The brand new stand-up special from award-winning actress, comedian and icon premiered globally on Netflix April 4.
Mo’Nique delivers a career defining, powerhouse stand-up performance in her unprecedented return to the stage. Filled with laugh till you cry stories as well as soul baring emotion, Mo’Nique promises that by the end of the show you will understand why she is the way she is, and true to form, she delivers. From the mean streets of Baltimore and remembering her Grandma Mimi’s warnings about men, to why she “ACCEPTS” the sometimes-harsh realities that come with life, Mo’Nique with her unique brand of candor, fearlessness, and humor reveals all of herself, and leaves nothing on the table.
In 2017, Netflix offered Mo’Nique $500,000 to star in her own comedy special, but the Oscar-winning actor claimed the streamer was low-balling her and that the offer was discriminatory. She pointed out that fellow comedians Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock and Amy Schumer had been offered eight-figure deals, and claimed that Netflix has systematically underpaid Black women.
Netflix rescinded its offer, and in 2019 Mo’Nique sued Netflix for failing to negotiate in good faith.
The federal judge overseeing the case sided with Mo’Nique, and in June 2022 the lawsuit was settled out of court. “My Name Is Mo’Nique” was filmed later that year in Atlanta.
“We sat down with our attorneys, they had their attorneys, you go to mediation, and we were able to come up with something that everybody was good with,” Mo’Nique told the Hollywood Reporter about her deal with Netflix. “I think when adults come together in the room and sit down and have a reasonable conversation and a logical conversation, you work things out.”
Mo’Nique is also set to star in the Netflix film The Deliverance from Lee Daniels.