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If you’re wondering why Mo’Nique hasn’t been on any of our movie screens since her big 2010 Oscar win, she’s finally giving an answer.

The Precious actress won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the movie, and has only starred in one film since then. For awhile, Mo’Nique was finding it difficult to get more work in Hollywood, and apparently Lee Daniels revealed that she was being “blackballed” in the business.

She told the story of their conversation in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter:

What I understood was that when I won that Oscar, things would change in all the ways you’re saying: It should come with more respect, more choices and more money. It should, and it normally does. Hattie said, “After I won that award, it was as if I had done something wrong.” It was the same with me. I thought, once you won the award, that’s the top prize — and so you’re supposed to be treated as if you got the top prize.

I got a phone call from Lee Daniels maybe six or seven months ago. And he said to me, “Mo’Nique, you’ve been blackballed.” And I said, “I’ve been blackballed? Why have I been blackballed?” And he said, “Because you didn’t play the game.” And I said, “Well, what game is that?” And he gave me no response. The next thing he said to me was, “Your husband is outbidding you.” But he never asked me what [salary] we were asking for. You know, my husband [actor and producer Sidney Hicks] and I had to change things so we wouldn’t have to depend on [others]. So we do it independently. We’re very proud of taking the independent route, and we have a movie coming out on April 24 called Blackbird.

The interview also continued:

What do you think Lee meant when he said that?

That I was blackballed?

And that your husband was “outbidding you.” What was he referring to?

You know what I learned? Never to think what somebody else was thinking. That’s a question you would have to ask Lee Daniels.* There have been people that have said, “Mo’Nique, she can be difficult. Mo’Nique and her husband can be difficult.” They could probably be right. One of the networks said to [Lee] that I was “really difficult to work with.” And I said, “Well, that’s funny, because I’ve never even worked with them, but OK.”

Whoever those people are who say, “Mo’Nique is difficult,” those people are either heartless, ruthless or treat people like they’re worthless. And that’s unacceptable. They’re set to say, “Mo’Nique is tactless, she’s tacky.” That’s why I have my beautiful husband, because he’s so full of tact, ’cause I’m a girl from Baltimore. I come from a blue-collar town — and being from that place, you learn not to let anybody take advantage of you. You don’t let people mistreat you. You stand up for what’s right.

We hope to see her back at the center of show business in due time! What do you think of Mo’Nique’s claim?

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty