Mo’nique has filed a lawsuit against CBS and Paramount alleging the companies owe her “millions” of dollars in unpaid profits for her work on The Parkers.
The actress and comedian filed the breach-of-contract lawsuit Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court.
The suit, which was obtained by The Associated Press, alleges the companies artificially suppressed 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 legal documents state.
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Hicks Media, the production company Mo’Nique owns with her husband and business manager Sidney Hicks, filed the suit. It names CBS Studios, Paramount Pictures and production company Big Ticket Productions as defendants in the case.
The Oscar-winning actress is seeking monetary damages that will be determined at trial.
In a statement to the AP, Mo’Nique said, “I just want the contractual compensation that I’ve earned.”
The defendants did not respond to requests for comment.
The show’s creators Ralph Farquhar, Sara Finney-Johnson and Vida Spears, filed a similar lawsuit in June 2022, according to Variety. The case was settled in November.
The Parkers aired for five seasons on UPN from 1999 to 2004. Mo’Nique played Nikki Parker, a mom who attends the same college as her daughter. The Moesha spinoff also starred Countess Vaughn, Dorien Wilson, Jenna von Oÿ, Ken Lawson, and Yvette Wilson.
The series is currently available to stream on Netflix.
Mo’Nique sued Netflix for alleged “pay discrimination” in 2019. The lawsuit claimed the streaming giant “made a lowball offer that was only a fraction of what Netflix paid other (non-Black female) comedians” for stand-up specials.
The case was settled in June 2022. While the terms were not disclosed, the actress taped a comedy special titled My Name is Mo’Nique that began streaming on Netflix this month.
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