Mariah Huq, known for starring on Married to Medicine, is taking legal action against the show’s home network. According to All About Tea, Huq has filed a lawsuit against Bravo alleging that they not only discriminated against her but also stole her ideas and didn’t pay her royalties. Huq not only stars on the show but is credited as the creator and an executive producer of the reality series on Bravo’s website.
“This lawsuit was filed today as a result of the defendants stealing Mariah Huq’s creation Married to Medicine and not paying her royalties, giving her proper credit for spinoffs etc. and treating her with discriminatory practices,” All About Tea’s Monica said in a video about the lawsuit, which was filed January 5. “The complaint is 20 pages long and lays out a significant number of discriminatory practices by NBC/Bravo/Fremantle and Purveyors of Pop, against Mariah Huq. An intellectual property and discrimination complaint has been filed by Mariah Huq and her attorney Bryan Freedman against NBC/Bravo/Fremantle and Purveyors of Pop.”
According to the lawsuit, Purveyors of Pop, Bravo, NBC and Fremantle “acted illegally and unethically which includes but is not limited to”:
- unauthorized exploitation of “Married To Medicine” & Married To Medicine the Series.
- Breach of Contract.
- Breach of joint Venture Agreement.
- breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing.
- failure to prevent retaliation and harassment.
Huq has been vocal about feeling that she was treated differently than other White Bravo reality stars like Lisa Vanderpump and Whitney Sudler-Smith. In an interview she did in July 2020, Huq, who is Muslim, said producers told her she couldn’t wear a hijab during filming. She also wasn’t offered the opportunity to return to Married to Medicine for the show’s eighth season. Huq told All About Tea that she feels a network wouldn’t usually shut out the creator and one of the stars of a hit show and feels that her being Black played a role in the decision.
Former Bravo star NeNe Leakes has also accused Bravo, along with Andy Cohen, of discriminatory practices.
Y’all ready to start this boycott yet?,” she tweeted regarding rallying against Bravo on December 21, 2020. “What has happened behind the scenes is WRONG! While others were being promoted, BLACK WOMEN who created shows, created genres, built franchise and built networks were being DEMOTED…TURN OFF YOUR TV’S.”
In another tweet from that same day, she posted a link to a Change.org petition titled “Boycott Bravo TV/NBC Universal” that tries to persuades folks to sign on the grounds that Leakes wasn’t properly compensated or treated well considering what she contributed to the Real Housewives of Atlanta during her time on the show.
Y’all ready to start this boycott yet? What has happened behind the scenes is WRONG! While others were being promoted, BLACK WOMEN who created shows, created genres, built franchise and built networks were being DEMOTED…TURN OFF YOUR TV’S
— NeNe Leakes (@NeNeLeakes) December 21, 2020
