Mo’Nique is opening up about her almost two-decade marriage to Sidney Hicks, including how they’ve been candid about having an open relationship.
While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter for a lengthy new feature ahead of her new Netflix special, the 55-year-old shared that her and her husband, who’s also her manager, are extremely close. The actresses admitted to knowing of Hicks’ reputation in Hollywood as an over-involved and harsh partner/manager, and it doesn’t bother her.
“I did an interview one time and a young Black woman said to me, ‘Aren’t you nervous to have your husband here? Won’t that make you appear weak?’” she recounted. “I said, ‘That breaks my heart that you would even think that.’”
She added that Hicks is the “the best manager that I’ve ever had, and I’ve had the big boys.”
She also shed some light on their thoughts on open marriage, which has shifted since the couple got candid about their desire to open things up a few years ago.
“Life began to happen. I began to see a strength I had never seen before. He loved me at my worst. I didn’t want to sacrifice that just for a lay. So I grew out of that.” Mo’Nique said.
And she gave the publication an update on how she’s doing emotionally which, in recent years, has appeared to be unstable. Now, she says she’s happier than she’s ever been.
“I’m grateful for that feeling,” she said. “When you are good on the inside, I believe it shows up on the outside.”
But she made clear that her return to acting isn’t the reason she’s feeling lighter. She explained that she’s entered a “new chapter” across the board in her life.
“It’s a new chapter because my babies are graduating high school. It’s a new chapter because my grandson will be going to kindergarten next year, and my granddaughter to the fifth grade. Those things, for me, are the priority.” She said.
Mo’Nique’s latest project, a comedy special titled My Name Is Mo’Nique, drops on Netflix April 4.
