Mo’Nique Calls Out Whoopi Goldberg In Impassioned Open Letter

Actress and comedian Mo’Niquehas never been one to mince words when believing she’s been wronged. This has especially been the case in the decades-long saga since she appeared in Lee Daniels‘ 2008 film, “Precious,” after which she stated that she was blackballed from Hollywood after refusing to travel abroad to promote it. Now, she’s pinned an open letter to Whoopi Goldberg, years after the Hollywood legend weighed in on the situation on “The View.”

Mo’Nique took to her official Instagram account on March 9 after seeing Goldberg on “The View” discuss standing up for what’s right, and after recently seeing a clip of their 2018 encounter. She captioned the post, “HEY MY SISTER @whoopigoldberg

I HOPE THIS FINDS YOU WELL. I LOVE US 4REAL.”

Mo’Nique began, “I’m encouraged to send you this open letter after recently seeing the video of our last conversation on your show. The tone of the comments today seems different from the energy eight years ago, with many people now agreeing with my sentiments about not working for people or entities I don’t owe anything to. I wonder, have your feelings changed since that time?”

After that, Mo’Nique claimed in the open letter that someone had attempted to sue Goldberg for refusing to appear in a film, “Theodore Rex,” but that the actress’s defense was that there had only ever been a verbal agreement. Mo’Nique went on to say that she was “confused” over this, given Goldberg’s reaction to her situation with “Precious.”

In the letter, Mo’Nique also discussed her issues with Tyler Perry. Notably, he was also one of the producers on “Precious,” and she later raised concerns that he hadn’t publicly debunked claims that she was difficult to work with, which is a narrative that has negatively impacted her career.

Mo’Nique continued, “Even though Tyler Perry privately admitted on audio that he was wrong for saying I was difficult to work with, to this day, he has not publicly corrected it. The reason I said we must look out for the little girl coming behind us is because of situations like Epstein Island and the other powerful people avoiding accountability.”

She added, “People like Tyler Perry refused to take responsibility, while I had to take responsibility for refusing to sign up for an act of slavery against my will.”

The “Precious” star then turned her commentary back to Goldberg, saying, “Now I don’t know if your opinion of my actions was influenced by your former Executive Producer, Candi Carter’s relationship with Oprah, or by your professional ties with Tyler Perry. But what is interesting is hearing you now speak about the importance of standing up for what’s right. My question is: is your stance truly about standing up against wrongs, or is it about standing with the ‘right people’?”

In the end, Mo’Nique stated that she’d wait for a reply from the Hollywood legend. However, she also said, “But I caution you: if you admit you were wrong, you know you’d be going against all the ‘right people.’ So, are you willing to do what’s right for the little girls coming behind us, or is your position still ‘F’ the little girl coming behind us? I look forward to finding out. Because I was the little girl coming behind you.”

Mo’Nique also included a clip of her appearance on “The View” with her open letter to Goldberg. It begins with her talking to Joy Behar about Mo’Nique’s previous claims against Netflix, where she sued the company for racial and gender discrimination after they offered her $500,000 for a comedy special.

Later, Mo’Nique began discussing the issues surrounding “Previous,” saying she had fulfilled her contractual obligations and would not have been paid to promote the movie internationally. After that, Goldberg respectfully stopped her, chimming in, “I’m gonna stop you because contractually, when you make a movie, regardless of who you sign the deal with, your job is to go and promote said movie.”

She continued, “So, when they wanted you to come, and we had this conversation, and I said, ‘If you had called me, I could have schooled you on what was expected.”

Following Mo’Nique’s posting of the open letter, fans took to her comments section to react, with some on her side, but many agreeing that she needs to let her issues with Goldberg go. One person said, “Can you contact people directly instead of posting? That way, we don’t have comments and opinions. Handling things privately means no one else knows there were issues, and you can resolve them in peace.”

Another person wrote, “I agree with this letter, but I’m confused about why today… Did something else happen…in 2026?” Someone else said, “I mean, you could have called her. This feels petty AF with nice words.” Lastly, another fan stated, “Girl, we love you, but let it go.”

Mo’Nique has yet to settle her issues with Perry, Goldberg, or Oprah Winfrey. However, according to PEOPLE, she and Daniels made amends in 2022 after a 13-year feud. She also reached an agreement with Netflix and appeared in Daniel’s 2024 film “The Deliverance” for the streamer. The comedian also released her Netflix special, “My Name Is Mo’Nique,” in 2023.