Mo’Nique became only the fifth woman in history to win an Academy Award for acting after accepting the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of horribly abusive ’80s welfare mother Mary Jones in Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire at the 82nd Academy Awards on Sunday.
The 42-year-old comedienne took a break from her usual role as a comedienne to portray Jones alongside acting newcomer Gabourey Sidibe in the urban drama about a young woman fighting for a better life. Mo’Nique was the overwhelming favorite for the prize after having racked up supporting actress wins at the Golden Globes, Spirit Awards, and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards.
Mo’Nique accepted her statuette to a standing ovation.
“I would like to thank the Academy for showing that it can be about the performance and not the politics,” she said with emotion as she took the stage. The actress had made headlines for not taking an active enough role in promoting the film.
In the supporting actress category, the only other Black Academy Award winners were Hattie McDaniel as “Mammy” in Gone With The Wind (1939), Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls (2006), and Whoopi Goldberg for Ghost (1990). Halle Berry is the only black Oscar winner in the best actress category, earning the honor for 2001’s Monster’s Ball.
Precious also claimed the prize for Best Adapted Screenplay.