Born: 19 March 1894, United States
Died: 23 May 1975
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Loretta Mary Aiken
Born Loretta Mary Aiken, Jackie “Moms” Mabley was an African-American stand-up comic and actor who was active in stage, television and films from the 1910s to 1970s. She was also one of the 20th century’s first openly queer comedians, coming out as a lesbian in 1921.
She was born in North Carolina in 1894, one of 16 children in her family. He father owned and operated several successful businesses, but her childhood was not idyllic. She gave birth to two children when she was 11 and 13 after being raped by two different men. Both were put up for adoption; she would go on to have four more children over the course of her life. She ran away at age 14, encouraged by her grandmother, and joined a travelling minstrel show. She took the stage name Jackie Mabley, using the name of an early boyfriend and fellow performer, Jack Mabley. In a 1970 interview, she commented that he had taken so much from her, the name was the least she could take from him.
Although she soon became ons of the Chitlin’ Circuit’s most successful performers, her income was limited as an African-American woman. She publicly came out as a lesbian in 1921, when she was 27, though documentation of her relationships with men indicate she may have been bisexual in modern terms. In the 1920s and ‘30s, she performed in androgynous clothing and recorded several “lesbian stand-up” routines. She became the first female comic to perform at the Apollo in Harlem in 1939.
Inspired by the maternal role she filled for younger comedians on the circuit, Mabley adopted the “Moms” nickname in the 1950s, taking on the look of a toothless, bedraggled older woman in a house dress and floppy hat. The name was also an homage to her grandmother, who had encouraged her to pursue her dreams. In this non-threatening guise, she was able to address controversial topics like racism, sexuality and having children outside marriage, with one of her signature bits being Moms’ preference for handsome young men rather than “old, washed-up geezers.”
After decades of performing, Mabley became better known to white audiences in the 1960s, performing at Carnegie Hall in 1962 and appearing on mainstream television shows. Although she had sung in her early career, music now became a regular part of her act. Her cover of Abraham, Martin and John reached number 35 on the Billboard hot 100 on 19 July 1969, making her the oldest living person to have a U. S. Top 40 hit at age 75.
Well into her 70s, she continued to perform, appearing on The Pearl Bailey Show and opening for Ike and Tina Turner at the Greek Theatre.
Mabley’s only starring role in a film came at the end of her life. She suffered a heart attack while filming Amazing Grace in 1974. She returned to work only three weeks later, likely still recovering from her pacemaker operation. She died of heart failure the following year, on 23 May 1975.