Mo'Nique's Brother Admits He Sexually Abused Her

By PopEater Staff Posted Apr 19th 2010 05:00PM

Gerald Imes, the brother of Oscar winner Mo'Nique, appeared on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' on Monday to apologize and admit he molested the actress when they were children. He told Winfrey the abuse went on for about a year or two and started when he was 13 and Mo'Nique was around 7 or 8.

"I abused and betrayed the trust of another sibling, my sister, my blood sister," Imes said. He apologized to the actress, saying, "I'm sorry, Mo'Nique. I'm sorry."

Imes said he decided to appear on Winfrey's show to apologize to Mo'Nique and bring their family back together. "I can only hope by coming forward that somewhere down the line, with the apology and the truth finally coming out after 37 years ... That as siblings, we can come back together as brother and sister."

He added, addressing his sister as if she were there: "It happened. I'm sorry that I was the one who did it to you. I understand your pain. Now let's share this together."

The actress did not comment on Imes' admission. Winfrey said that while Mo'Nique did not want to be interviewed for the show, she gave the talk host her blessing. "She said if your expressing what you had done to her could save one family then it would be worth it," Winfrey told Imes.

Imes said he himself was molested and he was using drugs and alcohol at age 11. "The drugs weren't an excuse," he said. "They just afforded me the opportunity to do the things that was (sic) in the back of my mind that I always wanted to do."

Mo'Nique has discussed her brother's molestation in previous interviews, most recently with Barbara Walters when she called her brother a "monster." One claim that Imes denied to Winfrey was that he used to lure his sister with candy.

"As inappropriate as it was. As humiliating as it was. I didn't groom her," he said. Winfrey then described "grooming" as the manipulative steps that abusers take to gain the trust of their victims, such as gift-giving.

Years after abusing his sister, Imes was convicted and served 12 years in prison for crimes unrelated to Mo'Nique. When asked by Winfrey how many people he has molested, Imes admitted to two victims.

Mo'Nique's parents also appeared on the episode. "It was such a heartbreaking thing to accept," said her mother, Alice Imes.

Mo'Nique received the supporting actress Academy Award in March for her role in 'Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire,' which was co-produced by Winfrey. Mo'Nique has said she channeled her experience of being molested into the role of the abusive mother she played in the film.

Tags: monique, oprah winfrey

Comments

(103)

Monday 19 April

By val

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Erin, you are right about that, pain is pain.

Wednesday 21 April

By leolux10

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"Erin". Pain IS pain. But an apology is STILL an apology! What is worse, is the abhorrable act...WITHOUT one! We, as human beings, make mistakes. If you two ("Val") weren't from another planet, maybe you'd understand this simple fact!

By devin

He wants a piece of the cash pie now!!

By gayle

funny how the leaze decides to confess now so soon after her Oscar. Great timing!

By Mary

Good that he admitted it.But "admitting" doesn't absolve you from the responsibility!Do you just forgive a murderer because he says;"Yup,I did it"????

Thank God. Only He needs to forgive. Since simple humans like you (and others) can't. An act can't be undone. But it can be forgiven.

Forgiveness is the starting point at which all parties can begin healing.

Try it sometime.

By Mrs. Jackson

I can't believe that Mo Nique's brother would go on national television and apologize to his sister. An abuse stays with a person for a life time and no apology whether public or private would amount for all the pain she has suffered within. In the movie Precious she had her daughter perform sexual acts on her in one part of the movie realizing now what happened in real life with her that must have been a difficult role to play. My heart goes out to Mo'Nique and all the other woman and children who have been sexually and physically abused.

By Bernadette

Very sad....

By TonyaH

Can nothing be kept private in this country?

By Janeyre

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That is my thoughts also, TonyaH. He should just go away. I wouldn't have anything to do with him.

By donna

How convenient that Moniques brother came out now. Let me make this short. He is full of it. Sure he figures he can manipulate her again and use the guilt that he gave her to do it. Your sister has proven herself to be a magnificent actor, and the world loves her. There is nothing you can do for her!

By nikki

This didn't have to be broadcasted to the world! He's just trying to get some of his sisters spotlight. This man is a predator he molested his sister and someone else's child. If forgiveness is what he seeks Oprah is not the person for the job.

By Polly Hanaha

Agreed!!

By doochie

Yes....please keep this private....that is just what needs to be done...hide it. As if it is not devistating enough to have to tell your parents, my mother in my case, that you have been molested, it is so much more worse to have they ignore you and act like you are not telling the truth, and just do nothing for you. Of course he is a monster. Every child molester is a monster. I am so sorry for this lady...I feel her pain and know from my own situation that she will never live a normal life...it is not possible. This monster, as well as the one who molested me, as well as all other child molesters steal a childs happy childhood and innocence...plus put a horrible cloud over the rest of your life. Be sure and keep it quite and hide the facts ...this will enable more molesters to do their evil work in darkness...SHOUT IT FROM THE HIGHEST ROOFTOP...BRING IT TO THE CENTER OF ATTENTION... this is the way to help stop this evil, along with putting them where the sun never sees their face again.

By amelia

AMEN! Shout it out and keep on shouting until somebody does something about it...
I told my mother, she did nothing, the person abusing me continued to live with us, my mother continued to leave me and my baby sister alone with him, when we finally moved, she gave him a key to our apartment... eventually someone turned him in for molesting a toddler living next door... he got 2 years (I suppose one year for each year old the toddler was)...after getting out he was turned in again for raping a teenager...he's out again...he visits my mother's house (where my neice and nephews live- their mom is a meth addict and prostitute- likely a result from the sexual abuse she suffered from this abuser)...I call CPS, I call the police...I tell my mother why is she doing this to them...
...I keep on shouting but nobody hears...
I pray that the attention this story is getting results in somebody stopping the abuse for some child... would have been much less damage for my sister (and the kids he abused after I got old enough to fight back) if somebody had listened to me...

By james claypool

Something is not right here.After 37 years NO NO NO !!!!! What is he after?

By shirley

This happen at 7 & 13. Kids being kids and parents not talking to their kids & telling them about life. This should have been a private matter.(family only) & not broadcast all over the world.

By Marsha

Mo'nique obviously wants nothing to do with him. This is the way he chose to reach out to her. Whatever his motives, at least he is admitting his wrongdoing. He went to prison for 12 years for molesting 2 other people. Who knows how many others there were. It's a shame he didn't do time for stealing her innocence as well.

By Patty

Monique did the right thing. I have always loved her talent and she is a very postive person. her brother is full of it and he knew what he was doing. I dont believe for one minute that he was abused. Her parents and the other brother seem to be defending this monster. Monique has really hit it big time and they want to make amends because of her hard work and good fortune. She hasnt talk to her mother in two years and Evidently it has something to do with the fact that they defend him. I am so sorry for her pain. All I can say is be happy Monique with your husband and children and live.

By Sharon

If he was molested when he was a child then he must know how it felt so why did he have to do it to his sister. I am sick of hearing that it happened to molester when they were young.

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