Lee Daniels Says Mo'Nique Was 'Blackballed' After Oscar Win

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Mo'Nique says she's been "blackballed," following her 'Supporting Actress' Oscar win for 2009's PRECIOUS.

She adds: "What I understood was that when I won that Oscar, things would change in all the ways you're saying: It should come with more respect, more choices and more money. It should, and it normally does."

She went on to explain: "I got a phone call from Lee Daniels maybe six or seven months ago. And he said to me, "Mo'Nique, you've been blackballed." And I said, "I've been blackballed? Why have I been blackballed?" And he said, "Because you didn't play the game." And I said, "Well, what game is that?" And he gave me no response."

Daniels has finally spoken up, telling THR: "Mo'nique is a creative force to be reckoned with. Her demands through Precious were not always in line with the campaign. This soured her relationship with the Hollywood community. I consider her a friend. I have and will always think of her for parts that we can collaborate on. However, the consensus among the creative teams and powers thus far were to go another way with these roles."

Mo'Nique's hard work and dedication landed her own TV sitcom, "The Parkers," which ran for five seasons. She would also go on to host a number of reality shows, including a beauty pageant for full-figured women on Oxygen called "F.A.T. Chance ("Fabulous and Thick")". It was evident that her success wouldn't stop at comedy and TV; it would also be felt on the big screen too. From movies like "The Queens of Comedy" and "Baby Boy," to "Two Can Play That Game," and "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins," Mo'Nique was signaling to the world that she was here to stay. Most recently she took the world by storm in her portrayal of the severely dysfunctional mom Mary Jones in the award-winning, much talked about film, "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire", which just earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, making her only the fourth African-American female behind Hattie McDaniel, Whoopi Goldberg and Jennifer Hudson to win the prestigious award in the Best Supporting Actress category.

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