna shut that shit up now. We get ready to go

back on the air. We having fun, right? He said, but I watched Oprah. He said, and I watched her almost turning her seat like they screaming her name. Now, some people will say, oh, Monique, you're reaching. Well, let me tell you what then

happens. The movie The Butler, that movie was offered to me lee daniels came out and said i did offer monique the butler but as he said to me he said mo at the time i didn't have no power and i didn't have no money so when oprah says she wanted it so who played the lead role in the Butler? Oprah Winfrey. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news, previews,

recaps, and analysis delivered straight to your podcast feed by the time you get your coffee. No dumb hot takes here, just smart hot takes. We'll talk every single game every single week, but I can't do it alone. So I'm bringing in the big guns from NFL media. That's Patrick Claiborne, Steve Weiss, Nick Shook, Jordan Rodrigue from The Athletic, and of course, Colleen Wolfe. This is their window right now. This is their Super Bowl window. Why would they trade him away? Because he would be a pivotal part of them winning that Super Bowl.

I don't know why, Colleen. Catch the podcast, the NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal every day. Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. And who doesn't want that? Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Lee Daines was getting ready to do a biopic on Richard Pryor, and he offered me the grandmother. Who then calls Lee Daniels and says, I want to be the grandmother.

So as you're looking at me, it's the same way I'm looking at that sister. And I'm saying, why don't we sit down and have a conversation because the way things could look it may not be that way but just the way things look Oprah just the way you would have my family on your show Oprah one might say Mo well I mean if the role if they're looking for a black um big go ahead and say it shane is so careful with his words he wants a fat black woman if the road looking for a fat black woman but he was like you know i want to keep my podcast y'all ain't finna care for me that's why we love you uncle shea shea because we want you to say a fat black woman now me and oprah fit the damn description shea fat black don't we fit it you do

but i'll be right back in the building. I'll be your neighbor up there where you live at. Listen here. Listen here. So, so, are you lying? No. Now, I'm not going to have your big ass sitting here in the Hall of Fame and you scared to say shit.

Okay. And I want to excuse myself for any of the babies that might be watching this because I wasn't going to say no spicy things. But Shay said get me wrong now. Come on, Shay. One might say or people might say, well, Mo, I mean, the role calls for a heavyset black woman. You, Oprah, y'all fit the role. Yes.

How do we know that she wasn't offered the role that long and and people think that she's better more more qualified to you it don't work like that shannon you can't offer me once you say i want you right that's what it is okay okay but i don't have the money to fund a production right i don't have the connections to go to the studio and say, listen, I want to do this movie. She does. So when Lee says, hey, baby, she got the money. Go get it. But someone would just say, how is that working out like that? How is that happening like that? How is it that things that was offered to Monique? You seem to be playing. Now, I told Oprah about that.

See, everything we're saying to you right now, listen here. I don't play the behind the back. I don't play the I'm going to share with you. There's one thing I will share with you that I've not shared with anybody. But I don't play the behind the back and all of that. I say, listen, let me try to get to you first.

Now, if you avoid me, okay. But I tried to be respectful. I tried to call you first. When she had my family on her show, I tried to call you first. I tried to talk to you privately, but then you became the great, the great, mighty Oprah Winfrey, and you were too busy to talk. Well, now I'm going to talk about it. This woman has overstepped with me in so many ways that somebody would say, if we wasn't Monique and Oprah Winfrey in the entertainment business,

and we was Monique and Oprah Winfrey that worked at Costco, I see you in the break room. I see you at your cash register. Because she's overstepped. Wow. So, I don't know, Monique, if this might be the term

crossing of the Rubicon, we might be going too far. If you feel that way, because clearly you feel this way. Now, I get why you feel this way. I don't know, like I said, I don't know this. I'm taking you at your word.

Not the Tyler, because I've listened to the audio. Yes. I'm not talking about that. I'm just talking about, don't know like i said i don't know this i don't i'm taking you at your word now not not not not the toddler because i've listened to the audio yes i'm not talking about that i'm just talking about oprah yes i'm just taking you at your word yes if you feel this way is it possible she feels the exact same way about you how could she how could she what have I taken from Oprah? When did I have Oprah's mother and father on my show? When did I have anybody come and speak about Oprah Winfrey on the Monique show? That's never happened. So how could she feel that? Would you have done that? Had her family? Yeah. Let me tell you how we operate. When we had the Monique show, there was a comedian on there And he was trying to joke T.I.'s wife, Tiny. My husband walked out in the middle of his set.

He said, cut. He said, brother, we don't do that here. We uplift our folks. We don't play that. So, no, I would not have done that. When Oprah Winfrey had my family, and I'll tell y'all and I'm looking, I'm looking around baby because there are people here.

Yes. Okay. And I don't want to be rude to the people at Shay Shay's club. You got other people in the club, right? When Oprah Winfrey called me up and she said, I got a call from your brother. And this is after I won the Oscar award.

Right. And your brother wants to come on the show and he wants to apologize to you for molesting you. And he wants to tell other people how to look out for a predator. Right. I said, Oprah, I said, I don't want anything to do with that cat. I said, but and then she said, well, if you want me to scratch the show, I will scratch it. I said, sis, don't scratch it because he could be a different person. And I don't want to get in the way if that cat is a different person.

I just don't want no parts of it. Right. Okay. When I hung up that phone, Shannon, I was like, I appreciate that sister. Like she didn't have to call me. She didn't. She didn't have to call me and say, I'm going to have your brother. Right. didn't have to call me she didn't have to call me and say I'm gonna have your brother right I start seeing commercials with my mother and my father and my other brother who used to be my

manager who knew the fear that I had with the brother that was up on stage right we never talked about my mother being there she never told you. You know how you feel about your grandparents? Yes, absolutely. You know the honor and how you speak about them? Mm-hmm. Imagine you then seeing your granddaddy and your grandmama on a show, and they're talking about somebody that violated you, and that woman didn't tell you that they were going to be there, how would you feel? I would feel like you felt betrayed. That is exactly how I felt and how I

feel. And it's not, oh, I'm in a... No, I understand it. But you betrayed me, sister. And I'm not the only one one because at the time when she called you she said it was just your brother just my brother and when my mother was on that show do you know what i had to deal with shannon what's that i would be in the store and i would have elderly women coming up to me and they would say your mama ain't shit. Wow. Now, they wasn't lying, Shannon. Okay? They wasn't lying, baby. Sometimes you got to let the truth be the goddamn truth.

Sometimes you got to just go with it. But still, it's my mother. It's your mom. And I'm in here because I'm having to defend something. And I got that often with them telling me what my mother wasn't because you did not tell me. Had Oprah Winfrey said, I'm going to have your mama, I'd have said, shut that shit down. I don't need nobody seeing my mama be greedy. I don't need the world.

See, shut it down. Now, there's a white woman named Barbara Walters. They called her first. And she said, Monique, I told your family, I can't do that to you. I wouldn't do that to you. You just won that award. Like, why would I do that? Yeah, I mean, you're here. Why would I bring something that I know that you don't want to talk about? You lived it. Why do I need to replay it again? Ask her. Your camera right there.

I was trying to i know baby ask her see this is where it get juicy right because you're you're saying the right things but you're asking me questions that i can't answer right i can't answer why oprah winfrey did what oprah winfrey did only oprah winfrey can answer for her actions. So, again, stop being scared. No, I knew that would get him. I knew that would pop him back in, baby. I knew that would get up a shea shea. But even even this show, I have a producer and I give him a lot of leeway. But I've had people reach out and say, well, a family member said something and I want to come on your show and refute it.

That ain't what we do here. Right. It's like, it's almost, you don't cross that barrier. We don't do the family thing. You don't do the family thing. And I'm going to bring this up. I wasn't going to do it. But damn it, this is, this seat.

I say, you might want to have another seat. This seat make you go, truth, tell it. No, tell the damn truth. God damn it, tell the truth. Because family is sacred. It's supposed to be. And we don't cross the line with family. And people begin to get comfortable to jump on the Monique bandwagon of Monique doing things wrong.

And she doing this and she doing that. And there's a brother named D.L. Hughley. Yeah. And until he take accountability, I won't let it go. What? Because. What would you get Ray say? I was going to say, what did D.L. do?

Let me tell you. Baby, that voice went off, didn't it? D.L. is friend. He's like, that's my friend. No, I've met D.L. on several occasions. I don't know D.L. like that. Do I know D.L. say like I know an earthquake? No.

Do I know, since I've interviewed Cat, had several conversations with him, do I know D.L. on that level? No. Right. See, when we say family.L. on that level? No. Right. See, when we say family is sacred. Right. Family is sacred. And we know that you don't cross the line when it comes to family. Correct.

Right? I do D.L.'s radio show. Yes. D.L. Hughley is not there. His team is there. And Shannon, we having a great time. I mean, baby, we having a great time. We going back and forth. And Shannon, we having a great time. I mean, baby, we having a great time.

We going back and forth. When we get to the end of the show, they say, Monique, you want to play a game? Well, I want to play. I said, sure, sugar. Let's play a game. And it's a game called Would You Rather. Oh. Okay?

Now. Monique, you should have said I'm too old for this game. Wait a minute. We're having fun, baby. Right? We're having a good time. OK, we I mean, it's the sister and it's two other guys. We're having a great time. It's a beautiful black unity cookout. We're having a good time. OK. Would you say your wife was your family? Is that considered family? Yeah. So your husband is considered family, right? Absolutely. Okay. So, here we go.

They said, Monique, we want to play a game of Would You Rather. Let's go. Would you rather your husband sleep with Lee Daniels with a condom or Corinne Steffens without one?

Really, Monique? Now, as y'all are watching right now who haven't heard this story, y'all going, they doing the same thing in the studio. They going, okay. That is exactly what happened. Now, I said to the team, how does that uplift our community? I said, sister, and her name is Jasmine, how could you ask another sister that well we just planned I said tell me the joke in that because I don't know what you're insinuating then you're involving

people that have nothing to do with nothing like what are y'all doing so I said I'm gonna call my brother DL I'm going to call my brother I I call D.L. Hughley on the phone. I say, hey, baby. Yeah. Huh? That's how he responds. Yeah. Did he know it was you?

Yes, because they called him to let him know Monique's going to be calling. It was getting crazy. Right. I'm like, just let me get on the phone with my brother. Right? Right. Hey, D.L., yeah. getting crazy right i'm like just let me get on the phone with my brother right hey dl yeah i said listen i just got off the phone with your team and they wanted to play this game would you rather

and it was like stupid like asking me about my husband and lee daniels and corinne steffens and his exact words well that's how we do it i said dl, DL, how does that uplift our community? And again, I don't know what y'all trying to insinuate, but brother, what you doing? Like I said, that's just how we do it. So it is what it is. Now it got so ugly that my attorney had to send a cease and desist. So it never aired. So we have like when Cat Williams talk and people truth tell us talk, we have receipts to everything we're saying. That's how that whole thing got started. OK, it's family. My husband is my family. Yeah. Now, you babies that are really good with this Internet through the years. I've watched D.L. speak ill of me through the years. I never knew me.

Watch DL speak ill of me through the years. I never knew me. I never knew DL Hughley had a problem with me. But when Cassie and all the group, he forgot to put DL Hughley in the group through the years. I was bitter. I was dangerous with what I was doing, saying that it was inequality. My husband didn't know what he was doing. This went on through the years. I was unloved.

All of these things. And I said to myself, I must see you. I was unloved, all of these things. And I said to myself, I'm a see you. I'm a see you. I didn't go on nobody's show. I didn't say nothing to nobody, but I knew the time would come that I would see him. We were scheduled to do a show in Los Angeles. I was the headliner of that show. His name was on it. Then his name came off. I didn't question it, but I knew I'm a Sam, right? Eventually. Okay.

Now we have a show in Detroit. Contractually, I was the headliner. D.L. Hughley posted a memo. Now, when you signed your deal for the Ravens, did you sign a contract or memorandum? I signed a contract. You see how you say that? Like anybody that knows good business, you signed. The memo was saying this is what I would like.

Right. But the contract is saying this is what it is. Okay. Yes. He put out a memo to our community. And that touched me a little different because I was saying, why would you lie to our babies? Because now they're thinking if they send somebody a memo, that's what they're supposed to get. OK, I was contractually signed to go as the headline. Right. I mean, you go last.

D.O. Hughley didn't come into the building until 930. Now, contractually, I said I have to be on stage by 930 because if the show starts at eight, I refuse to keep an audience waiting. That is disrespectful to the audience. When I went out on that stage, Shannon, I made sure everything I said, he heard me because now you're here and I'm going to say it to you. And I said some things on that stage that I said he was cowardly. And some folks said, how could you say that? How could you do that? And then I posted some things to say, this is what I meant.

See, you came after my husband. And when you had a chance to fix it, when you had a chance to say, Mo, my bad. You know, we don't even get down like that. You told me it is what it is. And until he's brave enough and courageous enough to say this is what really happened, y'all, y'all have never known me to be no shit starter. Folks ain't never known me to go over and kick a sandwich out of somebody's hand that's hungry. But what people do know is if you kick me, damn, if I ain't going to kick you back.

Right. Because that's fair play. Right. So there was one left out the pack. And when you have people that continually don't take accountability, that's why you see us in the state of affairs we're in. I'm a firm believer, Mo, that everybody don't play the same. And someone once told me, what is joke to you is death to someone else. And someone once told me, what is joke to you is death to someone else. What is joke? That's why we don't play with people's families.

When we had the Monique show, the radio show. Listen, you can't come on here and speak ill of no one because we don't play like that because we know how this business works. So when you allow that to happen, what do you think is going to come back your way? What do you think? And D.L. Hughley, please know, brother, we still love you. Just take accountability for it and we move forward. I remember reading something about the about the situation in Detroit. I didn't know the the depth of the magnitude of it. I remember reading something about a memo about, I guess it's an agenda that was added on. But the contract is the contract. The contract is the contract. And what happens is because of the messenger, it was easy to pile on.

It was easy to pile on. And then when you have some of our black folk that go sit in front of a white man and speak ill of their people, I'm like, you know, what are we doing? What are we doing? What are we doing? What, what are we coming to that? We're going to sit in front of this white man. I can't even say his name. I refuse.

Everybody know who he is. We sit in front of him and we just let this man say any and everything about us. And then we go right in with him. That now see that to me is dangerous and your babies that's good with this little computer don't take my word you can just go through the years of this cat just running his mouth and it's like stop doing that because what are we saying to the babies coming behind us we're going to continue this but i want to get into where you're from the dmv yeah do you realize like chappelle martin tommy davidson earthquake yourself what's in the soil in the dmv that got you guys i mean you've done television stand up all these guys have done

television and stand up and are great at it when you look at like chappelle chappelle walked away like walked away from and said nah i'm gonna do my own thing because i'm not gonna let you guys hold me hostage yes but martin still does television tommy davidson doesn't do as much television quake is not in television um but he has you know has his all his gigs going on when you look at the success that a chapelle martin earthquake is having and you say hold on ain And none of them guys win no Oscar. And none of them guys did what I did on the movie set. And they're having the commercial sense that there's a habit.

That should be more. If I was a white woman, do you know what my name would be? Wealthy. Melissa McCarthy. Oh, my God. If I was a a white woman my name would be melissa mccarthy same track record five-year sitcom and syndication same track record the opportunities are not the same so when you have and as you read all of those things off you say wait a minute mo none of them have this none of them that. We get judged by a different stick. We get judged by a different stick.

And then when I had people judging me, I'm like, you judging me by your yardstick. You've not done what I've done. And I say that humbly. You've not had the accomplishments that I had. When I hear Brother D.L. Hubley say, well, that Netflix special, I just accepted anything.

Whatever they gave me, these are not my words, they're his. Well, that's how you do business. I'm not mad at you accepting anything. Right. Why are you mad at me saying I won't accept anything? Right. That's the difference.

It's like people were judging me. I was hearing people chanting, okay, I didn't know we had so many tender people in our group. Yeah, yeah. I didn't know we had so many tender people in our group. Yeah, yeah. I didn't know we had so many tender love. I didn't know we had so many tender people. And I wouldn't want to be on the front line with these tender people. Where it's like, oh, I can't believe you said that.

I can't. But it's what I said the truth. It's what I said the truth. No, I didn't put no sugar on it. It was shit. Right. And I didn't try to make it taste good. We got to stop running away from what is real.

And we run into fantasy. And that's how come we keep staying where we sit. Mo, before you became Monique that everybody has seen over the last two, three decades, what were some of the jobs that you had that you like, man, this ain't for me. I mean, this is just a holdover. You're just a breed. Every job I had, baby, it was special. Was it?

Every job I had, baby, let me tell you something. I worked at a drive-thru in Popeyes. I worked in the drive-thru in Popeyes and that was my microphone. Every time somebody came to that window, I was on stage. Welcome to Popeyes. My name is Monique. What would you like today? And they would say, hey, Monique, I'm Shannon.

Hey, Shannon, how you doing, baby? What's your order? And you give me your order. And then I say, would you like a hot apple pie with that Shannon? You say, you know what, Monique, I sure would. Come on around here, baby. Let me see you. Get an oversolder.

Listen here. Popeye's, where's my damn money? Because I was a seller, baby. If you wanted a two-piece, I gave you four. Hmm. You wasn't going to lose no weight coming through my damn window. That's why I ain't lost no damn weight.

What I sold, I ate. If you got two pieces, I ate two of them. Welcome to Popeyes. All right, baby. Come on now. That was your microphone. That was the beginning of Monique because you was owning. Did you know that's what you were doing? What I knew I was doing was walking in my dream.

The microphone said it's possible. When I stood in my bathroom mirror and I wrapped the towel around me and it didn't go all the way I wasn't devastated okay I don't know if they just didn't have enough money to buy me a whole damn towel but but I would still stand and that was my game right and I would pick up that brush and I would say I would like to thank so I've always seen you did you always know that you would do all was Oscar always in the back of your mind did you always oscar was never in my mind you just wanted to be in tv you want to be in show business what what aspect did you want to do i wanted to be famous

i loved what it looked like with people being famous i didn't know to say i want to be wealthy with the fame i didn't know to be specific to ask be wealthy with the fame. I didn't know to be specific to ask for it, but I wanted to be famous. Who did you know that looked like Monique that was famous? Oprah Winfrey. So do you see how far this relationship goes? That's who I knew that looked like me. See, I didn't, when people always ask me about the Oscar, right? But no one ever asked me about the Image Award. No one ever said to me, what did it feel like when they called your name for the NAACP Image Award?

And they were people that looked like me because we put so much weight on that award that we, it's such an honor. And it's an honor for any award right not just that one but as a little girl i never watched the oscars because nobody looked like me so i was like this is not for me oh but when i watched the image award baby those people look like me right the bt awards those people look like. So I was honored the first time they called my name for an image award. When I tell you, Shannon, that night, baby, when they called this little fat girl name from Baltimore and the winner goes to, the award goes to Monique. Well, listen here. I got so good with them calling my name and this is what had to humble me.

You will get humbled, baby, when you just think they get ready to call your name i had wanted like three years in a row this is the fourth year oh let me situate myself in my chair so here come the category okay hey baby the best actress in the sitcom. They named me Tisha Campbell. And I cannot remember the other sisters. Right. I know they get ready to say. And the award goes to Monique. So I got to because I'm a big girl.

You got to scoot up. Yeah. So you can be ready to push up. Right. So I schools up and get my gown together. And the winner is Tisha Campbell. I said, all right, girl. That humbled my

ass and sat right back down. But it was never the Oscar for me, baby. It was never the Oscar for me. So how did stand-up happen? Stand-up happened on a dare. My brother came home one day and said he

went down to the comedy club to do open mic night and he did so bad he said they was booing me but i was six beers in so i thought the booze was applause so my boy had to say man no bro this is stinking right so we cleaning out the pool and he says um i said if i was there i would have said and that was 30 minutes of what I would have said. Then he said, I dare you to go down next Wednesday and do open mic night. It was a club called Burke's in Baltimore. I went down that next Wednesday, Shannon, and I got a standing ovation.

And from that moment to this moment, I was, I was, it is nothing like, and I'm sure you can appreciate it, understand, when you walk out on that football field and you walk and you smell it and you're walking into it and you, that little boy in you says, I'm here. I'm still there. That little girl in me is still saying, I'm here, but I'm a grown woman. Right. And I'm saying now that I'm here, you got to pay for it fairly. If not, I'm good. I just have to walk away. How much, how different is that, Monique?

Not just in age, but how different is that, Monique, to the witness sitting right here on this couch? Oh, she grew up. That one was naive. Were you ever naive? Yes. Yes. Yes. When you first come to Hollywood, Shannon, and I got a show called The Parkers.

After I was in Hollywood Hollywood less than 90 days. Wow. 90 days. And you have agents and you have managers and you have attorneys, right? And they're telling you all the good things. And anybody, everybody always said to me, you want to get the syndication. Yes. You want to get the syndication yes you want to get the syndication once you get the syndication you work because you want to work right right so syndication is what five years a hundred episodes syndication is a hundred episodes okay right so that's all i knew

i didn't know to ask to be an executive producer of my own image and nobody told me i didn't know to ask to be an executive producer of my own image. And nobody told me. I didn't know to ask for that. I didn't know to ask for after the third year of being on a successful sitcom that you could say, I now need a bonus. I didn't know to even negotiate that. And no one told me to negotiate that. They're definitely not going to tell you. All they kept saying is, when you get the syndication, when you get the syndication, when you get the syndication. Well, three years in the Parkers was in syndication. Now, no one told me that you learn it once you

open your eyes, because now I'm going around the country doing promos. The Parkers is coming on at four o'clock in your city. The Parkers will be on at two 30 in Sacramento. Y'all make sure y'all watch the Parkers is coming on. I'm not knowing. I'm promoting the show in syndication. No one told me that. All we're doing is saying if we get to five years, we got to five years. 110 episodes. Me and a beautiful young lady named Countess Vaughn, who was my baby to this day.

We had the Laverne and Shirley law. Right? Supposed to be equal. Yeah. Once we got to the five years our attorney my attorney yeah and the agents that oh the parkers made money y'all gonna get paid from the parkers it's made money okay years go by by 2004 the parkers we went off the air in 2004 right in five years by 2009 the parkers had made 800 million dollars you're like oh yeah oh yeah stay with me money money hey come on hey yeah yeah all right okay okay because we're waiting to get this money sent. Check is coming.

We get a call. We got to do an audit, you know, and everything. Okay. And that was in 2009 that it made $800 million. We're now in 2024. And they're trying to convince Countess Vaughn and I that that show made no money. No, no. They're trying to convince us that a show that cost 65, roughly $65 million to make.

In our last year of shooting the Parkers, Countess Vaughn and I made $55,000 a piece. That's it? How much were you making an episode? $ thousand dollars an episode okay so how many episodes that last year we shot 22 episodes okay we made fifty five thousand dollars a piece at the end of a top rated sit hold on hold on time out time out are you saying you made fifty five thousand for 22 episodes are you saying you made fifty five thousand for twenty two episodes? Are you saying you made fifty five thousand per episode? Because I want to make sure I'm here. Let me make sure you hear me correctly. We did twenty two episodes. Yes.

We were paid fifty five thousand dollars per episode for twenty two shows. OK. OK. That's on a hit show. Right. That is unheard of. Yeah. That's on a hit show. Right. That is unheard of. Yeah. Because we're two black women. I don't know to fight for it. Right.

Count us as young, count us as a baby in this business. So I don't know to say that. We should be making $100,000, $150,000, $200,000 in an episode. So now today, y'all want to convince us that that show made no money? That show has made over $2 billion, and I'm guesstimating. And you want to convince us that our percentage, we made no money? We can't allow that to happen. Right.

That's why we're fighting. That's why we're saying, no, no, guys, we can't sit on our hands like that. Right. You know how many of us, when you watch Good Times, when you watch The Jeffersons, when you watch Sanford and Son, whose family is benefiting from our images? Because the damn show ain't ours. Wow. You see why I fight the way I fight? Yeah.

Because if it does not make sense, you have to explain it. And I'll go back to Tyler Perry. You know why Tyler Perry don't want to talk to my husband? Because he can't talk around him. My husband don't care nothing about that man's money. We don't care nothing about your title. We care about your character, brother. We care about your integrity.

And what you going to pay and what you going to pay? How you going to make it right? How you going to make it right? Because if I am your Aunt Mary and I really belong to you, as I really belong to you right now, Shannon, I am your sister. And you heard something that was wrong. Yeah. How how can Tyler Perry make it right? Well, give you a job.

Give you your sit. Give you a sitcom. Say, Mo. OK, you know what, Mo? Sitcom. You're going to be the executive producer. I'm going to be a co-executive producer. You're going to do the sitcom. If somebody cost you, Shannon, millions of dollars. Yes. sitcom you're gonna be the executive producer i'm gonna be a co-executive producer you're gonna do

the sitcom if somebody cost you shannon sharp millions of dollars yes do you want to be compensated for what they cost you for a lie and a rumor yeah so at that time i was making roughly between two and three million dollars a year right i sat in that for over 12 for over a decade like 12 years right you do the math over a lie that he admitted years. Right. You do the math. Over a lie that he admitted that he told. Now, something I'm making up. You admitted that, brother. How do you make that right?

I'm sure you got lawyers. Have you had a conversation? Well, what happens is when you take somebody at their word, time, time, time. We don't need to go to no lawyer this time. You know what you did. Just make it right. And if he doesn't make it right, what will our community do?

What will our community say? Because today it's me. Tomorrow it's you. Then what? We've got to hold him accountable. What did Kat say? We've got to. You've got to tell Tyler Perry. Come on now.

You got to do it. You got to tell him. This concludes the first half of my conversation. Part two is also posted and you can access it to whichever podcast platform you just listened to part one on. Just simply go back to club Shea Shea profile and I'll see you there. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news

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