Mo'Nique Has Been Open About Why She and Her Husband No Longer Have an Open Marriage

Mo'Nique has always been an open book in her comedy specials, especially when it comes to her love and sex life. As her new Netflix special, "My Name Is Mo'Nique," begins streaming, you may find yourself wondering about the comedian and actor's husband, Sidney Hicks, and their love story. Ahead, read all about Mo'Nique and Hicks's 40-year love story, from their start as high school besties to finding love and career success alongside each other later in life. How Did Mo'Nique and Sidney Hicks Meet? Monique and Hicks met in the early '80s as sophomores at Milford Mill High School in Baltimore, Maryland. The pair remained friends after that, even through their respective prior marriages. Mo'Nique was married to Mark Jackson from 1997 to 2001, and they have one confirmed son together, according to the The New York Times. Similarly, Hicks also has a son from a previous relationship, the outlet said. When Did Mo'Nique and Sidney Hicks Get Married? After their previous marriages ended, Mo'Nique and Hicks became roommates. Their relationship turned romantic when, one day, Hicks leaned over and kissed Mo'Nique while they were sharing a bathroom mirror. "That's been over 16 years ago, and we've not been apart since," Mo'Nique told The Hollywood Reporter in a March 2023 interview. The pair welcomed twin sons, Jonathan and David Hicks, in 2005. They married shortly after that, in 2006. Do Mo'Nique and Sidney Hicks Have an Open Marriage? While Mo'Nique and Hicks once had an open marriage in the early days of their union, that's not the case anymore. The couple opened up about their arrangement in a 2016 episode of their Play.It podcast aptly titled "Mo'Nique and Sidney's Open Relationship." In it, Hicks explained that their lifelong friendship afforded them a level of flexibility in their marriage that meant nothing - not even entering into relationships with other people - could rock its foundation. "Before she was my wife, she was my sister," Hicks said (via the New York Times). "And there have been moments when she was like my little girl. When you go through all these dynamics with someone, you understand them." He continued, "We got into this knowing that we both wanted to be with someone who's going to allow you to be who you are. I think one of the most romantic things you can do as a couple is be honest with each other. And we are." Mo'Nique - whose idea it was to have an open marriage - admitted they hit a bump as they established the ground rules for their arrangement. "Sidney had this one thing he had to teach me, and that was reciprocity," she said. "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, [Sidney]. I'm grateful he taught me I had to play fair." In a 2007 New York Times profile, Mo'Nique explained that the key to their open marriage working was radical honesty. "We have an agreement that we'll always be honest," Mo'Nique said at the time. "And 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." However, the comedian's views on open marriage changed later in life, and the couple no longer partakes in extramarital relationships. "Life began to happen," Mo'Nique told 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." Mo'Nique and Sidney Hicks's Professional Relationship Hicks tried his hand at acting throughout the early 2000s and often serves as executive producer on Mo'Nique's shows and comedy specials, but his main job is serving as Mo'Nique's manager. "He's the best manager that I've ever had," Mo'Nique told THR about her husband's work. "And I've had the big boys." Mo'Nique told THR that she brushes off any criticism she's faced for what some feel is Hicks's overbearing presence in the comedian's business dealings. "I did an interview one time, and a young Black woman said to me, 'Aren't you nervous to have your husband here? Won't that make you appear weak?'" she told the publication. "I said, 'That breaks my heart that you would even think that.'" Mo'Nique's Netflix comedy special "My Name Is Mo'Nique" is streaming now on Netflix.