BHM Spotlight: Mo’Nique

Photo: Reuters

February is the special month in which we honor and celebrate African-Americans, past and present, for all their accomplishments in a variety of fields: music, television, film, fashion, business and so much more. Here at Glambergirlblog we want to do things a little bit different. Everyday throughout this month we will spotlight some of the glamberous African-Americans in the entertainment industry.

The 85th Academy Awards is taking place on Sunday, February 24, so in order to prepare throughout the weekend Black History Month Spotlight, BHM, is going Oscar gold and celebrating some of the past and present Oscar worthy ladies. Miss Mo’Nique has transformed herself from a queen of comedy to a queen of gold.

Proud native of Baltimore, Maryland, Monique Imes always had a thing for making people laugh. In college she was offered the chance to host her own local show after taking the stage at an open mic night at the Comedy Factory Outlet in Baltimore. Mo’Nique continued to gain practice on stage as a comedian and soon relocated to Atlanta to have a better chance at excelling her career.

Only two years after deciding to pursue a professional career of comedy; Mo’Nique began to create buzz around her stand-up routines. She began to open up for musicians like Keith Sweat and Bobby Brown while landing herself television roles on It’s Showtime at the Apollo, Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam and BET’s Comic View. In 1999, Mo’Nique landed her own television series The Parkers alongside Countess Vaughn, after successful guest appearance roles on shows like Moesha and The Bernice Mac Show. 

In 2003, the actress made the transition into film with “Good Fences.” From there she starred in comedic roles in films like: “Two Can Play That Game,” “Soul Plane” and “Hair Show.” Mo’Nique continued to build her brand by becoming an author (Skinny Women Are Evil: Notes of a Big Girl in a Small-Minded World and Skinny Cooks Can’t Be Trusted) and a television host (Mo’Nique’s F.A.T. Chance and The Mo’Nique Show). One of Mo’Nique’s greatest successes, besides being a wife and mother of three, has to be winning an Oscar for her performance as Mary Lee Johnston in the 2009 film “Precious,” based on the novel Push by Sapphire.

Fun Fact About Mo’Nique: She got her start as a comedian from a dare. Her brother dared her to take the stage at an open mic comedy session; which she did and became a crowd favorite.