Mo’Nique Enters ‘The Color Purple’ Chat & Calls Out Oprah, Says Producer ‘Got Caught’ Allowing Mistreatment On Set

Taraji P. Henson’s The Color Purple confessions about conditions on set have everybody talking, and Mo’Nique entered the chat to call out Oprah amid her storied history of issues with the media mogul.

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Fans and industry insiders alike pointed fingers at different people behind the blockbuster film’s lackluster accommodations for the stars. Some blame day-to-day producers and production managers. Others accused the studio, Warner Bros., of shortchanging the Black cast members.

In an exclusive interview with The Root, Mo’Nique says her collaborator-turned-enemy Oprah Winfrey is ultimately responsible. She weighed in on Taraji’s comments about filming The Color Purple and how the industry systematically mistreats Black women.

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As BOSSIP previously reported, the cast joined Oprah in shutting down speculation about the mogul’s responsibility for the substandard conditions. On the Golden Globes red carpet, Oprah addressed the rumors about a possible feud brewing.

“Taraji will tell you herself that I’ve been the greatest champion of this film,” Oprah told Entertainment Tonight’s Kevin Frazier.

“Championing not only the behind the scenes projection but also everything that everybody needed. So whenever I heard that there was something that someone needed, I’m not in charge of the budget because that’s Warner Brothers you know that’s the way the studio system works.”

Oprah went on to explain that she did her job as an executive producer. In fact, she claimed she saved the day when the cast called out problems on set.

“Whenever I heard there was an issue or there was a problem, there was a problem with a cars or the problem with their food, I would step in and do whatever I could to make it right. And I believe that she would even vouch for that and say that is true,” she continued.

However, Mo’Nique wasn’t buying it. She claimed the fact that Oprah could personally resolve these issues was proof she wasn’t standing on business from the start.

“Everything was, ‘Didn’t I champion for y’all?’ I was like, ‘Stop it. You didn’t champion for those Black women, for our sisters,” Mo’Nique fired back.

“What [she] did was, ‘We can treat them like we always treat them, who gon’ check me boo? I’m Oprah Winfrey.’ You know everything should have been done when you showed up…Now when you hear our beautiful sisters saying, ‘yeah but it got fixed,’ it’s like we’re making it worse.”

The Oscar-winner pointed out that someone who knows the way the “system works,” like Oprah, wouldn’t have her name on a project with Taraji’s complaints. The Shug Avery actress called out a lack of decent trailers, food, and drivers to get the cast to set safely.

“So, when Oprah Winfrey sits at the helm and Taraji P. Henson says, ‘It’s an honor that we were hand-picked for this movie,’ Well, if they were hand-picked for that movie, those women should have been taken care of from the moment go,” Mo’Nique continued.

Her husband and long-time manager Sidney Hicks chimed in, ” What Oprah fixed should have already been prepared when they got there. You shouldn’t have to fix that because it should have already been done.”

“Oprah got caught. That’s what happened,” Mo’Nique said doubling down on her decades of criticism.

See what Mo’Nique said about The Color Purple controversy vindicating the same message that got her “blackballed” after the flip!