Mo’Nique, Steve Harvey discuss blackball claims during heated interview
Comedian Mo’Nique recently made an appearance on Steve Harvey’s talk show, and the conversation got heated.
» RELATED: Mo'Nique calls out Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry and Lee Daniels
The Oscar-winning actress stopped by the show to promote her new stand-up residency in Las Vegas, but she also discussed inequality within the entertainment industry.
She previously said she had been blackballed by Hollywood after she refused to promote the film “Precious,” which was directed by Lee Daniels and produced by Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, without being paid.
“We got labeled as ‘difficult’ because I said one word — and that was ‘no.’ I said ‘no’ to some very powerful people,” she said. “The difficulty came in when people that looked like me, like Oprah, Tyler, Lee Daniels and I got to put my brother Steve on the list, y’all knew that I was not wrong. Each one of you said to me, ‘Mo’Nique, you’re not wrong.’”
The entertainer also said her family “suffered” as a result of her decision and that she felt betrayed by Harvey when he publicly criticized her before speaking to her privately.
She added, “When you went on the air and said, ‘My sister burned too many bridges and there’s nothing I can do for her now,’ do you know how hurt I was?”
Harvey pushed back and replied that he thought she “went about it wrong.”
“I felt you had done yourself a disservice by the way you chose to go about it,” he told her. “When you tell the truth, you have to deal with the repercussions of the truth. We black out here. We can’t come out here and do it any kind of way we want to.”
» RELATED: Mo'Nique calls for boycott of Netflix over gender pay disparities
After Mo’Nique declared she does not want to lose her integrity for money, Harvey told her, “I cannot, for the sake of my integrity, stand up here and let everybody that’s counting on me crumble so I can make a statement.”
By the end of the conversation, Harvey said he wanted to help Mo’Nique repair her relationship with Winfrey, Daniels and Perry.
“I hate what’s happening to you. I hate what they’re saying that’s not true,” he said. “What we need to do is move forward and fix this. These people owe you an apology. You owe those people an apology. Then we could move forward.”
Once the interview began circulating online, many chimed in on Twitter with their thoughts. Several condemned Harvey for championing money over integrity.
Clearly, Steve Harvey is not a life coach. The value one places on their integrity is the exact cost it takes to be fake.
— Jackée Harry (@JackeeHarry) February 13, 2019
Steve Harvey is a coward. I’m disgusted. Mo’Nique sat up there and championed integrity, and he argued integrity for money and people applauded. Y’all go give Mo’Nique your love.
— Myles E. Johnson (@hausmuva) February 13, 2019
And Steve Harvey over talking her is very indicative of his advice.
— George M Johnson (@IamGMJohnson) February 13, 2019
He is literally telling her to sell out and not have any integrity. That may secure the bag, but it won’t keep it.
Aren’t there rumbling of them cancelling his show...how’d that work out for you?
Steve Harvey telling Mo’Nique to choose money over integrity, makes me think of all the women who are told to endure sexual harassment and assault in the workplace, because it’s “the world we live in.”
— Rehana (@rehana_wc) February 13, 2019
Others said they did not like that Harvey talked over Mo’Nique during their discussion.
So....I’d LOVE to see this whole interview but 2 things stood out just from this clip...he talked over her AND he grabbed/touched her hand to quiet her. So...I’d love to see that whole clip for the full context but it reminded me of Baldwin cutting off Nicki Giovani. Lol
— Reagan Gomez (@ReaganGomez) February 13, 2019
Why Steve Harvey couldn’t just let Mo’Nique talk? Yelling over her, cutting her off & etc. pic.twitter.com/YHtNzCFUuw
— Jerome Trammel (@MrJeromeTrammel) February 13, 2019
This not a proper dialogue just an example of black women getting spoken over after literally being invited to speak on their experience. Also wasn’t Steve Harvey at that same coon meet up w Trump that Kanye was at? ....hmmph https://t.co/S6HxJdufQ4
— 👼🏽 (@ThatsJeanDeaux) February 13, 2019
And a few said they did agree with Harvey.
Sorry I agree with #SteveHarvey 🐒
— Karla K. (@zimkarim) February 14, 2019
I agree with Steve Harvey , he right
— aziza💕 (@Zizas_way) February 14, 2019
#UnpopularOpinion Reference to money vs intergity, I agree with Steve Harvey. It’s certain situations where you have to swallow your pride and take the L to get to a better place. We as black people deal with this daily
— Rasheeda Mercy (@SheedRock) February 14, 2019
» RELATED: Steve Harvey on his talk show, clapping back and that new gray beard

