Chance the Rapper is defending comedian Mo’Nique in her battle with Netflix over wage equality.
In January, Mo’Nique called for people to boycott Netflix. She said the streaming service revealed “gender bias and color bias” when it offered her millions of dollars less for a comedy special than it gave other comedians for their performances.
“I’m with Mo’Nique,” the Chicago rapper stated in a series of tweets Saturday. He highlighted Mo’Nique’s clout and accomplishments, declaring that the Oscar-winning actress and other black women “deserve better.”
He also shared his support on Instagram with a photo of Mo’Nique, demanding that Hollywood “give her her coin” in the caption.
Last month, Mo’Nique claimed that Netflix offered her only $500,000 for a stand-up special while Amy Schumer received $11 million (and then negotiated a bit more) and Chris Rock and Dave Chapelle each got $20 million for their own specials.
Mo’Nique called for the boycott of the streaming service to last until black women are paid fairly for their work. Comedian Wanda Sykes tweeted in support of the boycott at the time.
As critics debated whether Netflix’s offer was fair, Mo’Nique posted a screenshot of an email that appeared to be the offer on Instagram. The email shown states that the deal would constrain the star’s usage of the material in the special for two years and deals for future stand-up specials for at least one year. Her 2006 special, “I Coulda Been Your Cellmate,” is currently available on the service.
A Netflix spokesperson told Variety the company doesn’t “comment on contract negotiations.”
Mo’Nique has said she has been “blackballed” by the entertainment industry since her 2010 Oscar win for Best Supporting Actress in “Precious.”
She said she fulfilled her obligations for her contract on the film, but the industry lashed back at her after she didn’t join additional appearances related to the film.
Mo’Nique recently went on both “The View” and Power 105.1′s “The Breakfast Club” to defend her stance on Netflix and status in the industry. In both interviews, she pointed out the barriers she has faced because she refused to play the game.
“What Tyler Perry showed me, Lee Daniels, Oprah Winfrey and Lionsgate, when you don’t do what we ask you to do, we’ll take your livelihood,” Mo’Nique told “The View” hosts. “So for eight years, my family has suffered, my career has suffered because what I would not allow those entities to do was bully me.”