Celebrity News
Mo’Nique Sues CBS, Paramount Over ‘Parkers’ Royalties

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mo’Nique sued Paramount and CBS on Wednesday, seeking what the Oscar-winning actor and comedian says are unpaid royalties from her sitcom “The Parkers.”
The breach-of-contract lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court and obtained by The Associated Press alleges the defendants artificially depressed the show’s profitability to “retain millions that would otherwise be contractually due” to Mo’Nique’s production company.
“While the Series has proven to be a major financial success for its producers and distributors, the series’ talent have not been permitted to share in the fruits of that success,” the suit says.
The suit was filed by Hicks Media, the production company Mo’Nique owns with her husband and business partner, Sidney Hicks. It names as defendants CBS Studios, Paramount Pictures and the show’s production company Big Ticket Productions. It seeks monetary damages to be determined at trial.
Emails seeking comment were sent to representatives of the defendants.
The suit says the series’ creators and writers have been similarly underpaid, and that Mo’Nique learned of the alleged breach of contract when they recently filed a similar lawsuit.
“I just want the contractual compensation that I’ve earned,” Mo’Nique said in a statement.
“The Parkers,” a spinoff of the sitcom “Moesha,” ran for five seasons and 110 episodes on the now-defunct network UPN, a forerunner of The CW, from 1999 to 2004. Mo’Nique starred as Nikki Parker, a mother who returns to the same college her daughter is attending.
The show has been rerun in syndication in various forms since, and has been available for streaming on Netflix since 2020.
In a previous lawsuit, Mo’Nique sued Netflix for race and sex discrimination in its offer for a proposed comedy special, accusing the streaming service of giving her a lowball offer that was part of a larger company tendency to underpay black women. The suit was settled last year.
-
Celebrity News4 weeks ago
Offset’s Girlfriend Posts Video Inside Cardi B’s Atlanta Home Amid Tensions
-
Celebrity News2 weeks ago
GloRilla Surprised Coachella Fans With A New Unreleased Track Sampling Keyshia Cole’s Hit “Love”
-
Celebrity News4 weeks ago
Marvin Sapp Responds to Backlash Over Viral “Close the Doors” Offering Video
-
Celebrity News1 week ago
Cardi B Claims Ari Fletcher Slept With Offset While They Were Still Together, According to Leaked DMs
-
Celebrity News4 weeks ago
RHOA Fans Demand Kenya Moore’s Return After Being Threatened With A Gun By Newbie Brittany Eady
-
Celebrity News4 weeks ago
Jim Jones Walks Into A Drug Deal In Harlem During Livestream
-
Celebrity News5 days ago
Savannah James Responds to Kevin Gates’ Comments with Subtle Shade via Nicki Minaj Clip
-
Celebrity News4 weeks ago
Jess Hilarious and Loren Lorosa Settle the Score with “The Job Is Mine”