Actress and comedian Mo’Nique recently talked about what caused her feud with Oprah Winfrey in an interview with Comedy Hype.
According to Mo’Nique, Oprah had approached her about a plan to have her brother Gerald Imes on her show to do an interview about child predators. Mo’Nique said that when Oprah told her about it to get permission, as her brother wanted to come on the show and talk about how to spot child predators.
Mo’Nique said Oprah promised not to go ahead with the show without her approval and Mo’Nique gave it but said that she didn’t want anything to do with her brother so she would not be there.
Mo’ said she was surprised to learn that her parents and another brother would appear with Gerald in the interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show that aired in April 2010. Mo’Nique said that after telling Oprah that she did not have a good relationship with her parents and Gerald, Oprah brought them all on the show without her knowledge.
“In the conversation [Oprah and I] had about my brother… we talked about our relationships with our mothers and fathers, and I shared my relationship about my mother,” Mo’Nique said. “I shared that me and my mother were not talking… She [Oprah] never said my mother was coming on the show.”
Mo’Nique was upset when Oprah called her after the interview with her family aired. And although her husband Sidney Hicks wanted her to confront Oprah, she did not. But some years later while attending a party hosted by Alfre Woodard, Mo’Nique got an opportunity to confront Oprah.
“[I told Oprah] ‘You know you and I need to have this conversation. Why would you have my mother on your show? That’s not what we discussed.'” Mo’Nique said.
“She [Oprah] took the cowardly way out,” Mo’Nique continued. “She [Oprah] said, ‘If you think I did something wrong then I want to apologize.'”
“You did do something wrong, you maliciously… and had full intentions of having my parents on your show and not saying anything to me,” Mo’Nique accused Oprah.
Mo’ insisted that the private apology Oprah offered was not sufficient. She demanded a public apology for what she described as “malicious,” and “intentional” betrayal of trust by Oprah.