Mo’Nique Feuds With D.L. Hughley Over Stand-Up Performance Contract

Fellow comedians Mo’Nique and D.L. Hughley have been trading blows on Instagram after she insulted him onstage regarding an alleged contract disagreement. The performance was on May 28 at the show Comedy Explosion in Detroit’s Fox Theater.

Hughley and Mo’Nique were performing together, but she bitterly claimed that she signed a contract ensuring she was headlining the show on stage and went on to insult Hughley in several jokes during her opening set for him. “Y’all don’t understand I was ready to walk the f––k up out of here,” she quickly began, and added that the show’s promoter is “raggedy as a motherf––ker.”

Mo’Nique continued to incorporate her frustration over the paperwork issues into her expletive-laden set. “That’s what the motherf––king contract says, Mo’Nique is to be the last mother f––king person on that got dam stage.” She quickly snapped, “I’m 30+ years in this motherf––king business, and I don’t open for no-goddamn-body.”

While she had mentioned Hughley briefly to taunt him, she brought him into full focus at this point. She said Hughley “turned into a bitch” and claimed he refused to perform if Mo’Nique was the headliner. She referenced Hughely discussing her on one of his tours “talking about all Mo’Nique wasn’t.”

Mo’Nique truly didn’t hold back for Hughely and also made jabs about his sex-life, called him a coward, and added “Your name is D.L. What the f––k does it stand for?” You can watch Mo’Nique’s set, where she also sends stray insults towards Oprah, Tyler Perry and Steve Harvey, below.

Hughley responded to Mo’Nique’s blistering set with an Instagram post featuring a photo of her in costume as Mary Lee Johnston, the abusive mother of the title character in Precious. “Apparently, the role you played in PRECIOUS was an autobiography,” Hughley wrote, while also objecting to some of her statements.

“All you have to do is check the order of names on the ticket stub from last night and you’ll see who’s confused,” Hughley began his posts. He claimed that he took “a chance” to work with Mo’Nique and it was “over the objections of my team.” He also later posted a “Deal Memo” for the Detroit show, which seemed to show Hughley as the intended headliner.

The comic also added that even if he had a contract issue “my beef wouldn’t be with anyone but the promoter and/or my team and I damn sure wouldn’t make it personal. If you have a problem, take it up with management and by that I mean yours.” Hughley also signed this post with his full name, Darryl Lynn Hughley.

Mo’Nique has countered as of yesterday with some evidence of her own. She released several setlists that showed her as the intended headliner, as well as a “Performance Agreement” she signed which read “Talent shall be the Headliner of the show and the closing Talent for the show.”

She claimed the memo Hughley showed wasn’t legitimate, and even took a moment to roast other performers too. “To those out there who thought a deal memo was the same as a performance agreement (especially some of the comedians) this is how we’re constantly taken advantage of by the business.”