Mo’Nique took to Instagram with husband and manager Sidney Hicks by her side to air a 50-minute-long grievance that touched on a variety of topics from “culture vultures” to generational Black trauma and even Hicks’ feud with DJ Vlad. But halfway in, the heart of the matter became clear: this was about D.L. Hughley.
The Oscar-winning actress and stand-up comedian’s long-standing feud has taken a sharp turn recently, and Mo’Nique fanned the flames in her video, addressing Hughley directly as she adamantly defended herself against his latest accusations.
In a recent interview on “The Jason Lee Podcast,” Hughley accused the actress of “weaponizing” his daughter Taylor’s sexual trauma and blamed her for the current rift in their relationship. He also revealed he his daughter hadn’t spoken to him in weeks following Mo’Nique’s February interview on “Club Shay Shay.”
While the two are feuding over a few things, this particular beef traces its origins to 2022 when Mo’Nique called out Hughley for refusing to believe that his daughter was sexually abused by his friend.
The “Precious” actress publicly shared her own devastating truth in a 2008 interview that she was a victim of childhood abuse and has become an advocate for breaking the silence on trauma. She echoed her past statements when she began her March 6 Instagram post with the words, “For those who tell Mo’Nique, why you keep talking? Damnit, the little girl who comes behind me, I hope the story is different. … I hope that little girl knows … don’t give up.”
In the video, Mo’Nique finds herself in a torrent of emotions, alternately crying and seething with anger over Hughley’s insistence on “running his mouth.”
“D.L. Hughley, you’re too afraid to sit down with us,” she began explaining that she suggested they have a sit down “publicly” but “you keep running, and then you keep running your mouth,” she said before evoking her own struggles.
“Stop trying to run away from the fact that you did not protect your baby, and let me be clear with you about something: I’m fighting for your daughter ’cause I was that daughter, too, who had a Daddy that did not protect me when I told him I was molested. So I know what that baby’s sitting in, and I know what she’s dealing with.”
Hicks pointed out that he and Mo’Nique attempted to have a conversation with Hughley and “extended the olive branch” but were rebuffed.
“I’m getting so sick of you not taking accountability or responsibility for your words,” Mo’Nique continued. “Never would I try to hurt your family, your wife, your daughter. It shows the lack of manhood you have that you tried to put it off on your wife and your daughter,” she said before issuing a direct challenge to Hughley: “Who’s the friend? Say the name.”
She further reiterated that she only spoke about his daughter’s trauma after her father addressed it during a radio interview, where he showed “no remorse.” “I’m not the one whose gone back down D.L Hughley,” she added.
For his part, Hughley claimed on his radio show back in 2022, that Mo’Nique left out important context when she referenced the trauma, adding that his daughter was abused by a 13-year-old boy and not a man. He said she was 13 at the time but told him years later. The “Original Kings of Comedy” star also confessed to feeling regret over “not believing” his daughter at the time.
Even Hughley’s oldest daughter, Ryan Shepherd, jumped into the fray after Mo’Nique issued some crass insults about Hughley’s wife, LaDonna Hughley, while onstage during a comedy show. Shepherd responded with a post on Instagram, saying the public disrespect the actress showed her mom and sister pointed to a lack of “mental stability, dignity, morality, and respect.” Mo’Nique then issued an apology to the family.
Mo’Nique’s recent was another attempt to set the record straight, but we have a feeling this won’t be the last word on the matter. Yet it’s still unclear why she blasted Hughley’s family matter after a dispute about who was the headliner and closing act of the show.
