Twitter Roasts Proposed Netflix Boycott

Monique Angela Hicks — best known by her stage name “Mo’Nique” is asking for her fans’ support in a boycott of Netflix after she says the streaming service offered her a hurtfully low salary for a stand-up special.

Mo’Nique took to Instagram on Friday, explaining in a video how she had argued with Netflix over payment. She says that Netflix offered her $500,000 to do an original stand-up special. She pointed out the salaries of other stars — Dave Chappelle was reportedly paid $20 million for his recent specials, and Amy Schumer made headlines when she contested her contract, ultimately accepting $11 million.

Mo’Nique points out that she’s an Oscar winner and a highly influential comedian, with a long list of credits, saying that must entitle her to more than a tenth of what her peers are making. She says that Netflix’s reply was that they “believe that’s what Mo’Nique will bring.” She then explained that she and her representatives pointed out Schumer’s case, asking why she was worth more and why she was able to negotiate a higher payment.

“When we asked Netflix to explain the difference, why the money was so different, they said, ‘Well, we believe that’s what Mo’Nique will bring.’ We said, ‘What about my résumé?’ They said, ‘We don’t go off of résumés.’”

“Then we asked them, ‘What was it about Amy Schumer?’ And they said, ‘Well, she sold out Madison Square Garden twice and she had a big movie over the summer.’ Is that not Amy Schumer’s résumé? And then Netflix said, ‘By the way, we believe Mo’Nique is a legend, too.’ Why shouldn’t I get what the legends are getting? Please stand with me in this boycott of Neftlix. I love us for real.”

The debate is causing a short circuit on social media, where people can’t decide how to feel about Mo’Nique’s plea. On the one hand, many people agree that it looks like gender, race, and the confluence of the two play a role in her low offer. Many people even see it as insulting to offer the iconic performer a fortieth of what Chappelle made.

However, there are few users promising to cancel their Netflix subscriptions over Mo’Nique’s grievances. People point out that, no matter how you slice it, half a million dollars is more than the average American makes in ten years. With that in mind, they don’t feel obligated to give up their own source of entertainment for Mo’Nique’s symbolic income.

Of course, there are others who simply see Mo’Nique as less relevant than the other comedians she pointed out. They argue that it’s a matter of timing in the entertainment industry.

Netflix has yet to respond, but judging by Twitter, the boycott won’t be effecting their bottom line.