Mo'Nique

Biography

Monique (Mary)

Mo’Nique is an award-winning comedienne and actress whose career began 20 years ago in her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.  From there, she gained visibility and immense popularity with performances on “Showtime at the Apollo,” HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam,” “Apollo Comedy Hour” HBO’s “Snaps,” BET’s “Comic View,” The Montreal Comedy Festival and Uptown Comedy Club.

A pivotal career break occurred in 1999 when she landed a starring role on the television series, “The Parkers.”  During the show’s five year run Mo’Nique earned numerous awards, including four NCAAP Image Awards for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series in 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005.

Other film credits include Welcome Home Roscoe JenkinsFarce of the Penguins, Beerfest, Shadowboxer, Phat Girlz, Domino, Soul Plane, Hair Show, Three Strikes, Baby Boy, and Two Can Play That Gameand the Showtime tele-film Good Fences.

Mo’Nique’s bold and sarcastic stand-up routine also landed her a starring role in The Queens of Comedy, which was released by Paramount Home Entertainment and aired on the Showtime Network.  The live comedy concert turned album release went on to earn a GRAMMY nomination for Best Spoken Comedy Album.

For three consecutive years, Mo’Nique made history as the host of “Showtime at the Apollo.” 

As a role model for voluptuous women everywhere, she wrote the New York Times best-selling book entitled Skinny Women are Evil.  She and co-author Sherri McGee McCovey released a follow-up called Skinny Cooks Can’t Be Trusted and wrote the teen fiction series, Beacon Hills High, which was just nominated for a 2009 NAACP Image Award.

In 2005, Mo’Nique created, executive produced and hosted “Mo’Nique’s F.A.T. Chance,” America’s first full-figured reality beauty pageant which was the highest-rated show in the history of the cable network and earned a NAACP Image Award nomination in 2006.  Mo’Nique’s other reality show credits include the VH1 series, “Charm School.”

Struck by the increasing numbers of women behind bars, Mo’Nique taped her stand up comedy special “I Coulda Been Your Cellmate” for Showtime television which was later released on DVD.  Delving further into the issue she hosted “Mo’Nique: Behind Bars” for Oxygen.

Mo’Nique will host her own late night talk show on BET this fall.  “The Mo’Nique Show” will feature celebrity guests, music and comedy acts

Description