Mo'Nique's Netflix Special: A Motley Mess or Amazing Message
Temeika Beasley Spruiells
April 24, 2023.Medium.
Mo’Nique’s brutal battle with Netflix appeared to be the final punch to forever knock her out of the entertainment industry as a mainstream personality. When she emerged as the champion with a Netflix comedy special, there was no doubt she was the comeback queen with rounds to spare. However, considering her fellow comedians and others tarring and feathering her on social media after the program’s debut, it makes you wonder if Netflix was right. Maybe Mo’Nique wasn’t it anymore, or maybe folks missed the message altogether.
What the Heck Happened?
Ricky Valero from Ready Steady Cut believed Mo’Nique delivered a performance worthy of a queen of comedy, “. . .She walked on that stage with a chip on her shoulder and walked out like a boss knowing she just killed it,” he wrote.
Capone, the longest-running host of the Apollo, didn’t have the same celebratory response in his interview with Comedy Hype Uncut when he reluctantly said, “I mean this in the most respectful way, hire a writer. . .it ain’t new material; she’s talked about it before.” He wasn’t trying to throw shade. Overall the conclusion was Mo’Nique’s failure to realize the shift from the 90s frame of thought to the current, more refined world of comedy.
Commentary around the internet was similarly divided. “Cringeworthy” was one of the most frequent phrases coupled with the comedian’s performance, while brilliant was the other. Some felt her stories were disjunct and bereft of comedic relief. You wonder if everyone watched the same special.
Mo’Nique did what comedians do; she amusingly illuminated uncomfortable topics prevalent in society, particularly ones in African American communities:
Special Education Overdiagnosis in Communities of Color (her middle school experience of being placed in the special education program without consent )
Systemic colonization of Black and Brown young people through assimilative tactics in schools by “professionals” who do not value the cultural beauty of their students (her teacher’s conspicuous quest to teach the Black kids in her class correct grammar/ English)
The inability of Black and Brown parents to challenge the education system due to illiteracy or other reasons (her mother’s inefficacy to read and advocate on her behalf)
The origin of her fighting spirit (her uncle’s plight as a dark gay Black man, beat every week for being himself)
Eurocentric Ideas of Excellence: colorism, body expectations, materialism (Mo’Nique, by societal standards, is fat, dark, and Black; she had moments where she desired to fit in through materialism and secrecy)
Family expectations amid dysfunction (her grandmother shunning her Uncle and Aunt (Uncle Tina) amid gambling)
The culpability of Black churches in dividing families due to perpetuating isolating ideologies against the LGBTQ+ community (her aunt’s experience)
Superwoman Complexities in Black Women and how it impacts their relationships (her journey to allow her husband to lead even though he is not the breadwinner)
Self-care (yes, the story one about her p&*^y; money doesn’t cover everything)
Living one’s truth (her LGBTQ+ experience)
As a misdiagnosed special education student and stereotyped black girl, she defended her right to exist in her authenticity. Her uncle’s weekly physical and mental battering by the world shaped her response to challenging situations. Life’s stage set the battleground for her personality. Her reactions to Netflix, Lee Daniels, and others were not about them but about what was right according to her moral measures. Through the eyes of a young girl, she witnessed a world that cried for an advocate, and as an adult, she has been the outspoken voice, one to live in her authenticity at all costs—even coming out on stage as a bi-sexual Black woman.
Ultimately her message: Mo’Nique’s fight didn’t start with them; her morals and values guide her decisions and are the essence of who she is. Every story served to explain why and how she became Mo’Nique. In the end, her purpose was to help the audience understand she doesn’t stir the pot for the sake of stirring. While making us laugh, she let us know each move she made and makes is calculated, purposeful, and a passionate response to oppressive systems that silence truth and reason.
Cringe-Worthy Topics
Society is evolving, and what was accepted in the past is no longer acceptable today. Comedy is undergoing an evolution, and according to Seinfield, the highest-paid comedian of 2022, “It’s more about PC nonsense than ‘Are you making us laugh or not?” The confused laughs, shocked faces, and mortified comments reflected a community torn between laughter and political correctness during Mo’Nique’s special.
Mo’Nique’s opening centered around her middle school experience defending herself and her peers in the special education system. One of her recollections playfully discussed how her lifelong relationship grew with Elizabeth, another special education student who wore a helmet that restricted her ability to speak. At the story's beginning, the laughs were somewhat muffled as she used words like “retarded” and provided imagery with derogatory gestures commonly associated with special education students. However, Mo’Nique pressed her way through, and at the end of the set, bursts of laughter filled the auditorium. In the end, when the two had to overcome the bullying of other girls, Elizabeth and Mo’Nique forged a powerful bond evident today. The approach was questionable, but that is comedy.
Another tale where sporadic laughter occurred was when Mo’Nique discussed when her husband refused to sleep with her after she worked a full day and expected sex without freshening up first. Again she was descriptive to the point of sharing how her husband had her smell her own “fragrances” to convey his dissatisfaction with her expectation of come home sex. It was an uncomfortable moment, but her message was poignant: take care of yourself (body) even when your money covers the house before trying to care for someone else.
As trigger warnings continue to pervade college campuses, and comedians dread the viral snippet of the wrong moment of a show crushing the hopes of their careers, entertainment standards will continue to be redefined. Appropriate decorum is ambiguous. Mo’Nique is not in a silo; she is navigating new waters too. Until the dust settles, we won’t know collectively where the line stands between comedy and cringy.
Double Standards
Some believe her use of curse words was unnecessary, but we have to ask, “By what standard?” Mo’Nique interjects some colorful language frequently—bitch, bull shit, fuckin’, motha fucka nigga (with an ‘a’)—while story-telling about her journey from “real nigga boulevard” to the shining lights of Hollywood. During Comedy Hype’s interviews with Capone and Pierre Edwards, another famous comedian, both expressed disgust with her overuse of curse words. When compared to Bernie Mac, Pierre insisted the commentator was oblivious to comedy. For this, you decide.
Past Comedy Specials
Richard Pryor’s 1979 Joke About Police
Capone | Ray Dejon’s Laffaholics
Bernie Mac’s “I Ain’t Scared of You Motha Fucka’s”
Redd Foxx | You Got to Wash Your Ass
The comedy above is dated, but it does show cursing is a routine part of the genre. How much is too much is subjective because, during the airing of the above specials, it was considered extreme then. Interestingly, Redd Foxx’s performance discusses telling your partner to “Wash their ass,” closely related to Mo’Nique’s story with her spouse. With this in mind, there is one diverging factor—Mo’Nique is a woman. We must challenge our impulse to ridicule a woman playing in a man’s world, using men’s tools.
Final Thoughts
When I first watched the special, I turned it off within ten minutes of the program. Immediately, I understood Mo’Nique’s desire to share the most intimate details of her life regardless of the reception. Since it was late, I knew wanted to listen and follow where she wanted to lead me—I waited until I could watch intently and receive her message. It was worth it.
The origin of comedy is grounded in examining community institutions through satire to provoke laughter to relieve the pain of the ‘real’ experience. Nevertheless, the goal is not to leave the commentary in the theater but to pick up and move toward action.
Mo’Nique told her story, but the beauty of stories is that we all have universal experiences of coming of age, identity, individuals vs. society, family, relationships, and hubris. Perhaps her comedic narrative was not only about her, but maybe it was about us and how, as a culture, we’ve suppressed topics that do make us cringe, hurt, and bring about discomfort. When we put down the magnifying glass and pick up a mirror, Mo’Nique took life events from the depths of her soul and set the table for discussion. What do you think?