Mo'Nique Recalls Hiding Her Bisexuality From Her Family Out Of Fear In New Standup Special: Watch

Sat, April 8, 2023 at 1:20 PM

Though she spent several years out of the spotlight after being cancelled among some of Hollywood's most elite, Mo'Nique is back in a big way. Her most recent work comes in the form of a Netflix comedy special called My Name Is Mo'Nique, in which she chiefly comes out as a bisexual woman. According to the Precious actress, she spent many of her younger years ashamed of the fantasies she had and even avoided speaking to her family about such thoughts out of fear. Her grandmother, MiMi, apparently "could not come to grips that she had a gay daughter" of her own, causing "confusion" for the young girl at the time.

"And I felt cowardly when my grandmother left because I couldn't tell my grandmother who her granddaughter really was," the 55-year-old told the audience while breaking down in tears. "I adored how she adored me," Mo'Nique added, recalling fond memories of MiMi's affectionate nature. "I couldn't tell my grandmother my secret thoughts and my fantasies 'cause I... Did not want her to leave this earth thinking she was a failure. Because had I told her my secret thoughts, she would have left thinking she had failed," she later said.

Comedian Gets Vulnerable During My Name Is Mo'Nique Special

View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Shade Room (@theshaderoom)

In a shocking revelation, Mo'Nique then admitted her bisexuality to the audience, noting that she's "not all the way" lesbian. The Maryland native noted that she was never able to admit her truth to MiMi, as she found it incredibly difficult to confess her desires "out loud." The embattled entertained continued, "Do you know how hard it is to keep a secret? Secrets cause cancer. When you're born with that, there's absolutely nothing you can do about it. Nothing. And please understand I tried."

During her Netflix special, she recalled sleeping with "as many men as she could" to avoid any speculation of "something [being] wrong" with her. "I promised that I would never tell anyone, that I would take that to my grave. Because I saw how they treated the people in my family with that 'disease.' Because they made us believe it was a 'disease,' right?" Thankfully, Mo'Nique eventually found a confidant in her husband, Sidney Hicks. "'I want to be with another woman sexually,'" she reportedly told him. "He looked at me so beautifully and so patient and so loving and said, 'Bitch, me too,'" the starlet quipped. Check out the show's full trailer below, and tap back in later for more pop culture news updates.