Oscar-winning actress and comedian Mo’nique took to her Instagram account Friday to call for followers to launch a boycott against Netflix, for what she called the streaming service’s “gender bias” and “color bias.”
“I am asking that you stand with me and boycott Netflix, for gender bias and color bias,” the 50-year-old Precious star says in a video posted to her social media account.
Mo’Nique said she was recently offered $500,000 to do a comedy special for the streaming giant, while fellow comedians Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle received $20 million for their respective specials.
She also noted that actress-comedian Amy Schumer was paid $13 million for her own special after going to Netflix to request more money when she was initially offered an $11 million deal.
“When we asked Netflix to explain the difference, why the money was so different, they said, ‘Well, we believe that’s what Mo’Nique will bring,'” the comedian explained. “We said, ‘Well, what about my resumé?’ They said, ‘We don’t go off of resumés.'”
“Then we asked them, ‘What is it about Amy Schumer?’ And they said, ‘Well, she sold out Madison Square Garden twice, and she had a big movie over the summer.'”
“Is that not Amy Schumer’s resumé?” she asked.
Mo’nique added that Netflix executives told her during their meeting that she was a “legend,” too.
“Why shouldn’t I get what the legends are getting?” she asked. “Please stand with me in this boycott of Netflix.”
The actress and comedian has previously been outspoken about issues involving pay imbalance and her status in the industry, telling the Hollywood Reporter in 2015 that producer Lee Daniels had informed her she’d been “blackballed” in the entertainment business.
A Netflix spokesperson told Page Six the company does not comment on contract negotiations.
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum
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