Mo’Nique discussed motherhood and her career when she stopped by “The David Banner Podcast” on Monday.
She didn’t talk about balancing the two, however. In fact, Mo’Nique admitted that she used to put her dreams of stardom over family, which came at a price.
“I have a son that will be 30 years old this year,” she said around the 37:43 mark about her child Shalon Watkins. “There was a time that when he was a little boy I wasn’t interested in being a mother.”
“I was interested in being a star, and I was interested in being famous, and I wasn’t interested in being a wife,” Mo’Nique continued. “I was interested in taking pictures and red carpets and signing autographs and traveling the world so I really didn’t put the focus in.”
At one point, Mo’Nique said that she had a talk with her son about his self-worth, as well as the choices she made during his childhood.
“And now that I’m 52 and he’ll be 30, well, I pay for that. There’s a price you have to pay for that,” she explained. “And I had to apologize to my son because I said to him, ‘I don’t want you to think that your story is not valid ’cause I didn’t tuck you in, I didn’t read you those stories, I didn’t show up at sporting events.’”
As he was growing up, Mo’Nique said she told her son that because her career provided him with the material things he desired, she felt he had no right to complain about her absence.
“So there was a time that this entertainment was the priority, because as a little girl I wanted to be famous, baby,” she said. “When I saw the Jacksons and I saw how those people would scream and holler … I craved that so bad. … So when that moment happened, that’s all that it was.”
The video sparked a lot of comments, and some said they enjoyed watching Mo’Nique speak her truth.
“Love Monique. Glad she shared her perspective of what went down. Blessings always to her,” one person wrote on YouTube.
“Monique we love you and respect you for speaking your viewpoint with integrity 🌅❤,” another fan commented.
Mo’Nique had her son Shalon Watkins with her sportswriter ex-husband Calvin Watkins, and Mark Jackson Jr. with her former husband Mark Jackson. She also shares twins, Jonathan and David Hicks, with her current husband Sidney Hicks.
