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The Gospel According to Mo'Nique


MONIQUE MAIN X390 (GETTY IMAGES) | ADVOCATE.COM

Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, and Katharine Hepburn could all come back from the dead to do battle on Oscar night, and they still might have trouble ripping that gold statuette from Mo'Nique's clutches. Her searing performance as a mentally ill mother in Lee Daniels’s six-time Oscar nominated film Precious is about as close as it gets to a sure thing on Oscar night.

With Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award wins already under her belt, things couldn't get much better for Mo’, who is also making headlines as the host of The Mo’Nique Show. Her BET talk show makes her only the second black woman to venture into late night (Whoopi Goldberg did it first, and Wanda Sykes started a few weeks later).

A lifelong supporter of gay causes and AIDS awareness, the sassy woman who once shouted “skinny bitches are evil" from the mountaintops found time to chat it up with Advocate.com about Precious, her talk show, and homophobia in the church — with a prophecy that God has plans to smack the shit out of some folks!


Advocate.com: Back in April of 2009 I attended a BET event, which is where The Mo'nique Show was first announced. While talking to the audience, which was a bit of a conservative crowd, you mentioned how your show is for everyone and even said the gay community. Some people only support gay audiences in front of gay audiences.
Mo'Nique: [Laughs] That’s funny — yes!

Why is it important for you to be inclusive?
Because love conquers all. Who you choose to live your life with — that’s not my concern, nor is it my business. I think we should just love each other as human beings. We get caught up in the foolishness. I believe if we would just start loving each other as human beings, we would be in a much better position.

Recently on your talk show you had R&B singer Miki Howard as a guest. Both of you said you grew up with gay people in church and there wasn’t anything wrong with it. That was so refreshing to hear. Could you elaborate on your experiences with gays in the church?
I actually was not a person that grew up in church — that’s what Miki was saying and I was agreeing. Now, I know a lot of folks that go to church and are gay. I tell them, “God don’t make no mistakes, baby, and we keep using it when it’s convenient.” If we are all made in his image, there are no mistakes. I think it’s absolute foolishness, just in my humble opinion, when people make statements like, “It’s blasphemy and you’re going to hell!” Really? And I’m a child of God — do you think God set me up? I’ve never bought in to it. With gays and church, I think there are so many of our brothers and sisters that’s in pain because they go to a place to receive nurturing, the love of God, and you start hearing that you’re going to hell because of who you were made to be. I just don’t buy that!

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Reader Comments
  • Name: Sable
    Date posted: 4/28/2011 4:54:11 PM
    Hometown: toaysYTUxhY

    Comment:

    That's 2 clever by half and 2x2 clever 4 me. Tnahks!

  • Name: Roger
    Date posted: 2/21/2010 12:44:48 PM
    Hometown: NYC

    Comment:

    I'm surprised some of you were so clueless about Mo'Nique's support of our community for so long. She has said it before in tons of interviews and on radio before. Advocate is just late on reporting it. But then again, Advocate is clueless about a lot Black actors and actresses who support our community. I guess it doesn't go with their preferred narrative that all black people are homophobic.

  • Name: Michael
    Date posted: 2/20/2010 8:40:10 AM
    Hometown: Philly

    Comment:

    amazing

  • Name: kenny
    Date posted: 2/19/2010 1:04:53 PM
    Hometown: Anderson

    Comment:

    I absolutely love this gal but at the same time I do not think it's right she uses homophobic language in her raunchy performances.

  • Name: EL
    Date posted: 2/18/2010 5:36:23 PM
    Hometown: Walla Walla Ding Dong

    Comment:

    I liked Monique before I read this article and like her even more now! I'm glad to see her getting ahead! Thanks for the Love Mo'.....Love you back!

  • Name: Susan Gabriel
    Date posted: 2/18/2010 4:15:35 PM
    Hometown: Pisgah Forest, NC

    Comment:

    Wow, who is this woman? I love what she has to say about love and God and freeing yourself. This is a gospel I could embrace. Thanks for this interview, Advocate. As always, the best around. Susan Gabriel author of Seeking Sara Summers a novel about coming out later in life

  • Name: David
    Date posted: 2/18/2010 3:26:29 PM
    Hometown: Jackson, OH

    Comment:

    I have always loved Monique but I ADORE her now! Monique will you marry me, mangy and all!! LOL

  • Name: Richard L
    Date posted: 2/18/2010 2:44:07 PM
    Hometown: Arizona

    Comment:

    l

  • Name: Deaidre
    Date posted: 2/18/2010 2:23:41 PM
    Hometown: Baltimore

    Comment:

    I watch her show religiously. Every opportunity that is presented, she speaks openly about gay rights and acceptance. In fact, she refers to her show as "the no judgment zone" especially, when she speaks out about the gay community. She has even come down hard on the black heterosexual community – stressing the importance to be more receptive to their gay/lesbian African American brothers/sisters. As she often shouts from her stage, "I got nothing, but love for you." Go Girl! Love back at you!

  • Name: Leon Banks
    Date posted: 2/18/2010 11:53:02 AM
    Hometown: BATON ROUGE

    Comment:

    I did not know Mo'Nique was an out spoken supporter of gays & lesbians. Kudos to her, also congrats on her Golden Globe & SAG awards. I have not watched her show because I read an article were she refused to help promote the movie doing her nomination for the Golden Globe unless she was paid. Her remark was that it's all about the money. It's great that she calls everyone family when she uses words like sugar and baby, however, I am like the guy who stated he does not like to be refer to in those terms. To me it takes away from individuality and beside those terms in my opinion should be reserved for love ones(partners). Best of luck on her bid for the Oscar.



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