Monique Angela Hicks (née Imes ; born December 11, 1967), known professionally as Mo'Nique , is an American comedian and actress . She first gained fame as a member of the Queens Of Comedy, as well as her role as Nicole "Nikki" Parker in the UPN series The Parkers while making a name as a stand-up comedian hosting a variety of venues, including Showtime at the Apollo . Mo'Nique transitioned to film with roles in such films as Phat Girlz (2006) and Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (2008). In 2002, she, along with several other female comedians, earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Comedy Album .

Taraji Penda Henson ( / t ə ˈ r ɑː dʒ i / tə- RAH -jee ; born September 11, 1970) is an American actress, singer, and author. She studied acting at Howard University and began her Hollywood career in guest-roles on several television shows before making her breakthrough in Baby Boy (2001). She received praise for playing a prostitute in Hustle & Flow (2005) and a single mother of a disabled child in David Fincher 's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008); for the latter, she received Academy Award , SAG Award and Critics Choice Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress; for the former, she received a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture nomination. In 2010, she appeared in the action comedy Date Night and co-starred in the remake of The Karate Kid .