Netflix and Mo’Nique Reach Settlement in Discrimination, Retaliation Lawsuit

Netflix and Mo’Nique have reached a settlement in the lawsuit the comedian filed against the streaming giant that alleged gender and racial bias when it came to her stand-up special salary.

Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed in Tuesday’s filing, THR reported.

The Oscar-winning actress sued Netflix in 2019, accusing the streamer of gender and race discrimination after offering her what she referred to as a“low-ball” and “discriminatory” offer of $500,000 as a “talent fee” for an hour-long stand-up comedy show, while her comedic peers were offered millions per special.

The complaint stated that Netflix started to court Mo’Nique in 2017 for a comedy special. However, negotiations stalled after the actress and comedian rejected the platform’s opening offer of $500,000.  Netflix eventually walked away from negotiations after Mo’Nique protested the offer as discriminatory.

In her 2019 suit, Mo’Nique named several other comedians and their Netflix salaries, suggesting she was low-balled because she is a Black woman.

“Netflix reportedly offered or paid [Chris] Rock, [Dave] Chapelle [sic], [Ellen] Degeneris [sic], and [Ricky] Gervais forty (40) times more per show than it offered Mo’Nique, and it offered [Amy] Schumer twenty-six (26) times more per show than Mo’Nique. In short, Netflix’s offer to Mo’Nique perpetuates the drastic wage gap forced upon Black women in the America’s workforce.”

Following the filing, Mo’Nique spoke publicly about Netflix’s alleged practices and called for fans to boycott the streamer.

“I couldn’t accept that low offer because if I did … I couldn’t sleep at night,” Mo’Nique said while speaking to radio show host Sway. “If I accepted $500,000, what does Tiffany Haddish have coming? If I accept that, what does the Black female comedian have coming? Because what they’ll say is, ‘Mo’Nique accepted this and she’s got that.’ So what do they have coming?”

Netflix responded at that time with its own statement saying, “We believe our opening offer to Mo’Nique was fair — which is why we will be fighting this lawsuit.” On dismissal, Netflix argued that there’s no legal authority supporting the claim that an employer’s refusal to negotiate in good faith constitutes discrimination or retaliation.