The Breakfast Club: Tiffany Haddish & Jason Lee "Not Expecting a Baby!" + Mo’Nique on Healing With Her Son
Date: August 20, 2025
Host: Lauren LaRosa (segment), with references to DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, and Charlamagne Tha God
Podcast: The Breakfast Club – iHeartPodcasts
Episode Overview
This episode dives into two hot topics in celebrity news and black entertainment culture:
- Clearing the air on the viral “baby” rumor involving Tiffany Haddish and Jason Lee, founder of Hollywood Unlocked
- Mo’Nique’s public reconciliation and healing journey with her adult son, including honest talk about ego, motherhood in the spotlight, and the costs of public family rifts
Lauren LaRosa leads the conversation, examining recent headlines, providing receipts in the form of direct audio, and adding personal context about adoption, foster care, motherhood, and public perception.
1. Tiffany Haddish & Jason Lee: “We Are Not Having a Baby!”
[03:00 – 17:00]
The Viral Instagram Photo
- On August 4, Tiffany Haddish and Jason Lee posted an Instagram photo showing them together with a baby in Tiffany’s arms, Jason holding a stroller, both smiling.
- This led to wild speculation online: did they have a baby together? Adopt? Use a surrogate?
- Lauren points out Jason Lee is "a very openly gay man," making the rumors particularly head-scratching for people familiar with him.
Past Comments Added Fuel
-
Rumors gained traction because, in an earlier conversation, Tiffany and Jason jokingly explored the idea of having a baby together:
Jason Lee (quoting himself): “You said you would give me a kid. Are you serious about that?”
Tiffany Haddish: “Yeah, we could have a kid. I wanted to talk to you about the cost... because I said I wanted to do it the old-fashioned way.”
Jason Lee: “My penis and I had an agreement... we just packed up and left and never came back.”
(11:00) -
Jason humorously rules out the "old-fashioned way":
“After I walked away from vagina, I just like, it was like that. STDs, pain, sorrow, shooting, violence, drugs. Like, I don't want to be around none of that anymore.”
(12:15)
Lauren’s Behind-the-Scenes Texts
- Lauren receives texts after the photo: "Is Jason Lee pregnant? Did Tiffany Haddish have a baby by Jason Lee?"
- Even after directly texting Jason, all she gets in reply is a baby bottle emoji—no explanation.
Final Word: No Baby—But a Godbaby & Message About Adoption
-
On Jimmy Kimmel, Tiffany and Jason clarify the truth:
Tiffany Haddish: “We just took a picture with a baby and then that went crazy. So now we got a God baby.”
Jason Lee: “This is the first time, both of us being former foster kids, that we're actually selecting to choose a baby that wasn't ours. But that's why adoption's important.”
(16:00) -
Tiffany jokes that Jason could still make a real baby with her, while Jason teases, "I'm traditional and I'm still gay, y’all."
-
Lauren praises them for spinning the viral moment to promote the importance of adoption and fostering children, noting her own family’s experience:
“A lot of [my foster siblings] spent anywhere from, like, shoot, three to four to maybe 10 years with us... My mom always did everything she could to try and keep families together.”
(18:00)
2. Mo’Nique on Healing With Her Son: “I Let My Ego Get in the Way”
[17:30 – 41:00]
The T.S. Madison Interview: A Breakthrough Moment
-
Mo’Nique opens up on the Outlaws with TS Madison podcast about her relationship with her son, addressing past tensions and her own role in it:
“Will people shout as loud when they find out we're healing?... What I will say is I let my ego get in the way. I will say that publicly. And I had to take that down because I had to say, Monique, that is yours, baby. He's 34 years old. You're 57. You know better. Take it down.”
(20:20) -
Lauren highlights the significance of Mo’Nique’s public accountability:
“To hear her say it was my ego... it's hard for anybody, whether you're Monique or not, to admit when you may have added to the problem.”
(21:30)
Mo’Nique on Industry Rifts
- Mo’Nique addresses past public disputes with Oprah, Tyler Perry, and industry figures:
“I'm not going anywhere until y'all take accountability and fix it. Y'all messed with my livelihood, which messes with my family. Never would I do that to anyone.”
(22:30) “As I told you before, and I'm gonna say it again, until [Tyler Perry] fixes it, I will not stop... Either you'll fix it in life, or you'll be dealt with in death. It's totally up to you.”
(24:00)
“Protective Mom” and Relationships
- Lauren discusses Mo’Nique’s protective nature and her husband’s role, referencing a humorous but pointed exchange about Tiffany Haddish:
Mo’Nique: "You rung the bell. You said ding dong. And I said, come on in and get this pound cake. Let's talk about it. And I didn't say it to be cruel. I said it to be factual. When you have somebody loving you, you're not gonna get DUIs...”
(27:10)
Lauren’s Take: Public Accountability as Growth
- Lauren is moved by Mo’Nique’s willingness to admit fault and reflect:
“That is the mom that is protective. That is about her family... To hear somebody take accountability is just, it’s a good thing to hear and witness. It represents a really good, a really good place of, like, peace or healing.”
3. Mo’Nique & Her Son: Pain, Public Healing, and Contradictions
[41:00 – 50:00]
The Club Shay Shay Interview & Public Fallout
-
Lauren revisits Mo’Nique’s February 2024 Club Shay Shay appearance, where she addressed criticism of her mothering and complicated family ties:
Mo’Nique: “There are some people that are saying, oh, you should be ashamed of your mothering skills...let's let it play out.”
(44:00) -
Mo’Nique’s son Shalon responded online, refuting his mother’s narrative:
“My mother and I both know that that is a very false narrative... Neither one of us has had the desire to reach out to the other in a very long time... Standing in your truth doesn't make you noble.”
Recent Signs of Reconciliation
- After public tension, a photo surfaces of Mo’Nique and her son together, “being able to begin conversations of healing.” Lauren notes how this, and Mo’Nique’s public accountability, signal growth.
Reflections on Working Moms and Family Balance
-
Lauren relates these stories to her own struggle with balancing career ambitions and family time—highlighting the unique pressures faced by Black women in entertainment and beyond.
“I would love to talk to [Mo’Nique] about when you were figuring out that balance... My career requires me. I feel absent as a daughter and a granddaughter right now.”
(51:10) -
She points to changing times and resources for working mothers, contemplating how Mo’Nique’s era was different.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- Jason Lee: “My penis and I had an agreement, back when I was 19, that we were vacating that world.” (11:45)
- Tiffany Haddish: “You the daddy.” (16:20)
- Mo’Nique: “I let my ego get in the way. I will say that publicly.” (20:25)
- Mo’Nique on Tyler Perry: “That lie cost me 12 years of my career. 12. And I know you work for that man...” (24:00)
- Lauren LaRosa: “To hear her say it was my ego... it's hard for anybody, whether you're Monique or not, to admit when you may have added to the problem.” (21:30)
Key Takeaways
- Tiffany Haddish and Jason Lee did NOT have a baby together—they simply took a photo with a child and used it as a platform to speak about the importance of adoption, referencing their own foster care backgrounds.
- Mo’Nique is making public strides toward healing with her son, candidly talking about her own mistakes and the role ego played in their troubles—a move which Lauren and many listeners see as both rare and redeeming for someone so publicly perceived as combative.
Timestamps of Important Segments
- 03:00 – Lauren introduces the Tiffany Haddish/Jason Lee baby rumor
- 11:00 – Clip of Tiffany & Jason joking about pregnancy and the “old-fashioned way”
- 16:00 – Kimmel clip: clarify that the child is a godbaby; message about adoption
- 20:20 – Mo’Nique says, “I let my ego get in the way” (TS Madison interview)
- 22:30 - 24:00 – Mo’Nique on Oprah, Tyler Perry, and the impact on her career
- 27:10 – Mo’Nique on being protective and the role of love in keeping people grounded
- 44:00 - 50:00 – Detailed recounting of the Mo’Nique/Shalon fallout and reconciliation
Tone & Style
Lauren LaRosa provides cultural commentary that’s both personable and insightful, emphasizing the importance of context in viral news cycles. The episode’s tone is conversational, occasionally irreverent, but always layered with empathy and a sense of community accountability.
If you missed this episode, you now have the key arguments, memorable soundbites, and a sense of why these stories matter—inside and outside entertainment.