Director Lee Daniels publicly apologizes to actor Mo’Nique after falling out

Director Lee Daniels publicly apologized to actor Mo’Nique on Friday, ending a fallout between the two creatives after they collaborated on the critically acclaimed drama “Precious.�

“I am so sorry for hurting you in any way that I did,� Daniels said to Mo’Nique at her comedy show Friday, according to a video posted on Twitter. “She was my best friend. ... ‘Precious,’ that was God working through both of us, and we are going to f—g do it again!�

Then, Daniels and Mo’Nique hugged onstage and said, “I love you,� to each other.

A representative for Daniels confirmed that the clip was from the show.

Mo’Nique will star in Daniels’ upcoming thriller, “Demon House,� which will stream on Netflix.

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The collaboration ends a years-long fallout between Daniels and Mo’Nique. Mo’Nique won an Academy Award for best supporting actress for her role as an abusive mother in the 2009 drama “Precious,� directed by Daniels.

In her 2010 Academy Awards acceptance speech, Mo’Nique said, “First, I would like to thank the Academy for showing it can be about the performance and not the politics.�

But in 2015, Mo’Nique recounted to the Hollywood Reporter a conversation she had with Daniels in which the director told her she was “blackballed� because she “didn’t play the game.� Daniels told “Raq Rants� in 2018 that he did not blackball Mo’Nique.

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Mo’Nique, who starred in the UPN sitcom “The Parkers,� also has raised issues with Netflix in the past. In 2019, she sued the company for race and sex discrimination, saying it lowballed her an offer to appear in a comedy special. Netflix told USA Today in 2020 that it believed its opening offer was fair.

On Friday, Mo’Nique posted a photo of Daniels putting his arm around her. “NO CAPTION NEEDED I LOVE US 4REAL,� Mo’Nique wrote on Instagram.

Times archivist James Kim contributed to this report.