Article By Andy Mason // Entertainment // EEW Magazine

In May 2017, video surfaced of controversial and outspoken comedian, Mo’Nique, calling Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, and Lee Daniels harsh names, while blaming them for her being blackballed in Hollywood.

Nearly two years after that video snippet from Harlem’s world famous Apollo Theater went viral, 62-year-old talk show host, Steve Harvey, is telling her she was wrong for the public shaming, and owes the powerful trio an apology.

During a tense conversation with Mo’Nique, longtime friend, Harvey, who did most of the talking, said, “I don’t want to lose your gift to the world because we’re trying to prove a point.”

Harvey, who had a problem with the method, not the message, added, “We can prove the point by doing it in a more loving way.”

Clearly, in the mind of the “Family Feud” host, Mo’Nique going on stage at a comedy show and lambasting colleagues with explicit and disparaging language (that will not be published here), is not the way.

So, what is it that created the bad blood between Mo’Nique and Winfrey, Perry, and Daniels in the first place?

Well, rewind to 2010. Mo’Nique, who won the “Best Supporting Actress” Academy Award for her role in the gut-wrenching indie film, Precious, refused to adhere to the standard industry practice of campaigning for the Oscar without additional compensation. Though the actress was not contractually obligated to make additional promotional appearances, it was certainly expected.

When she and her husband/manager, Sidney Hicks, demanded money to campaign, the behavior was frowned upon. The two gained a reputation for being “difficult” and work began drying up.

Mo’Nique sees a correlation between Winfrey, Perry, and Daniels’ lack of support and her lack of work thereafter.

51-year-old Mo’Nique told Harvey, “I absolutely agree with you 100%” about being loving while expressing disagreement.

“The only way I know how to do it is loving because that’s all that’s in my heart,” she said, adding, “Now, when I say it, you may not like how I say it.”

Harvey countered, “But, see, if it’s in your heart, love sounds like love.”

The audience applauded.

Harvey continued, “So if it don’t sound like it when you say it, that’s because it ain’t.”

The self-described “big brother” told Mo’Nique, “Guess what we need to move forward and fix this. These people owe you an apology. You owe those people an apology.”

Again, the audience clapped loudly.

Harvey believes love and forgiveness conquers all. Is he right?

Watch.