Mo'Nique and Director Lee Daniels Have Worked Together Several Times After Their Years-Long Feud

Few folks in Hollywood have broken the mold quite like Mo'Nique has. Though she was originally known for her stand-up comedy and stints in popular sitcoms like The Parkers on UPN, she has since gone on to receive critical acclaim for her performances in films and prestige television. She won an Oscar in 2010 for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Precious, Mo'Nique as well as a Primetime Emmy in 2015 for her performance in the HBO film Bessie.

She's long proven herself as a celebrity of many talents, being able to slip into prestigious roles just as easily as stand-up sets and popcorn flicks. But though she's widely recognized for her surprise Oscar win in 2010 in Precious, she also garnered attention at the time for her feud with the film's director, Lee Daniels. What did they fight over at the time and what has become of their conflict all these years later? Let's break down the feud between Mo'Nique and Lee Daniels.

In Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire, Mo'Nique portrays Mary Lee Johnston, the abusive mother of the titular character. She won several awards for her performance, including an Oscar, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, and a SAG award, just to name a few. However, you might not have heard it from her at the time thanks to the feud she had with several of the film's creators, including that of Lee Daniels.

Reportedly, she was only paid $50,000 for her role in the film. On top of this, she was asked to go on a promotional tour for the film after it began receiving awards buzz. She declined to do so, claiming that her contract with Lee Daniels had concluded and she was no longer legally obligated to it.

This apparently led to accusations by Mo'Nique in which she claimed that Daniels — along with executive producers Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey — had blackballed her in Hollywood for not promoting the film.

The feud lasted for more than a decade, with Mo'Nique even calling out her opponents in the feud during her standup as recently as 2020.

As far as her feud with Daniels goes, though, they seem to have buried the hatchet. In April 2022, Mo'Nique and Lee Daniels publicly reconciled with each other during the actress' April Fools' Day special (which would be a strange time to do it, but it seems to have stuck). She has since starred in two of Lee Daniels' latest films — 2023's The Reading and 2024's The Deliverance.

However, the embers of her hate for Tyler Perry and Oprah still burn strong. While on tour with fellow comedian Katt Williams in 2024, Mo'Nique went on an expletive-filled, racially-charged, vaguely homophobic rant aimed at the two celebrities. TMZ reported that during her set, she had yelled "F--k you Oprah Winfrey! F--k you, Tyler Perry!" and even got some members of the crowd to repeat it.

Though Mo'Nique has settled things with Lee Daniels, she isn't quite over the feud on other fronts.