Mo'Nique | |
|---|---|
 Mo'Nique at the82nd Academy Awards in 2010 | |
| Born | Monique Angela Imes (1967-12-11)December 11, 1967 (age 57) |
| Other names | Myelle Kaye |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1990–present |
| Works | Full list |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 4 |
| Awards | Full list |
| Website | therealmoworldwide |
Monique Angela Hicks (néeImes; born December 11, 1967), known mononymously asMo'Nique, is an American comedian and Academy Award winning actress.[1][2] She debuted as a member ofThe Queens of Comedy and earned recognition as astand-up comedian. In 2002, she received a nomination for theGrammy Award for Best Comedy Album. She transitioned to mainstream roles starring in theUPN seriesThe Parkers (1999–2004) and the filmsPhat Girlz (2006) andWelcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (2008).
Mo'Nique was critically acclaimed for her performance in the filmPrecious (2009), for which she won theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the fourth African-American woman to win the award, in addition toaccolades at theBAFTA,Golden Globe, andScreen Actors Guild Awards. After hosting her talk showThe Mo'Nique Show (2009–2011), she earned aPrimetime Emmy Award nomination for theHBO filmBessie (2015) and starred inLee Daniels'Netflix filmThe Deliverance (2024).
Mo'Nique was born on December 11, 1967, in Woodlawn,Baltimore County, Maryland,[1] the daughter of engineer Alice Imes and drug counselor Steven Imes Jr.[3] She is the youngest of four children. Mo'Nique graduated fromMilford Mill High School in Baltimore County in 1985[4] and attendedMorgan State University.[5] She is a 1987 graduate of theBroadcasting Institute of Maryland.[6]
Before she was an actress, Monique worked as a customer service representative at the phone companyMCI inHunt Valley, Maryland.[7] She got her start in comedy at the downtown Baltimore Comedy Factory Outlet when her brother Steve dared her to perform at anopen mic night.
During a 2008Essence magazine interview, Mo'Nique revealed that she was sexually abused by her brother Gerald from ages 7 to 11; he went on to sexually abuse another girl and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. After her twin boys were born in 2005, Mo'Nique cut off all contact with Gerald. On April 19, 2010, he admitted onOprah to sexually abusing her over several years. He also was abused by family members and struggled with substance abuse.[8]
Mo'Nique portrayed Nicole "Nikki" Parker on the UPN television seriesThe Parkers from 1999 to 2004. She was featured on many leading stand-up venues such asShowtime at the Apollo,Russell Simmons'Def Comedy Jam, andThank God You're Here. Mo'Nique tackles race issues in her stand up routines, for instance at the Montreal Just For Laugh Festival in 2000: "White and black people, we're just mad at each other, we don't know why we're mad at each other. We're not each other's enemy. We're not the enemy. It's the Chinese people we need to watch out for".[9]
In 2005, Mo'Nique played a significant role in Tony Scott's thrillerDomino, co-starringKeira Knightley andMickey Rourke. In 2006, Mo'Nique was cast as the lead inPhat Girlz, a comedy about an aspiring fashion designer struggling to find love and acceptance. The film was met with lukewarm response from critics and fans. It did earn back its $3 million production cost in its first weekend of release.[10]
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Mo'Nique's first play wasEve Ensler'sObie Award-winning production ofThe Vagina Monologues in March 2002. Mo'Nique,Ella Joyce (Roc);Wendy Raquel Robinson (The Steve Harvey Show andThe Game) andVanessa Bell Calloway (What's Love Got to Do with It), were the first all black celebrity cast to performThe Vagina Monologues. Produced by YYP & Associates, the show was directed by playwright and director Yetta Young as well as co-produced by Kellie R. Griffin, Lisa D. Washington and Anita Cal. Mo'Nique is the author of the best-selling bookSkinny Women Are Evil: Notes of a Big Girl in a Small-Minded World. She also released a 2006 cookbook calledSkinny Cooks Can't Be Trusted. Mo'nique was part of the Washington, D.C., WHUR radio show with George Wilborn. In 2006, she occasionally filled in for afternoon personalityMichael Baisden when his contract withABC Radio was in the process of getting renewed.[11]
She was also named hostess ofShowtime at the Apollo. She was the hostess and executive producer ofMo'Nique's Fat Chance, a beauty pageant for plus-sized women, on theOxygen cable network. She hosted the first season ofFlavor of Love Girls: Charm School onVH1 where she crownedSaaphyri as the winner.Mo'Nique's 2007 documentaryI Coulda Been Your Cellmate! focuses on incarcerated women. In interviews with individual women, she touches on the common factors that bring many women into the penal system. The documentary was related to her filming a comedy special at the Ohio Reformatory for Women, also known as The Farm. In 2007, she had a guest-starring role on the hit television seriesUgly Betty as L'Amanda, Mode's weekend security guard.[12] She starred inThe Mo'Nique Show, her own late-night talk show. Taped in Atlanta, the show premiered October 5, 2009, on BET.[13]
She was featured in soul singerAnthony Hamilton's video "Sista Big Bones", the second single from his albumAin't Nobody Worryin'. She hosted the 2003 and 2004 BET Awards and appeared as the host again for the 2007 BET Awards. She received positive responses in July 2004 with her opening performance ofBeyoncé's single "Crazy in Love" In 2007, she performed Beyoncé's "Déjà Vu". Mo'Nique has had a number of supporting roles in film. She appeared in the 2008 comedy film,Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins withMartin Lawrence. She has had roles inBeerfest,3 Strikes,Two Can Play That Game,Half Past Dead, andSoul Plane. She voiced a character inGarfield: The Movie, but her role was cut from the movie.
In 2008, Mo'Nique stated onOprah Winfrey Show thatMartin Lawrence gave her invaluable advice about show business: "He pulled me to the side and he said, 'Listen, don't ever let them tell you what you can't have.' Since that day, I've made some of the best deals I've ever made in my career because it keeps ringing in my head...It will stay with me forever."[14] In 2008,Radio One signed her to her own radio show:Mo'Nique in the Afternoon (orThe Mo'Nique Show), which premiered on several Radio One-ownedUrban Adult Contemporary-formatted R&B/soul radio stations in July 2008. It mainly aired on these stations that had a local lineup because some Radio One stations did not carry it due to their contracts with Michael Baisden. The show lasted until March 18, 2009, when Mo'Nique decided to leave to "further her career in television, film, and comedy."[15]
In 2009, Mo'Nique appeared in the filmPrecious, directed byLee Daniels, portraying an inner-city teenager's abusive mother. She won theSundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize for her performance in the film. TheAfrican-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) awarded Mo'Nique with the Best Supporting Actress Award in December 2009. Mo'Nique received the AAFCA's first ever unanimous vote in an acting category.[16]
She has received Best Supporting Actress awards from theStockholm International Film Festival, theWashington DC Area Film Critics Association, theLos Angeles Film Critics Association, theBoston Society of Film Critics, theNew York Film Critics Online, theNew York Film Critics Circle, the Southeastern Film Critics Association, theSan Francisco Film Critics Circle, theDallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association, the Las Vegas Film Critics Society, the Utah Film Critics Association, theDetroit Film Critics Society, the Indiana Film Critics Association, theOnline Film Critics Society, theNational Society of Film Critics Awards, the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and theCritics Choice Awards.Time magazine ranked Mo'Nique's outstanding performance as the Best Female Performance of 2009. She won theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress, theIndependent Spirit Award, and theBAFTA Award.[17][18][19][20]
In November 2009, Mo'Nique said, "I own the rights toHattie McDaniel's life story, and I can't wait to tell that story because that woman was absolutely amazing. She had to stand up to the adversity of black and white [society] at a time when we really weren't accepted. Mr. Lee Daniels is going to direct it, of course, and I'm going to be Miss Hattie McDaniel. I really hope I can do that woman justice."[21]
In 2014, Mo'Nique starred inPatrik-Ian Polk's drama filmBlackbird as Claire Rousseau. She next starred asMa Rainey in thebiographical filmBessie in 2015, for which she received critical acclaim, earning her aPrimetime Emmy Award nomination. Her last roles (in film or television) were in 2016. In May 2017, she said Lee Daniels, Oprah Winfrey, and Tyler Perry had been blackballing her ever since she did not promotePrecious in 2009.[22][23]
In 2022, it was announced that Mo'Nique was to star in theLee Daniels' horror/thrillerThe Deliverance withAndra Day,Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor,Omar Epps, Miss Lawrence, andTasha Smith.[24]
Mo'Nique was married to sportswriter Calvin Watkins who she met in broadcasting school and had son Shalon Watkins, Jr. in 1990. She would later describe this marriage as abusive.[25][26] From 1997 to 2001, she was married to barber Mark Jackson. In October 2005, Mo'Nique gave birth to twin sons Jonathan and David Hicks two months before their due date.[27] In 2006, she married their father, Sidney Hicks. In aNew York Times profile, she mentions that she and Hicks have an open marriage:
We have an agreement that we'll always be honest, and if sex happens with another person, that's not a deal breaker for us, that's not something where we'll have to say, 'Oh God, we've got to go to divorce court because you cheated on me.' Because we don't cheat.[28]
She repeated this view later onThe Oprah Winfrey Show when she said that, in her prior marriages, she was constantly searching for "that extra oomph".[29] Mo'Nique explained,
When I said I had an open marriage, people automatically jumped to sex. They automatically went there. But I've been best friends with my husband since we were 14 years old. When we say open, we're very honest. There are no secrets. Oftentimes you have people that are married, but they're strangers, and we refuse to be those people.[30]
She concluded, "I've had to sneak and I've had to lie, and I don't want to do that anymore. But my husband is so awesome and so fine and so—oh, girl...No other man can compare".[30]
In her Netflix specialMy Name is Mo'Nique, released in April 2023, Mo'Nique disclosed that she experienced sexual attraction to women, stating that she was "not all the way" a lesbian, but that "when you're born with that, there's absolutely nothing you can do about it. Nothing. And please understand that I tried."[31][32][33][34]
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In 2009, Mo'Nique starred in the indie dramaPrecious directed byLee Daniels. For the role, she was paid $50,000. The film started to receive critical attention and awards buzz for her performance. The film's executive producersTyler Perry andOprah Winfrey, as well as the film's production companyLionsgate, asked her to travel to promote the film at theCannes Film Festival, which she declined to do, saying her deal was with the film's director, Daniels, and that she had finished her contractual obligations.[35]
Upon winning theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress, Mo'Nique stated, "I'd like to thank the Academy for showing that it can be about the performance and not the politics".[36]
Mo'Nique has since claimed Perry called her to apologize for how she was treated. In 2020, Mo'Nique performed a standup segment attacking Perry, Oprah and others involved in the feud. She has stated how devastated she was by Oprah's communication and described her as "malicious".[37][38][39]
In 2018, Mo'Nique accusedNetflix of racial and gender bias against her after she was paid $500,000 for her comedy special to air on the streaming service. She compared herself toDave Chappelle,Chris Rock,Kevin Hart, andAmy Schumer, who each received multimillion-dollar deals. In her statement, she stated:
When we asked Netflix to explain the difference—why the money was so different—they said, 'Well, we believe that's what Mo'Nique will bring.' We said, 'Well, what about my resume?' They said, 'We don't go off of resumes.' Then we asked them, 'What was it about Amy Schumer?' and they said, 'Well, she sold outMadison Square Garden twice and she had a big movie over the summer.' Is that not Amy Schumer's resume? And then Netflix said, 'By the way, we believe Mo'Nique is a legend, too.' Why shouldn't I get what the legends are getting?
In her statement, she also urged people to support her in her boycott of Netflix. She went on numerous talk shows, includingThe View, in which she continued to fight against Netflix. In 2019, she sued Netflix, with her complaint reading in part, "In short, as this lawsuit shows, Netflix's treatment of Mo'Nique began with a discriminatory low-ball offer and ended with a blacklisting act of retaliation." In the suit, she listed fellow comedians who were paid millions for their specials, including Chappelle, Rock,Jerry Seinfeld,Eddie Murphy,Ellen DeGeneres, andRicky Gervais.[40]
By June 2022, Netflix had settled the lawsuit with Mo'Nique, and on July 19, 2022, announced that she was set to do a new special for them.[41][42]
Mo'nique is the recipient of numerous accolades, most notably, for her performance inPrecious, winning a total of 52 awards out of 66 nominations; in particular, theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress,BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and, theGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture.
For her performance inThe Parkers, Mo'nique has received fourNAACP Image Awards in the category of Most Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. She has also been nominated for several roles, including, aPrimetime Emmy Award for her work in the television film,Bessie, and a number ofBET Awards for her contribution to comedy productions.
| † | Denotes works that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3 Strikes | Dahlia | |
| 2001 | The Queens of Comedy | Herself | |
| Baby Boy | Patrice | ||
| Two Can Play That Game | Diedre | ||
| 2002 | Half Past Dead | Twitch's Girl | |
| 2004 | Soul Plane | Jamiqua | |
| Hair Show | Peaches | ||
| Garfield: The Movie | Rat | Role deleted in final cut of the film | |
| 2005 | Shadowboxer | Precious | |
| Domino | Lateesha Rodriquez | ||
| 2006 | Farce of the Penguins | Vicky(voice) | |
| Irish Jam | Psycho | ||
| Phat Girlz | Jazmin Biltmore | ||
| Beerfest | Cherry | ||
| 2008 | Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins | Betty | |
| 2009 | Steppin: The Movie | Aunt Carla | |
| Precious | Mary Lee Johnston | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress | |
| 2014 | Blackbird | Claire Rousseau | |
| 2016 | Interwoven | Barbara | |
| Almost Christmas | Aunt May | ||
| 2023 | The Reading | Emma Leeden | Also executive producer |
| 2024 | The Deliverance | Cynthia Henry |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Snaps | Herself | Episode 1.1 |
| 1999–2000 | Moesha | Nicole "Nikki" Parker | Recurring role; 3 episodes (Seasons 4 & 6) |
| 1999–2004 | The Parkers | Lead role; 110 episodes | |
| 2001 | The Hughleys | Episode: "Forty Acres and a Fool" | |
| 2002 | The Proud Family | Boonnetta Proud(voice) | Episode: "Behind Family Lines" |
| 2003 | Good Fences | Ruth Crisp | Television film |
| 2004 | The Bernie Mac Show | Lynette | Episode: "Who's That Lady?" |
| 2005 | Girlfriends | Herself | Episode: "See J-Spot Run" |
| 2005–2007 | Mo'Nique's Fat Chance | Host / Herself | Also executive producer |
| 2006 | Rugrats | Aunt Moo(voice) | Direct-to-DVD episode "Tales from the Crib: Three Jacks and a Beanstalk" |
| Nip/Tuck | Evetta Washington | Episode: "Conor McNamara" | |
| 2007 | Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School | Herself | Host; 11 episodes (also producer) |
| The Game | Plus Size Actress / Host | Episode: "Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Redux" | |
| The Boondocks | Jamiqua(voice) | Episode: "…Or Die Trying" | |
| Ugly Betty | L'Amanda | Episode: "I See Me, I.C.U." | |
| 2009–2011 | The Mo'Nique Show | Herself | Host; 251 episodes (also executive producer) |
| 2014 | Love & Hip Hop: New York | Host of Season 4 (2 episodes – Reunion Special) | |
| 2015 | Bessie | Ma Rainey | Television film |
| 2023 | Black Mafia Family | Goldie | Recurring role; 3 episodes (season 2) |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Mo'Nique: I Could Have Been Your Cellmate | Herself | Showtime |
| 2020 | Mo'Nique & Friends: Live from Atlanta | Showtime | |
| 2023 | My Name is Mo'Nique | Netflix |
