Mo’Nique, the Academy Award-winning comedian and actress, has opened up about her recent decision to end her open marriage with her husband, Sidney Hicks.
In a candid interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Mo’Nique, 55, spoke about her long-term relationship with Hicks, 55, who is also her manager, and how they came to the conclusion that monogamy was the right path for them.
Mo’Nique and Hicks had been open about their open marriage for years, even hosting a podcast called Mo’Nique & Sidney’s Open Relationship, where they discussed their non-traditional approach to marriage.
However, Mo’Nique said that she had “grown out of” the desire for an open marriage and wanted to focus on her strong emotional connection with Hicks.
“Life began to happen. I began to see a strength I had never seen before. He loved me at my worst. I didn’t want to sacrifice that just for a lay. So I grew out of that,” she said.
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Mo’Nique first revealed her open marriage in a 2006 interview with Essence magazine. Still, it wasn’t until the couple’s podcast in 2016 that they faced a wave of criticism and misunderstanding about their arrangement.
“They thought it was about swinging and orgies, and then there were individuals who are vehement about God, and they were bringing God into their opinions,” she said. “People lost their minds, and the criticism has never let up.”
Mo’Nique explained that their open marriage was initially her idea, but Hicks had taught her the importance of reciprocity. “Sidney had this one thing he had to teach me, and that was reciprocity. He said, ‘If you can have that, it’s only fair that I can have that, too.’ … I wanted to continue to see the gentlemen that I was seeing, and I felt comfortable telling my best friend [Hicks]. I’m grateful he taught me I had to play fair,” she said.
Despite ending their open marriage, Mo’Nique stresses that her relationship with Hicks remains strong and unchanged.
