It all started with a dare. One night, at the Comedy Factory Outlet in Baltimore, Mo’Nique’s brother challenged her to go up and perform on stage. She did. What resulted was a hugely successful career in the entertainment industry. But her success did not come as a surprise to her. She had always known she possessed something that separated her from everyone else. In fact, she added the apostrophe to her name to symbolize her belief that she is “more unique” than one might think.
The youngest of three children, Monique was born on Dec. 11, 1967 to Steve and Alice Imes. She grew in up in Baltimore and attended Milford Mill High School before moving on to Morgan State University, a historically African American institution. While still an undergrad at Morgan State, Mo’Nique made her debut performance at the Comedy Factory and was asked to host her own show at a local beauty parlor the following week for $25. Audiences were drawn to the way she celebrated her womanhood in a way that inspired others to do the same, and she began taking the stage at every chance she could.
Her first break into the mainstream comedy circuit came in 1989 when she was asked to perform on “It’s Showtime at the Apollo,” at the Apollo Theater in New York City. She continued to pursue comedy full-time while also venturing into acting. Her role in the UPN sitcom, “The Parkers,” led to future movie roles in titles such as “Soul Plane,” “Shadowboxer,” and “Precious.” However, she never gave up on comedy and was quoted saying: “With TV and movies you have to wait for the numbers to come in to see what happened at the box office. With stand-up, it’s right there, that night, in your face.”
Mo’Nique hosted “The Mo’Nique Show” on BET and has promised her fans there will certainly be more stand-up comedy to come. As a person who has never been afraid to laugh at herself, Mo’Nique has shown people that life is just a game, so you might as well have fun playing it.
Joshua Shapiro is a second-year student majoring in English and education. He can be reached at JS762110@wcupa.edu.
Scan the QR code to watch clips from Mo’Nique’s most famous appearances.