Going into comedy wasn’t Mo’Nique’s first option. She took up a challenge from her younger brother to perform at an open mic night at the Comedy Factory Outlet in downtown Baltimore. Since then, she has released several stand-up comedy specials and documentaries, including “Mo’Nique: One Night Stand, “Mo’Nique & Friends: Live from Atlanta” and “Mo’Nique: Behind Bars.”
Mo’Nique didn’t stop just at standup comedy. She also made an appearance in several movies. In her debut movie, she played the role of Nicole “Nikki” Parker on a 1999 episode of the UPN sitcom “Moesha,” according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Since then, Mo’Nique has starred in a number of movies and series, including playing the role of Nikki on UPN’s “The Parkers” and on ABC’s “The Hughleys”. She also voiced Bonnetta on “The Proud Family”, starred in “Good Fences,” and guest-starred on “The Bernie Mac Show.”
What is more, in 2015, she hosted and produced “Mo’Nique’s Fat Chance,” a plus-sized beauty pageant on the Oxygen network. She followed it up with VH1’s “Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School”, which she hosted in 2007. Also, she guest-starred on “Nip/Tuck”, “The Game” and “Ugly Betty.”
Mo’Nique played Mary Lee Johnston in “Precious” in 2009, which earned her an Academy Award. She then starred in the films “Blackbird”, “Interwoven”, and “Almost Christmas”.
Mo’Nique’s career as an actress and a standup comedian has not only made her a well-known figure, but she has also accumulated considerable wealth. According to Celebrity Net Worth, she has a net worth of $13 million. She became a subject of an investigation by the IRS and the Georgia Department of Revenue after reportedly owing $620,000 in back taxes.
Still, her outstanding performances have won her several awards including the 2003 and 2004 BET Awards. Apart from winning an Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in “Precious”, she has also received five NAACP Image Awards among others.
The film “Precious” however brought her issues. During the awards press run for the film, she said she did not want to continue promoting the film without payment. The film’s director, Lee Daniels, and producer, Oprah Winfrey were upset by her decision. Later, Mo’Nique accused Daniels and Winfrey of playing a major role in getting her sidelined in Hollywood. The comedian also accused Tyler Perry of trying to paint her as “difficult.”
On Out Loud with Claudia Jordan, Mo’Nique said the following regarding Oprah Magazine’s Breonna Taylor cover: “I can’t say this is factual because I don’t know. I’ve never seen another Black woman on the magazine other than Oprah Winfrey. I’ve seen other women on the cover with her but I’ve never seen a Black woman on the cover of that magazine. And that’s a sister that was murdered and Oprah Winfrey took a stand and said ‘we gotta get justice.’ As you took a stand for our sister that was murdered, you took part in murdering my career.”
Rapper 50 Cent is now saying that he would like to work with Mo’Nique and help her get back on top.
Mo’Nique was born on December 11, 1967, in Baltimore, Maryland. She was born Monique Angela Imes to Alice, her mother, and Steven Jr., her father. Alice was an engineer while Steven was a drug counselor. She was the youngest of three siblings and was abused by her brother Gerald in her childhood.
She attended Morgan State University and subsequently went on to earn a degree from the Broadcasting Institute of Maryland in 1987. She went on to work for the phone company MCI in Hunt Valley as a customer service representative upon graduation.
She married in 1997 and had a son. She adopted another son prior to divorcing in 2001. She later married Sidney Hicks and they have twins.
