BET has responded to reports that it’s pulling the plug on its flagship late night gabfest, The Mo’Nique Show….The oft-controversial network is choosing another term for the sudden move: “Production hiatus.”

Word that the Oscar-winning comedienne had been sent packing over at Black Entertainment Television first hit the curb when The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Rodney Ho published the cancellation rumor in his Wednesday column.

“At about 1:30 p.m., I called Rodney Perry, who was Mo’Nique’s sidekick on the show. He said he was running into a meeting and didn’t answer my question. While I was at lunch over at the mall court, at 1:40 p.m. EST, he texted me: ‘I was told indefinite hiatus.’ That’s a euphemism for canceled…” Ho wrote. “This didn’t appear to be an issue of ratings. I didn’t have time to do an entire season’s check on ratings so I sampled four weeks in April, 2011 vs. April 2010. Ratings from April 5 to April 29, 2010 averaged 615,000 viewers a night. From April 4 to April 28, 2011, her show averaged 586,000. That’s only a five percent drop,” the columnist added.

It didn’t take long for BET to shoot back with a statement of its own:

“’The Mo’Nique Show’ will be on production hiatus beginning in the Fall,” network spokesperson Kobe Swanson says. “However, new episodes of the show will continue to air throughout the summer. Mo’Nique Hicks and ‘The Mo’Nique Show’ are important to the BET Networks family and we look forward to continuing our relationship with her.”

Are you sorry to see Mo go?

To say Hughes isn’t thrilled with the images from those films would be an understatement.

Last year’s Best Supporting Actress Oscar winner, Precious actress Mo’Nique, will get up super early to announce this year’s Academy Award Nominations Jan. 25.

The comedienne will be joined by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak. Set your alarm: The two will unveil the nominations in 10 of the 24 categories @ 8:30 AM ET/ 5:30 AM PT.

The 2011 Oscars — hosted by James Franco and Anne Hathaway — will air in February. What film do you think will get the most nods?

Snitches tell RadarOnline.com that Mo’Nique was livid after tuning into the interview, and is frustrated with her brother, Gerald, for his half-truths about the abuse she suffered The Queen of Talk — who the Precious star accuses of not being “sympathetic enough” to her ordeal.

A tipser claims: “Mo’Nique was particularly upset that Gerald lied to Oprah that he molested her while she was sleeping because she was wide awake and scared of him. Also, she is angry that he did not get any help or enter a rehab and she does not trust him around children.”

“Oprah asked her to appear on her show again for another interview but at this point she has declined the invitation. If anything it has made the situation worse between Mo’Nique and her family and she doesn’t know if she will ever speak to them again now.”

On The View Thursday, Barbara said that Gerald contacted her in February after Mo’Nique discussed the molestation on her Oscar Special. Walters said she declined the interview, sensing that Gerald’s desire to repair his relationship with Mo’Nique may be financially motivated.

In an interview featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show Monday, the brother of Oscar-winning actress/comedienne Mo’Nique admitted that he molested the star when they were children and he wants to apologize to her.

Gerald Imes told The Queen of Talk that he was 13 and Mo’Nique was 7 or 8 the first time he assaulted her sexually. The abuse lasted for three years, Gerald claimed he was abused as a child, which he says drove him to a life of drugs. Gerald said he became abusive towards her during a period in his life when he had “spiraled out of control.”

“I’m here today to acknowledge that I’ve been in denial for over 30 years. I just want to say I’m sorry. I started using cocaine, alcohol, heroin, at age 11. I did the drugs to hide my own pain, to hide my own fear … I abused and betrayed the trust of my sibling,” he cried.

Mo’Nique has discussed her brother’s molestation in previous interviews and even admitted to channeling the abuse she suffered for her role as monster mom Mary Jones in Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.

He was later sentenced to prison for 12 years for molesting another child. Imes says he decided to appear on Winfrey’s show to apologize to Mo’Nique and “bring back some family unity.”

Gerald and Mo’Nique parents also appeared on today’s program, where they confessed that they haven’t spoken to their famous daughter in two years as a result of the molestation fallout.

Oprah says Mo’Nique didn’t want to be a part of today’s interview but gave Winfrey her blessing to chat with her family.

In a new interview with ABC’s Barbara Walters, Oscar-nominated actress/comedienne Mo’Nique opens up about her open marriage to husband Sidney Hicks — and his obsession with her infamously unshaved legs.

The Precious star says while she and Sidney have an open union, she won’t stray from him. “Let me say this: I have not had sex outside my marriage with Sidney,” Mo tells Babs in this year’s 29th – and final – Barbara Walters Oscar Special, airing Sunday.

“Could Sid have sex outside of his marriage with me? Yes. That’s not a deal-breaker. That’s not something that would make us say, ‘Pack your things and let’s end the marriage,’” she continued. “What if it’s 20 times? So what? We’ve been best friends for over 25 years, and we truly know who we are. Oftentimes, people get into marriages and they don’t know who they’re laying next to. I’m very comfortable and secure with my husband.”

The Skinny Women Are Evil author also chatted at length when quizzed about her hairy gams: “He loves the hairy legs, and if Sid likes the hairy legs, there you go,” Mo’Nique beamed. “I tried shaving one time, and it was so uncomfortable and painful. I said never again would I do that to myself. I’m 42 and I’m very hairy.”

An ecstatic Mo spoke with The TODAY Show’s Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira early Tuesday about her nomination.

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Mo’Nique took home the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her dramatic role as an abusive mom in Precious: Based on the novel ‘Push,’ by Sapphire, and gave one of the most moving speeches of the night at Sunday’s ceremony. But the comic is in the news for another reason this MLK Monday — she was also showed off those signature hairy chicken legs. Mo is raising eyebrows for flaunting her leg hair on the red carpet.