Lee Daniels and Mo’Nique publicly confirmed that they are back on good terms after 13 years when the “Precious” star brought the director onstage during a Friday night comedy show.
In video captured from the event, Daniels can be seen standing with his arm around the comedian in front of the Staten Island audience at “Mo’Nique and Friends: April Fools’ Day with the Queen of Comedy.”
“I am so sorry for hurting you in any way that I did,” he said to a visibly tearful Mo’Nique.
“Y’all, and she was my best friend – my best friend. Y’all think that ‘Precious’ was just… That was God working through both of us,” he continued. “And we gon’ f–ing do it again!”
“I love you,” they repeated to each other.
After Mo’Nique appeared in Daniels’ 2009 film “Precious,” the actress publicly accused the director – along with producers Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey – of blackballing her for refusing to campaign for the film during awards season. She maintained that it wasn’t in her contract and she wished to spend time with her family.
Regardless, Mo’Nique went on to win Best Supporting Actress at the 2015 Academy Awards for her portrayal of Precious’ (Gabourey Sidibe) abusive mother.
For 13 years, the former collaborators did not speak to one another. “I got a phone call from Lee Daniels maybe six or seven months ago,” Mo’Nique told the Hollywood Reporter in 2015. “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.’”
Daniels responded by calling Mo’Nique “a creative force to be reckoned with” before giving his side of the story. “Her demands through ‘Precious’ were not always in line with the campaign. This soured her relationship with the Hollywood community,” he said in a statement. “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.”
It appeared that their relationship had been mended with Friday’s announcement that Mo’Nique will star in Daniels’ next film, the Netflix thriller “Demon House.” She will replace Octavia Spencer, who had to leave the project due to scheduling conflicts, joining a star-studded cast that includes Andra Day, Glenn Close and Aunjanue Ellis among others.
To seal the deal, Mo’Nique posted a photo of herself and Daneils on Instagram after the show.
“NO CAPTION NEEDED – LOVE US 4REAL,” she wrote, punctuating her message with a red heart emoji.
