After a long and public legal battle between veteran comedian Mo’Nique and the major streaming platform Netflix, Mo’Nique’s long awaited comedy special, My Name is Mo’Nique was released on April 4, 2023. Since its release there has been a lot of chatter across social media with mixed opinions pertaining to the special, what she had to say, and her performance.
And as the true Mo’Nique stan that I’ve come to be (did I really just say that?), I’ve already watched it twice. Once, in eager anticipation, considering the past four or so years she’s publicly endured varying opinions – mostly negative – about the way she has advocated for herself. My interest was piqued. The second time, I watched for a purpose deeper than just being entertained. Yep, I’m one of those people and this is a no judgement zone.
Honestly, I loved it. Maybe not for the reasons I probably should have, but I still enjoyed every moment. I’m big on telling the truth and even bigger on standing up for yourself even if it means standing alone. Therefore, I had more than a few reasons to be invested. Most of the entertainment I found within the special was in how Mo’Nique came out on top.
In 2019 when she initially called for the boycott of Netlfix citing racial and gender-based discrimination as the cause, nearly everyone thought she’d lost her mind. For a moment I did too, but I did my research. As media outlets tried to make a mockery out of her cause, sis just kept going, kept swinging, and kept it pushing. She refused to be swayed from her beliefs. Now, she and Netflix have come to a resolution that has led to her comedy special happening. But only after years of people attempting to gaslight and label her with the angry Black woman trope, has sis gracefully landed on top. She stood her ground by actively expressing and advocating for herself any chance she got. We have to applaud that. This might be an unpopular opinion but it’s the truth.
Not only did Mo’Nique finally get her opportunity (and appropriate coins, I hope), she also earned the platform to tell her truth, setting the record straight on who she is, why she moves the way that she does, and what she stands firmly for. How can we hate on that? I mean, who cares that the special wasn’t stomach achingly funny? Neither was Chris Rock’s recent special, Selective Outrage. I was selectively outraged at how long he left us waiting to hear what he had to say about the Oscars situation (yeah, that) and not a bit of it made me feel like, “Yeah, I totally empathize with this guy”. Yet, he was celebrated for spending an hour indirectly discussing how to behave in front of white people.
Chile, please.
However, if that was his truth so be it. But, the same grace and understanding we gave him should be applied to Mo’Nique. Personally, I think her comedy special was meant to be more of an insight into what it looks like for a Black woman to have gone through so much and still come out undefeated — even when she shouldn’t have had to endure any of it. From the announcement promo alone what I expected most was for her to discuss some of what she’s been through and to gain understanding into the intersectionality that is Mo’Nique. She did exactly that and more.
More importantly, justice was seemingly served for her and as a Black woman I acknowledge how seldomly we EVER get to experience such a win in real time — publicly. That in itself, isn’t something that I can take lightly. So yes, you absolutely should go tune in. If for no other reason than for the culture and for her win that is also OUR win.