Comedian Mo’Nique has once again incorporated her personal life challenges into her comedy routine.
During her performance as part of Katt Williams’ “Dark Matter” tour, she conveyed her sentiments regarding her son, Shalon Watkins, who has recently taken to social media to share that he has no relationship with his mother.
Her words to describe how she feels towards her firstborn were inspired by an elderly woman who told her, “F—k that n—ga.”
Footage from her New Jersey performance on Saturday, Feb. 17, was captured on video and shared across the X platform.
During her set, Mo’Nique explained that she was in the Newark airport when she saw a TikTok video of her son talking about their relationship. After some blue banter about her response to seeing her son saying bad things about her, she said ran into an elderly woman, who asked if she could speak with her.
“I had prepared myself for this old woman to tell me how f—ked up I was as a parent. I prepared myself to be respectful but ready to check a b—ch if I had to,” “The Queens of Comedy” star joked. “I prepared myself to listen.”
According to Mo’Nique, the woman said that her grandchild showed her one of many videos of Shalon shared online detailing his account of their relationship and gave her sage words of advice.
“She said, ‘I watched that s—t.’ I said ‘Yes ma’am.’ She said ‘I want to tell you something.’ I said ‘Ma’am.’ She said, ‘F—k that n—ga,’” the Oscar winner continued to joke.
The grandmother allegedly said, “I’m 80 years old and I got a son 60 years old, and every time they don’t get what he wants, he still tells me how f—ked up I was when he was 10 years old.”
Mo’Nique, 56, said the elderly woman’s message resonated with her, and she believes in the old adage that if an elderly person tells you to do something you should listen to it.
Fans of “The Parkers” actress and others online are split on Mo’Nique’s performance and whose side they stood on amid the public family feud.
“Monique is not the problem,” an X user wrote under the video. “The conversation that Shalon had should’ve been had in person. He chose to take it to social media and as a celebrity she hast to respond because then this becomes a huge allegation. Shalon is in his 30s. Mo doesn’t owe him anything.”
“She makes it so hard to support her lol. One day I’m on her side then she say some messed up stuff then I’m like nah,” another post read, whiel another said, “I can’t defend Monique on this one. That entire family need some healing.”
Taking Shalon’s side, one person wrote, “To take your son’s trauma that we clearly seen the impact of you on his face, then make it a topic of your comedy tour is INSANNEE!!! Yeah I’m on brodie side cause atp y’all don’t even fw each other and that’s sad for a mother and son.”
She just proved all the points he was making.
— Boy Wonder (@dog_rise) February 19, 2024
Another individual’s comment focused on Mo’Nique’s previous acting role, writing, “Starting to think perhaps she’s closer to her character in Precious than we know.”
Starting to think perhaps she’s closer to her character in Precious than we know. https://t.co/Bq53nhOsPu
— chris evans (@notcapnamerica) February 18, 2024
Shalon also responded to the clip with a 13-second clip on TikTok.
The meme said, “Dang mama. I still LOVE U THO. Laughter will get me through.” He wrote in the caption, “Not on stage tho lol. It be like that sometimes I guess.”
The 33-year-old tripled the message by adding audio that said, “(Laughter) Be gone Satan, I rebuke thee in the name of Black Jesus.”
Though they have been estranged for years, Mo’Nique’s relationship with her son made headlines when she mentioned it during her appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast.
During her interview, she mentioned that she and her son had problems in their relationship and that she had not spoken to him — saying she has done all that she can to facilitate reconciliation and that the rest she is leaving to “The Universe” to fix.
“We’re still very much separated, and it’s one of those things where you have to pray to the universe and say let time do the healing, and that’s it. That’s it. Let time do the healing. It may heal it in time, and it may not, and that’s something we as parents have to say…I’ve done what I could do. I’ve taken accountability for it. Now it’s up to you,” Mo’Nique said.
Shalon, her eldest son, took to his social media account to dispel that notion, revealing that his mother was the person who needed to take accountability for the rift in their relationship.
“My mother and I both know that that is a very false narrative, and I would like to free her of having to continue to tell that lie,” he said in a TikTok video that sparked the on-stage rant. “Faith without work is dead, and neither one of us cares to put forth effort to reconcile with the other.”
Part 1
— theJasmineBRAND (@thejasminebrand) February 13, 2024
In a nearly ten-minute video, Shalon Jackson, Mo'Nique's estranged son, speaks out about his mother's recent interview on 'Club Shay Shay.' pic.twitter.com/Y5JIKDYbAk
The rant is not the first time the “Precious” star has responded. She and her husband Sidney Hicks took to Instagram Live and disputed Shalon’s claims and she later posted screenshots of text messages between the three.
The public dispute between the two was also mentioned in D.L. Hughley’s response to what Mo’Nique said about him in his “Club Shay Shay” interview.
He said that he wants her to treat his family that way she treats Shalon … like they don’t exist. Later Hughley stated that there was no chance that the two would ever be friends again, but many are hopeful Mo’Nique and her son can reconcile at some point.
