The Author of the Book That Inspired ‘Mean Girls’ Says She Hasn’t Been Properly Paid for Its Success

Rosalind Wiseman, the woman who wrote the book that inspired Mean Girls, is coming for Tina Fey after she alleges that what she was paid didn’t match the success of the 2004 film.

After multiple studios approached her about adapting her book Queen Bees and Wannabes, she decided to give the rights for a film (and any derivative works based upon the film, such as musicals) to Tina Fey and Paramount Pictures. However, she is now saying that despite contacting the studio several times about net profits—her contract stipulated that she would receive a portion of net profits from the film—they have told her that there are no profits and, therefore, nothing else she is owed.

In an interview with The New York Post, she said that she feels that she should be “compensated” for the film’s cultural impact. “For so long I was so quiet about it, but I just feel like the hypocrisy is too much. I think it’s fair for me to get compensated in some way for the work that has changed our culture.”

She continued by saying that she feels that although Fey seems to be all for women supporting each other, she didn’t see any of that in their partnership, at least not after they worked on the film together: “Over the years Tina’s spoken so eloquently about women supporting other women, but it’s gotten increasingly clear to me that, in my own personal experience, that’s not going to be the experience.”

She says that she was approached years ago about her book becoming a stage production, but that it was blocked by Tina Fey and Paramount, with their reason being ownership rights.

She continued saying that after the musical finally made its debut, she wasn’t paid. “What’s hard is that they used my name in the Playbill. And Tina, in her interviews, said I was the inspiration and the source, but there was no payment.”

“For a lot of reasons I didn’t come forward for a while, and one of the reasons [is] because I was so focused on me not whining or trying to trash Tina,” she continued, “I believe strongly when you’re in a position of power and privilege that you have a responsibility to share that to create equity.”

Rosalind’s accusations come after the announcement of the film adaption of the stage musical, which is based on the 2004 classic movie that starred Lindsay Lohan as Cady Heron, a girl raised by zoologist parents in Africa, who moves to the U.S. and finds that she doesn’t fit in before she falls in with the “mean girls” of her school, who are headed by Regina George (Rachel McAdams).

Neither Tina Fey nor Paramount has made statements in response to the author’s claims.

(featured image: Paramount Pictures)