Saturday, May 28, 2022, Fox Theater, Detroit Michigan
Mrs. Monique Hicks, rips into D.L. Hughley! The Issue: Who is the Headliner!
Normally the headliner is the first name of the Theater Marquee (check). The first name of the promotional material (check) and the first name on the ticket (check)
Mrs Hicks, went deep dark personal, talked about his wife, the family dog and Steve Harvey and his sexuality. Villainizing Gay People.
DL Hughley, closed the show without maligning Mrs. Hicks.
The Monday After (He said, She said)
So far Hughley hasn’t publicly attacked her, but it still early.
The conflict as gone national. On social media, Monique’s ride or die, defending her and some criticized Hughley, but far and away most people struggled with her actions.
The few comedians who weighed in said it was a sad day for both. Nationally, its wasn’t a good day for Monique.
Together, Monique and D. L Hughley have more than sixty years in the business, who is the headliner is a contractional issue.
Monique said, she wasn’t going to address those comments during an interview or some sit-down. “The night that I spoke about D.L. Hughley, I wanted D.L. Hughley to be there.” Monique claimed that she used this opportunity to bring up Steve Harvey because she said he and Hughley sat down together for a radio interview and “lied.”
Hughley, he never saw or spoke with Monique at the event. He said ,she arrived late to the set and attempted to have the show move forward with her performing last. Hughley claimed he was the headliner, per his contract with promoters, and he has fought hard for his place in the industry and refused to budge, as did the organizers.
The two comedians produced contracts.
Damage Control
DL Hughley has a radio show at his disposal.
Monique and her husband Sidney Hicks clapped back, on Instagram and you tube.
In an hour-long Instagram Live, Monique, joined by her husband Sidney Hicks, began by explaining her rationale for publicly addressing her issues with Hughley during her standup performance on Sunday (May 29). She revealed that she wanted him to be in the vicinity and well within earshot when she spoke her piece.
“As I was on that stage saying what I was saying, let me be clear. It was intentional,” she explained. “The contract situation and the headliner situation, that was just the icing on the cake for D.L. Hughley and I.
Monique said “There was nothing that was said about your wife, your family. It was directed specifically to you,” She went on to say, “Saturday night, D.L. Hughley was going to get his ass handed to him because, through the years, I’ve heard this man have a lot to say about me.”
Her husband Sidney, interjected with a reiteration of his wife’s joke, adding, “There was nothing that was said about your wife, your family. It was directed specifically to you.”, what does all of this has to do with who is the headliner?
On his radio show, Hughley wanted to know why Monique would attack him and his family that she “feels sorry for your wife having to perform a sexual act on a coward.
Mid Week, Damage Control
The tide was turning, some of Monique’s ride or die fans were changing their minds by mid week, believing she went too hard on DL.
Other comedians came forward attacked Monique on you tube and Instagram.
Monique explained that it was her mission over the weekend to get back at Hughley for the negativity, and she disputed his claim that several audience members were disappointed with her display.
Post 2009
Although, I hadn’t see the movie, I clearly remember when a man on a radio talk show about movies, predicted that Monique would not only be nominated for an Oscar, but would win.
This was Nikki Parker, a scene stealer in “Two Can Play That Game” . I saw that insipid “Soul Plane” twice, watched her on Charm School on VH1and of course I watched her appearances on various comedy shows. Monique was large and in charge, a confident curvy girl who’s laugh was infectious.
Precious
Precious was a dark film, I avoided it for years. From the early stories, Lee Daniels believed it was a straight to DVD movie. However, after the Sundance Film Festival, the movie took off, on the strength of the performances. Monique, won more than a dozen awards all over the world for her performance in film.
Its customary for actors to promote the film, while the studios typically pay the travel expenses, they are not paid for promoting the film.
This would have been a win for Monique, she isn’t well known outside of Urban America. With her charisma, she would have found new audiences and possible the eye of other directors, and other movie roles, but she refused to promote the film unpaid.
On an appearance on “The View” during her fight with Netflix ,we learned that Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg, attempted to school her on the duties and obligations an actor/actress must fulfill contractually. Goldberg, has appeared in nearly 90 films.
Shortly after, appearing on the View, Monique took a sledge hammer on social media and slammed Goldberg.
Mo went dark, when it wasn’t necessary. Monique said ,that despite accepting “Ted Danson in blackface”, she is highly praised by the African-American community. She also shared that the two, had a conversation in Goldberg’s dressing room following the show’s taping where she explained to her why she simply couldn’t just let the matter with Netflix go.
“I said, ‘Whoopi, I can’t let it go. I gotta think about the little sister who’s not here yet.’ And our icon and our legend said, ‘You better stop worrying about the little sister who’s not here yet and worry about you’,” claims the actress. “In that moment I knew I was looking at a woman who didn’t give a damn about me. And if she’s telling me, ‘Stop worrying about that little girl who not here yet,’ well, she forgot about the ones that came before her who were worried about her.”
Monique: Unfunny
There seemed to be a shift in the Monique I knew from a fans perspective. Before Precious we didn’t hear or know anything about Monique having feuds with people.
The people she had disagreements with weren’t pedestrians. These were powerful and well respected black people, many known throughout the world. Monique rejected their ideas and suggestions. It’s like a neighborhood basketball ball coach questioning Golden State’s Steve Kerr.
One wonders, what would her career look like today if she would have taken advice of a Whoopi Goldberg, a Tyler Perry and the World Wide Queen of Media ” Oprah Winfrey” a dozen years ago.
That was nearly twelve years ago and while they, along with Steve Harvey, Lee Daniels and Charlemagne (who could have introduced her to a new younger demographic) have moved on and are thriving. Monique career has stalled.
Unable to move forward, she seems to need this now vintage tale as air. She continues to say she was blackballed.
She is unapologetic and has Grandiose views of herself. Demanding she gets paid the same as an Amy Schumer, who fills large halls and small Arena’s. ( Last, Saturday it was reported the Detroit Fox was half full) Wants the same consideration as Hart, and Chapelle. Based on what she has done in he past. Precious was 2009, Queens of Comedy was 21 years ago.
In the last few years, Monique has played smaller venues, never as a solo act
Monique won’t consider, the reason she is blackballed it is because of Monique.
There are consequences for publicly speaking negatively about your employer. Future employers are likely to take a pass than risk a potentially embarrassing public outburst.
A Former Fan
I held in the long an hard. I loved her energy and her laugh. After Precious, there was a bitterness I couldn’t relate to. Her negativity was locked on repeat. After a while, I grew to resent what I viewed as a fake tone (Babies) and the absence of anything positive.
Monique is a talented women, but she is not a victim. She has single handedly destroyed her career. I understand the power of and loyalty . Her husband, Sidney Hicks reportedly was an accountant. I don’t believe he has experience as manager or has other clients.
An experienced manager might have given her advise that capitalized on her Oscar win. I can’t imagine any manager anywhere that would advise her to continue talking about Oprah and company.
I remember early on in Oprah’s career, when she was blowing up. Bill Cosby took her aside and suggested that she do more with her money than buy shoes. I got what he meant and later on in her career I saw Oprah talk to new black celebrities coming up in entertainment field.
Monique said her mission was to get back at DL. Most entertainers would choose a different route. The sweetest revenge is via her talent. A set so tough. that no one wants to follow her. She failed on her primary mission and that was to entertain and make them laugh.
Through the years, Monique has made it clear she is a strong black woman and she has been attack as a black women. Here we agree, people of color struggle in comedy, a field even in 2022 is viewed primarily as a field for men. I imagine there are people in Comedy who don’t believe a women should be compensated the same as men.
Where she loses me. Someone who has been in entertainment for 30 years and being a woman of a certain age. She should know the business well enough to know, she would have been better served meeting with DL back stage or a later conversation.
She would have been much better served by delivering a comedic performance that would have made other promoters want to book her.
Yes, her rant last Saturday at the Fox entertained some of her ride or dies. It also made other members of the audience uncomfortable.
DL is the Chris Rock of this controversy. His tone is measured and so far he has been respectful, when he says he will never work with her again. Older comedians, are likely to avoid her. Younger comedians, just starting their careers may come after her on stage. Some have created You Tube and Instagram videos and they are coming for her. Victim? No, she set this in motion, this is social media 2022.
Today her phone is ringing, not for bookings. For comments about her rant in Detroit.
While I’m no longer a fan, I do want her to be successful, she has made up with Lee Daniels and 50 cent has hired her. She has to stop looking backwards, so she can move forward. I continue to wish her much success.
CityFella
