Mo'Nique Seemingly Comes Out in New Netflix Comedy Special

Academy Award-winning actress and stand-up comedian Mo’Nique has seemingly come out during her new comedy special.

On Netflix’s My Name Is Mo’Nique, the actress first talked about a family member known as Uncle Tina. “My grandmother has a daughter, but we call her daughter Uncle Tina,” she explained. “My Uncle Tina, if she walked in here right now, you would think you were looking at a whole man.” But according to Mo’Nique, her grandmother “could only love [Uncle Tina] privately” because the “church had my grandmother f*cked up.”

After explaining these dynamics within her family, Mo’Nique opened up about her journey with sexuality. Over the years, she buried her queer desires by ignoring them and sleeping with men. Mo’Nique “didn’t want her [grandmother] to love me privately” as well, but she did come out to her father and recalled the story:

“I said, ‘Daddy, I want to be with another woman sexually.’ And he looked at me, so beautifully and so patient and so loving, and he said, ‘B*tch, me too!’”

Mo’Nique added, “Now I know y’all are looking at me, saying, ‘Wait a minute, bitch. Are you a motherf*ckin’ d*ke?’ No, I’m not… all the way. But when you’re born with that, there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it. Nothing. And please understand that I tried.”

It seems clear from the Netflix special that Mo’Nique doesn’t identify as a lesbian but is somewhere in between when it comes to her sexuality spectrum. Nonetheless, the actress has been married to her manager, Sidney Hicks, since 2006, with whom she has a pair of 17-year-old twin sons.

Mo’Nique and Hicks have reportedly maintained an open relationship in the past. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, however, the actress claimed that she “grew out of” wanting an open marriage.

Welcome to the family, Mo’Nique!

My Name Is Mo’Nique is now streaming on Netflix.