In the midst of the Academy Awards backlash for lack of diversity, Oscar winner Mo’Nique is calling out Hollywood in the latest episode of her podcast “Mo’Nique and Sidney’s Open Relationship” on the Play.it network.
During her podcast, the Precious actress called out Hollywood, saying only one actor of color can shine at a time in comparison to their white peers:
“Why is it that it can only be just one? Normally, when it comes to people of color, it can only be just one that gets in. When there was Sidney Poitier, who else was there? Then there was Denzel Washington, then it was Will Smith. And we always want to know, who’s going to be the next?”
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Mo’Nique, who has been the topic of recent conversations ever since revealing her open marriage to husband Sidney, went on to explain how white actors are exempt from the quota-system:
“We never say, ‘Who’s going to be the next Matt Damon?’ because there’s George Clooney. We never say, ‘Who’s going to be the next George Clooney?’ because there’s Tom Hanks. We never say who’s going to be the next [of] those people because there’s an abundance, but when it comes to people of color, you’ll see that there’s normally just one or two and that’s it.”
The comedian-turned-actress also encouraged executives to stop “paying people based on the color of their skin:”
“Can we get the paychecks to go along with it? And no one seems to be saying that out loud. It’s, ‘Let’s get more diversity! Let’s get more women! Let’s get it!’ … But can we get the income that comes along with it?”
What do you think of Mo’Nique’s comments? Are they valid?
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