In 2018, Mo'Nique asked her fans to boycott Netflix, alleging that the streamer discriminated against her by not offering her what male comedians like Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle were offered to do a comedy special.
She sued Netflix in 2019 and the case was settled confidentially in 2022. Now, Mo'Nique is doing a comedy special for the streamer titled My Name is Monique produced by her and her husband Sidney Hicks.
In the trailer, she says, "When you turn your TV off from this one, you'll say, 'Now we understand that woman," the 54-year-old says from her dressing room. "There are things I'm going to say in this comedy special that I thought I would take to my grave. They were just mine. They were my thoughts. They were my secrets. It was just mine. Before, I was just focused on being funny. Now, I feel like I have something to say."
Mo'Nique was on the comedy circuit for years and starred in the popular sitcom The Parkers with co-star Countess Vaughn playing her daughter. She became embroiled in a public spat with Netflix when she compared $20 million offers to Rock and Chappelle and an $11 million initial offer to Amy Schumer to her opening offer of $500,000 for a special.
"I couldn't accept that low offer because if I did ... I couldn't sleep at night," Mo'Nique told radio host Sway Calloway on Sway in the Morning in January 2018. "If I accepted $500,000, what does Tiffany Haddish have coming? If I accept that, what does the Black female comedian have coming? Because what they'll say is, 'Mo'Nique accepted this, and she's got that.' So what do they have coming?"
The special was taped in front of a live audience last October at the Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University.
Mo'Nique is such a beautiful soul and inspiration," a fan who attended the show says in the trailer. "I can't wait to see this! This special was long overdue! Love you, Mo'Nique!"
Actor Clifton Powell of Ray and Dead Presidents fame attended the show. He says, "She's just as amazing now as she was then. She was just as honest then, and she is now."
Mo'Nique says her special will reveal more about her life than fans know and that after watching they will understand why she chose the simple title.
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"Why did I title this special My Name Is Mo'Nique? I give y'all my word, after 72 minutes, y'all gon' know why this [expletive] is called My Name Is Mo'Nique," she says. "Y'all might say, 'Damn, we didn't know we was gonna find out all that!'
Yes, my name is Mo'Nique. This one right here is personal."
My Name is Mo'Nique premieres on April 4.