Mo’Nique sues CBS, Paramount over ‘Parkers’ royalties

By ANDREW DALTON
AP Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mo’Nique is suing Paramount and CBS, seeking what the Oscar-winning actor and comedian says are unpaid royalties from her sitcom “The Parkers.” The breach-of-contract lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court. It alleges that the defendants artificially depressed the show’s profitability to retain millions that would otherwise be contractually due to Mo’Nique’s production company. “The Parkers” ran for five seasons between 1999 and 2004 on the now-defunct UPN network, and has run in syndication and streamed on Netflix in the years since. Representatives for the defendants did not respond to emails seeking comment. Mo’Nique first gained fame as a stand-up comic. She later won an Oscar for the 2009 film “Precious.”