Mo’Nique took to Instagram on July 10 to disclose how a quick encounter with Patti LaBelle during a meet and greet impacted her life.
Although details regarding the exact timeline are unclear, the comedian revealed she was 17 when she met Labelle at a concert in Washington D.C. In the post, Mo’Nique informed her followers that she was sharing this story because she woke up thinking about the many people that have made a difference in her life, including Labelle.
She said, “Hey, my sweet babies, Happy Sunday to y’all. I want to share something with y’all. I was thinking this morning when I got up, folks that has made an impact in my life. There’s this one person that’s made such an impact in my life that I’ve carried what they given me for the rest of my life. I hope I have a whole life to go. Since that moment I was given that gift I’ve carried it with me all the way up until today.”
Mo’Nique continued her conversation by talking about how mesmerized LaBelle left her during the two-hour set. “Some of y’all already know this story, right. I was 17-year-old over in Washington D.C., going to a concert trying to be grown…That concert was a Patti LaBelle concert. When I tell y’all for two hours I was mesmerized. I was blown away. I was in awe of watching this beautiful spirit on that stage.”
The 54-year-old added that immediately following the performance, LaBelle did a meet and greet at the bottom of the stage. Mo’Nique described the interactions with LaBelle and her fans as “genuine,” “beautiful,” and “so filled of love” as the “On My Own” vocalist hugged every concert-goer.
She said, “I’ve watched that woman hug every single person like they belong to her and she belonged to them. It was so genuine, it was so beautiful, it was so filled of love.” Mo’Nique also disclosed what occurred when she finally got in line to meet LaBelle.
The hug that “The Parkers” star received from LaBelle, she said, felt like the ones her family members would give. Mo’Nique claimed that night following that brief moment with LaBelle that she vowed if ever allowed “to be able to hug people like that,” she would. Toward the end of the recording, Mo’Nique explained to her fans the power hugs have.
She said, “I’m saying all of this to say, you never know what a hug could do for somebody. So Ms. Patti LaBelle, what that hug did for me, it filled me up with so much joy and love, that I said I wanted to make sure to give back when people say ‘can I get a hug Mo’Nique?’ So give somebody a hug today and hold on tight. Ms. Patti LaBelle, you taught me how to hug baby.”
In addition to the upload, Mo’Nique wrote the caption, “WHAT A HUG CAN DO @mspattilabelle THANK YOU FOR SHOWING ME WHAT A REAL HUG IS SUPPOSE TO FEEL LIKE I LOVE US 4REAL.”
