Baby Boy

…roles came in John Singleton’s Baby Boy (2001), as the central character’s much-put-upon girlfriend, and Hustle & Flow (2005), as the pregnant prostitute Shug, opposite Terrence Howard, whom she later demanded be hired to play the role of Lucious Lyon, the ex-husband of her character on Empire. (She also sang…

…of varying quality, ranging from Baby Boy (2001), about life in inner-city Los Angeles, to Soul Plane (2004), a widely reviled parody of Airplane! (1980) that features stereotypical depictions of African Americans. In addition to acting, Mo’Nique continued to perform stand-up, notably joining the Queens of Comedy tour in 2000.