Netflix Settles in Mo’Nique’s Racial and Gender Bias Lawsuit

It appears the ongoing legal battle between Netflix and Oscar-winning actress Mo’Nique has finally reached a resolution.

On Wednesday, it was revealed that the popular streamer and the comedian have reached a settlement, with The Hollywood Reporter noting that both parties had moved to dismiss the suit—though specific terms haven’t been disclosed as of yet.

As previously reported by The Root, Mo’Nique filed a lawsuit back in November 2019 with her legal team claiming that “despite Mo’Nique’s extensive résumé and documented history of comedic success, when Netflix presented her with an offer of employment for an exclusive stand-up comedy special, Netflix made a lowball offer that was only a fraction of what Netflix paid other (non-Black female) comedians.”

For specificities sake, the veteran comedian was offered $500,000 for a Netflix special—a significantly less offer than that of fellow comedians Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle who were both offered $20 million. And it was an even lower offer than that of comedian Amy Schumer, who renegotiated pay from the initial $11 million to $13 million ultimately.

It’s those figures that led the Precious star to conclude that the streamers’ initial offer was “discriminatory,” citing specifically the history of underpaying Black women across various industries. In response, Netflix took the offer off the table in its entirety, which subsequently led to Mo’Nique suing the company for refusing to negotiate further.

And while Netflix believed its opening offer to be “fair” and rolled up its sleeves to ready itself for the legal battle ahead, in 2020, a federal judge denied Netflix’s motions to throw out the suit—ultimately siding with Mo’Nique’s claim.

“At the very least, Mo’Nique’s allegations permit the plausible inference that, had she not challenged her offer as discriminatory, Netflix would have continued negotiating in good faith with her and increased her offer, consistent with its customary practice in dealing with talent in the entertainment industry,” a judge explained according to THR.

Neither Mo’Nique nor Netflix have commented on the settlement.