Hey, My Sweet Babies: Mo’Nique Needs Your Support As She Fights for Fairness Against CBS!

TheRoot.com, By Shanelle Genai, Posted October 12th 2023

The Oscar-winning actress recently released a video garnering support from both the current striking unions and fans.

Earlier this year, we told you that Mo’Nique was suing CBS and Paramount over her popular 90s/early 2000s TV show, The Parkers.

Now, in a new video posted to Instagram on Wednesday, the Oscar-winning actress and her husband, Sydney Hicks, are getting all the way real about the way she, Parkers costar Countess Vaughn, show writers and creatives were unfairly compensated during the successful show run.

“Countess Vaughn and I did a show called The Parkers. The Parkers has now been on-air for 24 years. And they’re trying to convince us—through our ownership of the show—that we made absolutely no money,” Mo’Nique began.

“And that’s baffling being that when you have a conversation with executive producers and they allude to the fact that the show in its entirety—five years—was made for under $70 million. It went out of production in 2004,” Sydney chimed in. “But by 2009, we see profit participation statements that show the program made over $700 million. But yet was in a close to a billion, if not a billion dollar deficit.”

The Almost Christmas actress went on to implore CBS to pay her and Countess the money they’re owed and referenced Dave Chappelle and his own renegotiation with the network back in 2021.

“What we’re asking you CBS: Don’t pay us any more, but don’t pay us any less,” Mo’Nique added. Sydney concluded by explaining that the reason why they wanted to go public with making the video and asking for what they deserve was because they saw the numbers the show was pulling. But they questioned what would happen to other shows and creatives who may not be able to access those same numbers and push for what’s rightfully owed to them.

Mo’nique ended the video by asking those fighting for equality to stand with them and for CBS to treat them fairly.

As you already know, when it comes to the comedian and getting what’s owed to her—she stands 10 toes down on the side of right and has come out on top before (looking at you, Netflix). Here’s hoping she and the rest of the talented folks involved in The Parkers get their just dues this time around.