The Memoir Of Ms. Butterfly

Mo’Nique was born on December 11, 1967, in Woodlawn, Baltimore County, Maryland, the daughter of engineer Alice Imes and drug counselor Steven Imes, Jr. She is the youngest of four children. Mo’Nique graduated from Milford Mill High School in Baltimore County in 1985 and attended Morgan State University. She is a 1987 graduate of the Broadcasting Institute of Maryland. Before becoming an actress, Monique worked as a customer service representative at the phone company MCI in Hunt Valley, Maryland. She got her start in comedy at the downtown Baltimore Comedy Factory Outlet when her brother Steve dared her to perform at an open mic night. During a 2008 Essence magazine interview, Mo’Nique revealed that she was sexually abused by her brother Gerald from ages 7–11; he went on to sexually abuse another girl and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. After her twin boys were born in 2005, Mo’Nique cut off all contact with Gerald. However, on April 19, 2010, he admitted to Oprah sexually abusing her over several years. He also was abused by family members and struggled with substance abuse.

She first gained recognition for her work in standup comedy, debuting as a member of The Queens of Comedy. In 2002, she received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Comedy Album. Mo’Nique began her transition into mainstream film and television having a starring role as Nicole “Nikki” Parker in the UPN series The Parkers (1999–2004), as well as appearing in Phat Girlz (2006) and Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (2008).

In 2009, she garnered critical acclaim for her performance in the film Precious, for which she won numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the fourth African American woman to win the prize. Mo’Nique has since hosted The Mo’Nique Show (2009–2011) and starred as Ma Rainey in the HBO biopic Bessie (2015), earning a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. After Mo’Nique made notable guest appearances on Moesha in 1999 and 2000, a spin-off series was created for her character. Next, she starred for five seasons as Nikki Parker on the sitcom The Parkers (1999–2004), in which she played an ebullient single mother. Film roles soon followed, though the movies were of varying quality, ranging from Baby Boy (2001), about life in inner-city Los Angeles, to Soul Plane (2004), a widely reviled parody of Airplane! (1980) that features stereotypical depictions of African Americans. In addition to acting, Mo’Nique continued to perform standup, notably joining the Queens of Comedy tour in 2000.

Mo’Nique first gained attention as a dramatic actress in Shadowboxer (2005), in which she played a drug addict. She then lent her voice to Farce of the Penguins (2006), a coarse spoof of the nature documentary The March of the Penguins (2005), and starred in Phat Girlz (2006), a romantic comedy. Finally, she attained critical praise for her performance as the violent, sexually abusive Mary in Precious: Based on the Novel Push’ by Sapphire (2009), helmed by Shadowboxer director Lee Daniels. As Mary, the zaftig Mo’Nique, stalks the screen, lambasting and assaulting Precious, her teenage daughter is HIV-positive and pregnant with a second child by her father. Critics praised Mo’Nique’s ability to evoke the ignorance and desperation behind the inhuman actions of her character. She won an Academy Award for best supporting actress for the role.

While working in film, Mo’Nique continued to appear on television. She was the host of Mo’Nique’s F.A.T. Chance (2005–07), a beauty pageant for full-figured women, and she took her confrontational brand of humor to the talk-show circuit with The Mo’Nique Show (2009–12) on Black Entertainment Television (BET). In 2015 she played Ma Rainey in the T.V. movie Bessie, a biopic about Bessie Smith. She hosted a televised comedy special, Mo’Nique & Friends: Live from Atlanta, in 2020. In addition, Mo’Nique penned Skinny Women Are Evil: Notes of a Big Girl in a Small-Minded World (2003; with Sherri A. McGee), a profanity-laden apologia for overweight women, and followed with a similar cookbook, Skinny Cooks Can’t Be Trusted (2006).

Mo’Nique was briefly engaged to accountant Kenny Mung. From 1997 to 2001, she was married to Mark Jackson. They have two sons: Mark Eric Jackson Jr. and Shalon Calvin Jackson. Mo’Nique gave birth to twin sons, Jonathan and David Hicks, in October 2005. two months early. In 2006, she married their father, Sidney Hicks. In a New York Times profile, she mentions that she and Hicks have an open marriage: We have an agreement that we’ll always be honest, and if sex happens with another person, that’s not a deal breaker for us, that’s not something where we’ll have to say, ‘Oh God, we’ve got to go to divorce court because you cheated on me.’ Because we don’t cheat.

She repeated this view later on The Oprah Winfrey Show when she said that, in her prior marriages, she was constantly searching for “that extra oomph. Mo’Nique explained, When I said I had an open marriage, people automatically jumped to sex. They automatically went there. But I’ve been best friends with my husband since we were 14. When we say open, we’re sincere. There are no secrets. Often you have people that are married, but they’re strangers, and we refuse to be those people. She concluded, “I’ve had to sneak, and I’ve had to lie, and I don’t want to do that anymore. But my husband is so fantastic and delicate and so—oh, girl…No, another man can compare.

In 2009, Mo’Nique starred in the independent drama Precious: Based on the Novel Push’ by Sapphire, directed by Lee Daniels. For the role, she was paid $50,000. The film started to receive critical attention and awards buzz for her performance. As a result, the film’s executive producers, Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey, and the film’s production company. Lionsgate asked her to travel to promote the film at the Cannes Film Festival, which she declined to do, saying her deal was with the film’s director, Daniels, and that she had finished her contractual obligations.

Upon winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, Mo’Nique stated, “I’d like to thank the Academy for showing that it can be about the performance and not the politics. Mo’Nique has since claimed Tyler Perry called her to apologize for how she was treated. In 2020, Mo’Nique performed a standup segment attacking Perry, Oprah, and others involved in the feud. She has stated how devastated she was by Oprah’s communication and described her as “malicious.

2019 Netflix lawsuit

In 2018, Mo’Nique accused Netflix of racial and gender bias against her after she was paid $500,000 for her comedy special to air on the streaming service. She compared herself to Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Kevin Hart, and Amy Schumer, who each received multimillion-dollar deals. In her statement, she stated: When we asked Netflix to explain the difference — why the money was so different — they said, ‘Well, we believe that’s what Mo’Nique will bring.’ So we said, ‘Well, what about my resume?’ They said, ‘We don’t go off of resumes.’ So then we asked them, ‘What about Amy Schumer?’ They said, ‘Well, she sold out Madison Square Garden twice and had a big movie over the summer.’ Is that not Amy Schumer’s resume? And then Netflix said, ‘By the way, we believe Mo’Nique is a legend, too.’ So why shouldn’t I get what the legends are getting?” In her statement, she also urged people to support her in her boycott of Netflix. In addition, she went on numerous talk shows, including The View, in which she continued to fight against Netflix. Finally, in 2019, she sued Netflix, with her complaint reading in part, “In short, as this lawsuit shows, Netflix’s treatment of Mo’Nique began with a discriminatory lowball offer and ended with a blacklisting act of retaliation.” In the suit, she listed fellow comedians who were paid millions for their specials, including Chappelle, Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Eddie Murphy, Ellen DeGeneres, and Ricky Gervais. By June 2022, Netflix had settled the lawsuit with Mo’Nique, and on July 19, 2022, announced that she was set to do a new special for them.

Shalon Jackson is Mo’Nique’s eldest child. But, unfortunately, the mother-son relationship is smoother than many people will have it be. Despite his mother’s success as a comedian and actress, her uneasy relationship with one of her children is a sore spot. Nevertheless, the comedy queen gained wide recognition for her role as the 2001 The Queens of Comedy film member. Ever since she has won an Oscar award as Best Supporting Actress in her role in Precious.

The Truth Behind Shalon Jackson’s Fallout With His Mother

Having hinted reasons for not attending the film festival. Mo’Nique blamed her career for taking up much of her time when her Shalon was younger. At the time, she paid more attention to her budding career and neglected to give her son more time.

The reason for their fallout goes way back to when she started her career as a comedian. Mo’Nique’s decision had a lasting effect on her young son as they grew apart. He is a product of his mother’s first marriage. She and her second husband adopted Mark Eric Jackson while they were married.

Yet, she paid more attention to building a career than her children and marriage. However, it is sad that Shalon and his mother don’t get along.

Shalon Jackson’s Mother Showed Guilt And Regret Over Fallout With Son

His mother first expressed guilt for her poor relationship with her eldest child in 2015. She had refused to attend the Cannes Film festival to promote her 2009 film, Precious, so she could spend time with her family.

This brought a misunderstanding between her, Lee Daniels, the director of the movie, and Lionsgate. Her desire to spend time with her family made people ask questions. Monique showed the guilt of falling out with her son while pursuing her career. She realized that the price she had to pay for a successful career was a poor relationship with her son. She deeply regrets not being there for Shalon when he needs her.

However, Mo’Nique is one of the lucky ones as she has another opportunity to mend her relationship. She apologized for being an absentee mother to her son but promised to provide for his needs.

Where Is Shalon Jackson Now?

Monique’s son, Shalon, born sometime in the 1990s and about 31 years old as of 2021, is entirely private. The young man has remained out of the media eye despite being the son of a celebrity actor. Shalon may have decided to lay low due to his strained relationship with his mother. However, since Monique tried to make amends and apologize to him in 2015, one would expect that things are okay at home now. With the actress’s remorse, she also indicated that she was making things suitable for her kids. Hopefully, this includes Shalon, and he is also actively involved in his family’s life and growth.

Here Are Some Unknown Details About Shalon Jackson’s 

Shalon Jackson’s Parents Divorced While He was still YoungHis relationship with his mother may have started showing cracks from childhood. She married his father, Shalon Watkins, and by 1990, they welcomed their child, Shalon Watkins Jr. They moved to Atlanta so his mother could invest in her career. Unfortunately, his parent’s marriage came apart after two years. Mo’Nique returned to Baltimore with her son.

His Mother’s Second Marriage and Rise To Fame, Monique moved on to another relationship with Mark Jackson. They got married in 1997 at a point when her career took off. Within the period, she was cast as Nikki Parker in the 1999 UPN TV sitcom The Parkers. Mo’Nique was also featured on Russel Simmons Def Comedy Jam.

Mo’ Niques rising career affected her marriage. Meanwhile, she and Jackson adopted a child, Mark Eric Jackson. Unfortunately, this marriage also ended in a divorce.

Mo’Nique Is in An Open Marriage

Shalon’s mother has always maintained that she is in an open marriage with her current husband, Sidney Hicks. She and Hicks went to high school together and became friends. However, it was years later and after several partners that they chose to be together. They welcomed their twin children, Jonathan and David Hicks, in October 2005. The terms of her third marriage to Hicks are made by her when she reveals that they were in an open marriage. She backed it up by saying it would make them available to each other since cheating does not have to be the reason for getting a divorce. Despite calling him daddy for acting like her father should have done, Mo’Nique decided that they should have an open marriage. However, the revelation backfired against her, and in 2013, she clarified that she and Hicks are now monogamous.

His Mother Was Blackballed After Winning An Oscar

Monique’s role as Hattie McDaniel in Precious earned her an Oscar Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2009. Unfortunately, in the wake of this success, Mo’Nique was blackballed by many. Lee Daniels informed her of the development in a phone conversation. According to her, she was blackballed for not playing the game, stemming from her refusal to promote Precious. Her last movie/T.V. role was in 2016.

Shalon Jackson’s Net WorthOutside having a celebrity mother, Shalon is not well known. His private life and career are not known. Through his relationship as the son of the Oscar-winning actress, Shalon stands to benefit from his mother’s success. Mo’Nique has a net worth of over $13 million. She sued Netflix for racist and gender discrimination against her. As a result, Netflix offered to pay her a lesser amount than other comedians, $500 thousand. Though she won her case, the victory has yet to add to her net worth.

Mo’Nique has taken to social media to address her thoughts on Oprah and how she has managed the Harvey Weinstein case in recent years. 

The comedienne is also calling out the media titan for allegedly what she claims to be a “disparity” in how she treats people around her. In the Instagram post, she wrote, “I felt compelled to write you this open letter after observing how you seem to treat people who were accused of the same allegations.

In addition, she wrote, “You did an interview on the CBS Morning Show and were asked about Harvey Weinstein by Norah O’Donnell, and you said as it pertained to him that you ‘always try to look at the Rainbow in the clouds, whatever is the silver lining. 

Mo’Nique then expresses that this is hypocritical since she was going to be part of a documentary addressing Michael Jackson and Russel Simmons’ sexual assault allegations.

“Russell and Harvey are accused of the same thing, so in fairness, how do you not ‘support’ the accusers of both as you said you did with R.S., or you look for the silving lining for both like you said you did with H.W.?” she asked. 

Further, in the open letter, she addresses her thoughts on her “personal experiences” with Oprah. “You’ve watched me as a black woman, be accused of being difficult for not promoting Precious internationally for Lions Gate, at Lions Gate, Tyler Perry, and your request, despite the fact my deal was with Lee Daniels Entertainment,” she shared.

“How are you for black women when you hear Tyler on audio saying I was right and he was going to speak up, but you or he still haven’t said a word?

She also detailed when she first met Oprah when she was 16. Upon meeting her, she shared that when she grew up, she wanted to be just like her, to which Oprah noted, “You have to work really, really hard. My sixteen-year-old self didn’t know that you, in your silence in the face of wrongdoing, would make my life ‘harder.

In case you need a refresher, the feud between Oprah and Mo’Nique allegedly began when they worked on Precious together in 2009. Mo’Nique has expressed that she refused to go on press runs for the film per Lionsgate, Lee Daniels, and Oprah’s requests since she wouldn’t be paid. Following these actions, she was interviewed by Steve Harvey and addressed that she had been “labeled as difficult” and then blacklisted in the industry.

“I said no to some compelling people. I said no to Oprah Winfrey. I said no to Tyler Perry. I said no to Lee Daniels, and I said no to Lionsgate. Oprah has not officially responded to any of Mo’Nique’s claims, according to Entertainment Tonight. Instead, take a look at her entire open letter below.

Mo’Nique is set to star in a new BET+ original movie, The Reading, written and directed by Courtney Glaude, with Lee Daniels, Mo’Nique, and her husband, Sidney Hicks, serving as producers. This will mark more than 10 years since Mo’Nique and Daniels collaborated on a project after their initial pairing in “Precious,” which provided Mo’Nique with her first Academy Award nomination. On Wednesday (January 18), the trailer for the horror movie shows Sky (Chasity Sereal) as she travels to a staged reading at author Emma Leeden’s home (Mo’Nique) years after Emma’s family was killed in a home invasion. Sky, who often worries about past experiences with spirits, unwittingly summons evil forces into the home, threatening her, Emma, and the rest of the group there.

Ms. Butterfly Genesis