For the last two days, a story has been circulated and shared on the internet claiming Mo’Nique is set to get a $10 million deal from Netflix. Despite the fact that neither Mo’Nique, her people or Netflix had confirmed the story, it continued to gain momentum—and people shared it everywhere. As I said when I originally saw it, the story is false.
The story appears to have originated with MediaTakeOut, which claimed a “person close to Mo’Nique” had shared the news that her husband and manager, Sidney Hicks, was finalizing a deal with Netflix for the large sum.
The insider supposedly told MediaTakeOut “Netflix tried to violate Mo’Nique because she’s a black woman—but Mo’Nique and her husband stood their ground.”
As MediaTakeOut told it, the streaming company was looking to improve its image after news broke that one of its executives routinely used the “n-word” around black people.
The MediaTakeOut “report” was shared widely, and some smaller outlets picked it up and ran it as well.
Everyone who shared that story needs a lesson in media literacy.
Mo’Nique recorded a video and posted it on Instagram in order to debunk the story.
In the short, 38-second clip, the Oscar-winning actress and comedienne said:
“Hey my loves. So I gotta address this $10 million Netflix deal. What’s a word that rhymes with ‘jokes’ but starts with an ‘H’? Y’all got it, it’s a got damn hoax. That is not true, my babies. Now just like that lie can become the truth within 24 hours, just like they can make something like that up, they can make something up like your girl is difficult and demanding. So this is what I’ll say to y’all: the truth only goes away if we stop talking, and y’all know I ain’t gon stop talking.”
She ends her video with the ultimate punctuation mark.
“And Lee Daniels,” she said, looking straight into the camera, “you shut up.”
Now y’all can finally stop sharing that story. Thank you.