What is Mo'Nique's Net Worth?
Mo'Nique is an American actress and comedienne who has a net worth of $6 million. As we detail in the next section, Mo'Nique has experienced a handful of IRS issues over the years. Fortunately, she appears to have cleared those issues, perhaps thanks to a highly lucrative residency at SLS Las Vegas called Mo'Nique Does Vegas, which she began in 2019.
Mo'Nique first became well-known for playing Nicole "Nikki" Parker on the television series "The Parkers" (1999–2004), a role she originated on "Moesha." Since then, she has gone on to become famous for her stand-up comedy and hosting duties on such shows as "Showtime at the Apollo" (2000-2006), which she first appeared on as a featured comedienne in 1994. Mo'Nique has also performed stand-up comedy on "Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam" (1998) and "Thank God You're Here" (2007), and she hosted the BET Awards in 2003, 2004, and 2007. Mo'Nique has more than 30 acting credits to her name, including "Phat Girlz" (2006), "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins" (2008), and "Precious" (2009), which earned her an Academy Award. Mo'Nique also had her own late-night BET talk show, "The Mo'Nique Show," from 2009 to 2011.
IRS Issues
In 2016, the IRS reportedly placed a lien on Mo'Nique after accusing her of not paying $200,000 in taxes for the year 2013 and $188,000 for 2014, for a total of $389,000. In 2017, she was reportedly subjected to another lien, this one for $170,000, related to a 2015 bill. In September 2019, it was reported that Mo'Nique's tax debt, with interest and penalties, had ballooned to $620,000. She appears to have cleared all debts, likely thanks in no small part to her Las Vegas residency, which started in 2019.
"Precious" Salary & Tyler Perry Dispute
Mo'Nique earned just $50,000 for her Academy Award-winning performance in "Precious." Mo'Nique has been public about a difficult situation she claims she was put in by the film's producers, Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey, and production company, Lionsgate. Mo'Nique has claimed that Tyler asked her to do free promotion for the movie on the promise that if she won an Academy Award her next paycheck would be in the $6-8 million range. Mo'Nique apparently told Tyler that she was not interested in doing free promotional work. She informed him that her $50,000 salary did not contractually obligate her to do any press, especially overseas. She also apparently had a subsequent private conversation with Oprah, in which Oprah allegedly privately told Mo that she supported her decision not to do free promotion. Oprah and Tyler then allegedly branded Mo'Nique difficult to work with and refused to help her going forward.
Mo'Nique has publicly claimed that Tyler's actions after "Precious" cost her millions of dollars and temporarily derailed her career. Mo has claimed that at the time she filmed "Precious" she was making between $2 and $3 million per year. She has also claimed that Tyler's false rumors cost a dozen years of her ability to continue earning her previous income levels. The implication being that he cost her $20-30 million.
"The Parkers" Salary & Royalties
In the final season of "The Parkers," Mo'Nique and Countess Vaughn earned $55,000 per episode. There were 22 episodes. That worked out to $1.21 million for that season.
In April 2023, Mo'Nique sued Paramount and CBS over allegedly unpaid royalties for her UPN sitcom "The Parkers." In her lawsuit, she claimed the companies "artificially depressed [the show's] profitability to retain millions that would otherwise be contractually due" to Mo'Nique and the show's writers. The Parkers produced 111 episodes between 1999 and 2004. By producing over 100 episodes, the series qualified for syndication. Mo'Nique has claimed that the show generated $800 million dollars in syndication deals between 2004 and 2009. It generated millions more over the next decade + and even more millions when it was sold to Netflix in 2020. She has estimated that The Parkers has generated $2 billion in revenue since going off the air. Mo has claimed that none of these profits have gone to her or her co-star Countess Vaughn. Mo has further claimed that the show cost a total of $60 million to produce during its entire run.
Early Life
Mo'Nique was born Monique Angela Imes on December 11, 1967, in Baltimore, Maryland. Her mother, Alice, was an engineer, and her father, Steven Jr., was a drug counselor. Mo'Nique grew up with three older siblings, Gerald, Millicent, and Steven, and she attended Milford Mill High School, graduating in 1985. She enrolled at Morgan State University after graduation and then earned a degree from the Broadcasting Institute of Maryland in 1987. Mo'Nique's career in comedy began when her brother Steven dared her to perform at an open mic night at the Comedy Factory Outlet in downtown Baltimore.
In a 2008 interview with "Essence" magazine, Mo'Nique revealed that Gerald began molesting her when she was seven years old and that the abuse continued until she was 11; Gerald served 15 years in prison after sexually abusing another girl. Mo'Nique cut Gerald out of her life after the birth of her twins in 2005, and on a 2010 episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," he admitted to the abuse and said that drug abuse and his own molestation led to him molesting his younger sister.
Career
Mo'Nique made her acting debut as Nicole "Nikki" Parker on a 1999 episode of the UPN sitcom "Moesha," and later that year, she began playing the role on UPN's "The Parkers," which aired 110 episodes over five seasons. She played Nikki on three episodes of "Moesha" as well as a 2001 episode of ABC's "The Hughleys." While starring on "The Parkers," Mo'Nique voiced Boonnetta on "The Proud Family," co-starred with Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover in the television film "Good Fences," and guest-starred on "The Bernie Mac Show." In 2005, she hosted and produced "Mo'Nique's Fat Chance," a plus-sized beauty pageant on the Oxygen network, and she hosted VH1's "Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School" in 2007. She has guest-starred on "Nip/Tuck" (2006), "The Game" (2007), and "Ugly Betty" (2007), and she has released several stand-up comedy specials and documentaries, including "Mo'Nique: One Night Stand" (2005), "Mo'Nique & Friends: Live from Atlanta" (2020), and "Mo'Nique: Behind Bars" (2007). In 2015, Mo'Nique played Ma Rainey in the HBO film "Bessie," earning critical acclaim and several award nominations.
Mo'Nique's first film was the 2000 comedy "3 Strikes," and the following year, she appeared in "Baby Boy" and "Two Can Play That Game" as well as the stand-up comedy film "The Queens of Comedy." In 2004, she starred in "Soul Plane" and played the lead role in "Hair Show," then appeared in "Shadowboxer" and "Domino" in 2005. The following year, Mo'Nique lent her voice to "Farce of the Penguins" and appeared in "Irish Jam," "Phat Girlz," and "Beerfest," and in 2008, she co-starred with Martin Lawrence, Cedric the Entertainer, and James Earl Jones in "Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins." In 2009, Mo'Nique played Mary Lee Johnston in "Precious," winning dozens of awards for her performance. Since her award-winning turn in "Precious," Mo'Nique has appeared in the films "Blackbird" (2014), "Interwoven" (2014), and "Almost Christmas" (2016). She also starred in a 2002 production of Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues," and she released the books "Skinny Women Are Evil: Notes of a Big Girl in a Small-Minded World" in 2004 and "Skinny Cooks Can't Be Trusted" in 2006.
(Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
Netflix Lawsuit
In late 2019, Mo'Nique sued Netflix for gender and racial discrimination after the streaming service offered her $500,000 for a 2018 comedy special. In addition to the low-ball offer, Netflix was demanding to own 100% of the copyright and audio-only rights to the material. In her complaint, she revealed that Amy Schumer was offered $11 million upfront and eventually earned $13 million for equivalent Netflix comedy specials. She also claimed that after complaining about the pay discrepancy, Netflix retaliated against the comedian by walking away from the negotiations. She accused Netflix of systematically underpaying black women specifically, while white comedians and black male comedians like Chris Rock (who earned $40 million for a single special) and Dave Chappelle (who earned $60 million for a single special) were showered with money. A federal judge eventually sided with Mo'Nique, agreeing that Netflix's refusal to negotiate an opening offer, which was consistent with its normal business practices, constituted an "adverse employment action for purposes of a retaliation claim." The matter was resolved "amicably," according to her attorney, in mid-2022.
Personal Life
Mo'Nique married Mark Jackson on Christmas Day in 1997. They had a son, Shalon, and adopted another son, Mark Jr., before divorcing in April 2001. She later began a relationship with Sidney Hicks, welcoming twin sons David and Jonathan on October 3, 2005 (two months prematurely). Mo'Nique married Sidney on May 20, 2006, and she has said that the two have an open marriage.
Awards and Nominations
In 2010, Mo'Nique won an Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in "Precious." Her performance also earned her more than 50 other awards, including a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, BAFTA Award, African-American Film Critics Association Award, BET Award, and two Gold Derby Awards (Supporting Actress and Supporting Actress of the Decade). She has won two Black Reel Awards, Best Supporting Actress for "Precious" and "Television: Best Supporting Actress for "Good Fences," and a Women's Image Network Award for "Mo'Nique's Fat Chance." Mo'Nique has also received five NAACP Image Awards (one for "Precious" and four for "The Parkers"), and her performance in "Bessie" earned her nominations from the Primetime Emmys, Critics' Choice Television Awards, Gold Derby Awards, Online Film & Television Association Awards, and Satellite Awards.
Real Estate
For a number of years, Mo'Nique rented a 7,292-square-foot home in Roswell, Georgia, for $22,000 per month. In 2011, she was sued by her landlord, who claimed she broke the rental agreement and allegedly owed $370,000. Mo'Nique counter-sued, saying that she wanted out of her lease because the home smelled like dog feces and urine and had an overflowing septic tank and a mold problem. The lawsuits were settled for an undisclosed sum in 2012. Monique appears to continue to be renting in Georgia, a different mansion in the town of Braselton.
