(Photo credit: Adam Rose/Netflix)
By Viviane Faver
Last week, “Dear White People” actor Jeremy Tardy posted on Twitter that he faced racial discrimination with Lionsgate while negotiating his Netflix show contract.
“Unfortunately, I will not be joining NETFLIX’s Dear White People in its fourth and final season due to my experience with Lionsgate and its racial discrimination practices,” Tardy began a series of tweets. “After being offered to return in several episodes, my team was notified that our counter offer would not be considered and that the initial offer was the ‘best and final.’ This news was disturbing because one of my white colleagues – being a loyal ally – revealed that they too had received the same initial offer and had successfully negotiated a counteroffer”.
Tardy added that several cast members came together to reject Lionsgate’s pay gap. “… Along with me, six recurring cast members joined on Monday, August 30, to review Lionsgate’s initial offerings,” wrote Tardy. “Our position was to move powerfully as a unit in the negotiation process and, more importantly, to be based on principles, because it is not just a monetary issue.”
Tardy said he was hampered by parallel deals the company made with group members.
“We were all aware of the notorious pay disparities between people of color and our white colleagues on Netflix and Lionsgate shows, so this made it blatantly obvious. However, our collective bargaining power was undermined with side deal offers and a lack of transparency. These tactics led to some individuals taking deals before the collective group received a fair and equitable negotiation process,” he explained.
“These companies have recently released statements, and even donations supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. I am calling out their shady practices of discrimination and racial inequality with regard to how they have historically undervalued and lowballed people of color. Politically correct lip service and symbolic gestures do not absolve you of the daily responsibility of doing business fairly and equitably,” Tardy added.
