50 Cent has just joined the conversation amid the ongoing feud between Taraji and Oprah, and he’s fiercely criticizing Oprah for being a pawn of Hollywood and exploiting black actors. It’s no secret that 50 Cent has been taking shots at Oprah for years, alleging that she leverages black talent to amass a billion-dollar empire and discards them when convenient. He was notably one of the earliest supporters of Mo’Nique when she accused Oprah and Tyler Perry of sabotaging her career after she spoke out against their underpayment for her role in ‘Precious.’ Now, he’s rallying behind Taraji as she takes on Oprah and stands up against the exploitation of black talent for personal gain.
For those who’ve been following the recent online buzz, you’re likely aware of the ongoing clash between Taraji and Oprah. Taraji recently called out Oprah for underpaying her in their latest collaboration, ‘The Color Purple.’ According to Taraji, she hasn’t seen a raise in her salary since her involvement in ‘Proud Mary’ six years ago. She even contemplated turning down the opportunity to work on ‘The Color Purple’ due to what she deemed as a disrespectful initial offer from Oprah. Taraji had hoped that, as fellow black women, Oprah would empathize with her and do what’s right, but she found herself disappointed. In Taraji’s words, “Where’s my raise? I haven’t seen a raise in my income since ‘Proud Mary,’ and almost had to walk away from ‘The Color Purple.’ Yes, ma’am. Who said what? Yes, ma’am. Yes, ma’am. Because you know what? If I don’t take a stand, how am I making it easy for Fantasia and Danielle and Hy and Felicia? Then what? Why? Why am I doing this if it’s all just for me? What? Why are you here? We are to service each other. God is very clever. He put us on this Earth, and he made us all look different. He made it complicated. We need to figure it out, and we can and we are. You have to look at the glass half full. It’s always half full.”
Later, Taraji made another appearance, this time in an interview with Gayle King, Oprah’s close friend. In a moment of vulnerability, Taraji confessed her contemplation of leaving acting altogether. However, instead of empathizing with her struggles, Gayle seemed dismissive, almost making light of Taraji’s pain, perhaps due to her allegiance to Oprah and the fear of any potential revelations on her show.
During the conversation, Taraji expressed her exhaustion from the relentless grind of the industry, where despite her hard work and talent, she felt undervalued and underpaid. After over two decades in the business, the repetitive cycle of hearing praise yet witnessing unequal treatment took its toll. She felt trapped in a system that demanded her silence and compliance, while her frustrations grew louder.
Amidst this turmoil, 50 Cent thrust himself into the mix, publicly offering support to Taraji by signaling his readiness to collaborate. His gesture wasn’t isolated; it echoed previous instances where he called out Oprah for mistreating entertainers. This history of conflict between 50 Cent and Oprah stemmed from his outspoken criticism of her treatment of artists, highlighting a deeper rift in the industry’s power dynamics.
During the 50s ascent to fame, he aimed to solidify his status as a successful rapper by appearing on Oprah’s show. Such an appearance would not only have helped him reshape his image from an ex-drug dealer from Jamaica Queens to a thriving rapper but would also have reassured his grandmother, a devoted Oprah fan, that he was pursuing a productive path in life. However, when the proposal was presented to Oprah, she made it abundantly clear that she wasn’t interested in what 50 Cent had to offer.
In response, 50 Cent accused Oprah of being against hip-hop, particularly the type of music he produced, even likening her to an Oreo—black on the outside, white on the inside. He expressed, “I think she caters to older white women. She was completely against everything that was in my music, so she ain’t never going to have me on that show.” Feeling snubbed, he declared, “I’m never going to reach that platform, which is confirmation of you being a huge success. So I just said, okay, if we can’t be friends, then let’s at least be enemies.”
Taking his resentment further, 50 Cent named his dog after Oprah and his cat after Oprah’s close friend, Gayle King. He remarked, “‘Okay, named after Oprah, and your cat’s name is Gail, Gail. Okay, Gail.'” During this period, Oprah faced criticism from Ludacris as well, who accused her of undermining him during his appearance on her show to promote his film “Crash.” Instead of focusing on his role in the movie, Oprah repeatedly pressed him about his use of the n-word in his music.
Ludacris found himself in an uncomfortable situation during a radio interview when he addressed remarks made by someone. Reflecting on an incident related to his involvement in the movie “Crash,” he recounted how the person had expressed appreciation for his performance but criticized his music in a broad stroke, which he found unnecessary. He felt that if there were specific songs they disagreed with, it would have been more appropriate to mention those rather than condemning his entire body of work.
Adding to the tension, Ludacris noticed that certain parts of his response were edited out of the interview, giving a skewed impression to viewers. Despite presenting his side of the story, he felt misrepresented in the final broadcast, which left him feeling unfairly portrayed.
Similarly, Dave Chappelle faced a challenging moment during an appearance on Oprah’s show. After turning down a lucrative deal and taking a hiatus from Comedy Central, Dave explained his reasons, citing discomfort with certain aspects of the agreement. However, Oprah repeatedly steered the conversation towards his mental health, which Dave found intrusive and unrelated to the discussion at hand.
Would you say you were paranoid?” “Absolutely. What’s a black man without his radar for trouble? Even if you win big or just ride the subway, that sense of caution kicks in. When rumors circulated about my wealth, it made me a target. Ended up in a South African psychiatric hospital?” “Yep.”
Later, he recounted Hollywood execs pushing antipsychotics, but Oprah brushed it off as stress. “They wanted to label me crazy, make me pop pills. I refused, knowing their game. Oprah insisted it was just stress.” “Sure, stress is one thing, but having someone constantly whisper ‘crazy’ behind you? That’s another.”
It’s clear Oprah’s history of undermining and exploiting black talent goes way back. 50 Cent’s calling it out. Remember when he stood up for Taraji? There’s more. When Mo’Nique exposed Tyler and Oprah for underpaying her, 50 backed her too. She got peanuts for ‘Precious,’ then they expected her to hustle for free. She said no, and they turned on her, trying to sabotage her career. Tyler even bad-mouthed her to directors.
“Who is that linked to? That individual, so no, I wasn’t shunned because of my race. I was marginalized by those lacking courage. Thank you, Mr. Lee Daniels. Thank you. No, darling, I wasn’t sidelined because of my race, I was sidelined by those lacking courage. And you see, they like to silence me, saying, ‘Mo’Nique, you speak too much.’ But that would mean not speaking the truth. That would mean not speaking the truth. ‘You are not compensating me fairly. You are not treating me justly.’
So, folks, while I was speaking out about all of this, I faced resistance from everyone in the industry except for 50 Cent. He was the sole person who supported me. He shared a photo of me on his Instagram and said, ‘All in favor of Mo’Nique reclaiming her position at the top, let’s make it happen. Stop wasting time.’ ‘I attended Mo’Nique’s comedy show during Super Bowl weekend. It was outstanding. She had me captivated. You need to see her.’ Later, he made another post demanding Tyler and Oprah apologize to me because he was determined to elevate my career again. He stated, ‘I’m certain Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry wouldn’t want to perpetuate harm to Monique’s career any longer. It’s been going on for far too long, so now is the time to apologize because I’m going to propel her forward. Greenlight gang, I don’t miss.'”
Well, 50 Cent may jest, but he speaks truths. He recently extended a hand to Mo’Nique, offering her a role in the second season of his popular series ‘BMF.’ I had the pleasure of witnessing Mo’Nique’s stellar performance firsthand; she truly owned her character. But let’s circle back to 50 Cent. He’s never been one to mince words about Oprah Winfrey, accusing her of undermining black talent for her own gain. Rumors even swirl that Oprah paid Taraji P. Henson a mere $500k for her role in ‘The Color Purple,’ despite the film’s staggering $18 million opening day earnings. This disparity speaks volumes about Oprah’s priorities.
Naturally, the internet erupted with opinions on the matter. Many echoed 50 Cent’s sentiments, criticizing Oprah’s alleged pattern of exploitation. One commentator noted, “50 Cent is spot-on. Oprah has a history of this behavior, from Dave Chappelle to Ice Cube and beyond. She’s quick to pry into others’ lives but evades scrutiny of her own.” Another pointed out the bravery of Mo’Nique for speaking out, contrasting it with the silence of others who profit from the status quo.
Now, over to you. What’s your take on 50 Cent’s accusations against Oprah? Do you believe she’s systematically undermining black talent? Share your thoughts below, and be sure to check out the related video for more juicy details.”