The news that “The Mo’Nique Show” on BET was canceled has prompted odd, but telling responses across black America.
Known for her brash, in yo’ face, big girl-loving life personae, the talk show was videotaped before a live audience in Atlanta’s TNT Studios. It featured mostly B and C-list acts and entertainers. That does not necessarily speak to the show’s quality. It simply could have been a matter of logistics: A-list stars and their press junkets usually focus on New York City and Los Angeles appearances.
When the announcement was made, I asked a collective of folk via telephone and digital mediums “Did you watch the show? Did you like it?” The overwhelming response was a collective sigh of relief, which piqued my curiosity further.
One person stated, “I never connected with it. I like Mo’Nique, but the show was not polished enough for me.”
Still another told me, “I watched it a couple of times, but I couldn’t get with it.”
Yet another, “She hollers too much.”
It seems Mo’Nique is the loud aunt you want at the family reunion, but not introducing you to a great summer read.
Time and time again, the answer was the same. If Mo’Nique is a post-play, lessons learned type of artist, she will take this information and polish the tarnished places. People want to like her, they really do. But, the poor scripting, bad skit acting, and her thick sex-kitten persona was simply too much and repelled an audience that may have been loyal under different circumstances. The “Hey, baaaaaby!” growl grated on nerves. Talk-show hosts are expected to be engaging, to know when to take a step back and let their guests shine. Who does this well? Oprah, David Letterman and Chelsea Handler. All three have huge personalities that take a back seat when conducting an interview.
Mo’Nique’s championing of big girls made her a national jewel to many. Regardless of what you may think of her, she did uplift a demographic (overweight and obese women) that is scorned, shunned, and often reduced to second-class citizens. That period of her career garnered lots of public goodwill and a serious bump in the kind of movie roles she was offered. An Oscar is nothing to sneeze at. But, the public’s attention is short and fickle. Her talk show arrived dated and became more and more stale. Mama Parker encapsulated.
Recently honored by Big Boi’s Big Kidz Foundation, she will appear in the film Bumped. Let’s hope much like her work in Precious, she’ll provide us with a new tapestry of her talent. We know it’s there, just waiting for her to blanket a throng of fans who like her but would much prefer to love her.
