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Major Hollywood producer Lee Daniels is in hot water with a couple folks in the industry. But he’s claiming that one of them simply needs to shut up.
Damon Dash, a fellow producer, demanded that Daniels repay him $2 million that helped launched his career. After a video went viral that clearly shows Daniels admitting to taking the money but never repaying Dash, Daniels told TMZ’s “Raq Rants” that Dash’s claims were true.
However, another Hollywood player isn’t going to get that same satisfaction. Mo’Nique, who starred in the Lee Daniels-produced Precious film and won an Academy Award for her performance, has accused Daniels, Tyler Perry, and Oprah of blackballing her.
In that same “Raq Rants” interview, the 58-year-old said that Mo’Nique just needs to shut up and wants everyone to know that she and Damon Dash are not the same.
“I think people are confusing Damon Dash with Mo’Nique. Damon Dash is completely different from Mo’Nique. Mo’Nique…I worked hard for her to get that job…and for her to badmouth myself, Tyler Perry and Oprah is disrespectful and wrong. She’s wrong. She’s out-of-pocket…Like, she needs to shut up,” he said.
While Daniels seems to be completely over Mo’Nique’s claims that she was blackballed, Tyler Perry said that he would help her recoup whatever Precious money she is owed, but found his efforts to be secretly recorded by her.
As for Oprah, she indirectly addressed Mo’Nique back in February when she was promoting the film A Wrinkle In Time. When asked how she’s able to take the high road when folks like Mo’Nique come for her, she gave such an Oprah answer.
“You can’t meet negative energy where it is. You have to rise above it,” she declared, tying her response into the theme of A Wrinkle in Time. “You have to transcend it. You have to be the light. It only takes a little bit of light to banish the darkness…so I would never stoop to try to meet somebody where they are negatively. Don’t care who they are.”
Well, it’s been almost 10 years, and Mo’Nique has not yet won her war. Should she give it or or continue to press forward with what she believes is owed to her?
Renese spends her early mornings writing, her days securing insurance for TV shows, and her in-betweens blogging about the silliness and seriousness of life on her blog. Follow Renese on Twitter: @reneseford
