Mo’Nique and Her Husband Had an Open Relationship for Many Years

Comedy legend and award-winning actor Mo’Nique has a new Netflix special — and she doesn’t hold back. In My Name is Mo’Nique, the 55-year-old actor opens up about the nerve-wracking moment she told her third husband, Sidney Hicks, about the sexual desires she felt toward other women.

“I’m so scared because I’m saying, ‘Please, when I tell you, don’t walk away from me — because it’ll take my breath away,'” Mo’Nique recalls. “‘But I gotta tell you, because you know me, you know when something ain’t right?’ And something hadn’t been right for years.”

Fortunately, the stand-up comedian’s husband took his wife’s revelation “beautifully.” So, who is the man with whom Mo’Nique candidly shared her sexuality? Here’s everything to know about Sidney.

The stand-up comedian and her husband, Sidney, are high school sweethearts. Married in 2006, the duo first met when they were sophomores in the ‘80s at Randall High School in the Baltimore suburbs. “Our energies and spirits just connected,” Mo’Nique recently told The Hollywood Reporter.

However, they didn’t become romantically involved until much later. First, they started as close friends. Then, they became roommates. Finally, Sidney took a leap of faith and kissed Mo'Nique — and they’ve been going strong for over a decade.

“That’s been over 16 years ago and we’ve not been apart since,” Mo’Nique revealed.

Their relationship only blossomed from there. In October 2005, Mo’Nique and Sidney welcomed their twin sons — now age 17 — Jonathan and David Hicks. However, their marriage was never limited to just the two of them.

After tying the knot in 2006, the comedian and producer decided to expand their relationship.

Mo’Nique revealed that it was her idea to engage in an open marriage with her husband, telling The New York Times in 2007, “If sex happens with another person, that's not a deal breaker for us, that's not something where we'll say, 'Oh my God, we've got to go to divorce court, and you cheated on me.' Because we don't cheat."

The couple’s Mo’Nique & Sidney’s Open Relationship podcast shed more light on the nitty-gritty details of their arrangement. However, as Mo’Nique and Sidney got older, their relationship with polyamory slowly fizzled out.

“Life began to happen,” the actor explained to THR. “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.”

Sidney Hicks's career is just as impressive as his wife's career. Sidney is best known for being an executive producer on Blackbird, Interwoven, Mo’Nique & Friends: Live From Atlanta, and The Reading. He also took on minor acting roles in Steppin: The Movie, Phat Girlz, Henry X, and The Parkers.

Aside from acting and producing, Sidney is also Mo’Nique’s full-time manager. “He’s the best manager that I’ve ever had,” the comedian admitted. “And I’ve had the big boys.”

My Name is Mo’Nique is now available for streaming on Netflix.