Thea Vidale

Thea Vidale: Five Things About The Woman Behind “Momma Benjamin”

Thea Vidale is an actress and comedian who's done stand-up gigs and has also appeared on television, and the Howard Stern show. She's probably most well-known for her persona of “Momma Benjamin”, which she debuted in 2006 on World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

She appeared as the mother of wrestler, Shelton Benjamin, and showed up yelling at him and telling him he was not acting the way Benjamins were supposed to. The “Momma Benjamin” name stuck after that.

Besides being “Momma Benjamin”, who's Thea Vidale? Here are 5 other things you may not know about this funny lady:

1. She began her comedy career by doing stand-up gigs in comic clubs in her hometown of Washington, D.C.

2. She's also an actress, and appeared on television show including Ellen, The Drew Carey Show, and My Wife and Kids.



3. In 1999, she appeared at the Philadelphia GLBT pride day, and performed with comic Etta May. The mayor of Philadelphia named the day “Thea Vidale Day” and “Etta May Day.”

4. During one of her Momma Benjamin appearances, Shelton Benjamin was up against “The Big Show.” The Big Show wound up screaming in Thea Vidale’s face and she fainted. She wound having a heart arrythmia.

5. Thea made a guest appearance on Ugly Betty in 2007, playing a hairdresser in the episode entitled “Queens For A Day.”