Mo’Nique isn’t backing down from her ongoing lawsuit against CBS and Paramount for unpaid royalties from her sitcom “The Parkers.”
In a video posted to Instagram on September 19, 2023 Mo’Nique and her husband, Sidney Hicks, called out CBS‘ alleged claims that “The Parkers” is more than $1 billion in debt. In a move of solidarity with the actors and writers that remain on strike against streaming providers for fair residual pay, among other demands, Mo’Nique outlined how things have been going for the 24 years “The Parkers” has been on the air (including reruns).
“We’re coming to y’all today to let you know we’re standing with all the unions that are striking right now,” Mo’Nique says in the video. “And we have a story that we must share of our own with the community.”
Mo’Nique went on to address CBS’ “baffling” claim that “The Parkers” has made “absolutely no money,” despite the show only costing $70 million to produce in its five-year run.
“What we’re asking you, CBS, is can you please treat these two Black women fairly?” Mo’Nique says. “Don’t pay us any more, but don’t pay us any less.”
“The reason why we’re having this conversation out loud for the community to hear is this: We see the numbers, and they still don’t want to pay,” Hicks added. “What will happen to you when you don’t even know the numbers exist?”
In April, Mo’Nique filed a breach of contract lawsuit against CBS and Paramount for unpaid royalties for “The Parkers.” The suit accuses the networks of artificially depressing the show’s profitability to “retain millions that would otherwise be contractually due” to Mo’Nique’s production company.“While the Series has proven to be a major financial success for its producers and distributors, the series’ talent have not been permitted to share in the fruits of that success,” the suit says.
Mo’Nique is among thousands of striking actors fighting for residuals on their shows that are replayed on TV and streaming platforms. “The Parkers,” a spin-off to the series “Moesha,” originally aired on UPN for five seasons. Reruns of the show have been available to stream on Netflix since 2020.
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