Everything We Know About Monay From Claim To Fame
This season of ABC's "Claim to Fame" has seen a unique host of contestants, ranging from the chill redhead Olivia to the laidback leader Gabriel, all secreting a familial tie to an unknown celebrity. While some of these contestants have worked hard to divert the guesses of their fellow housemates, others haven't had to put as much effort into sabotaging speculation about their celebrity relative.
For example, Monay has done her fair share of strategizing, but her fellow "Claim to Fame" players seem to be thwarted by their lack of pop-culture knowledge more than anything else when it comes to identifying her secret identity. While "Family Feud" host Steve Harvey has been an echoed guess for this outspoken player, audience members have been formulating their own ideas about who Monay might be related to. The strongest likelihood seems to be comedian J.B. Smoove, who seems to fit the clues viewers and contestants have been given so far.
What are Monay's Claim to Fame clues?
To start, Monay shared in the "two truths and a lie" segment of Episode 1 that her celebrity relative is her father. She said that he is known for being an athlete and that he has won an Emmy. Initially, her fellow contestants began theorizing that she might be related to Steve Harvey, believing she was lying about being related to an athlete.
The penalty reveals of Episode 3 linked Monay's celebrity relative to a fedora, a chain and lock necklace, and a thundercloud emoji. However, the biggest hint about Monay's celebrity relative came from her wine cellar clue, which was pulled by Gabriel in Episode 5. While her housemate was able to solve the picture puzzle pretty easily, which reads "'Saturday Night Live' and 'Curb Your Enthusiasm,'" he couldn't think of an actor who appeared on both shows.
The dossier challenge of Episode 7 also exposed some helpful information about Monay's celebrity ties as her file provided details, such as her dad winning an Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama, being the face of [redacted] Sportsbook Commercials, and starring in the "[redacted] of Hollywood." Plus, her file also mentioned that her relative is associated with Larry [redacted], Kevin [redacted], and Sia. So, with these clues in mind, who could Monay be related to?
Who could be Monay's celebrity relative?
Avid viewers of "Claim to Fame" have speculated that Monay is related to the comedian J.B. Smoove, who is most known for his 2000s stint as a writer and performer on Saturday Night Live and his ongoing portrayal of Leon Black on the HBO show "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Both of these details were hinted at in Monay's wine cellar clue, but you can also see the family resemblance between the two.
The details revealed in Episode 7 also support this celebrity connection, as Smoove won an Emmy for his role in the comedy mystery series "Mapleworth Murders," is associated with Larry David through "Curb Your Enthusiasm," and starred alongside Kevin Hart in "Real Husbands of Hollywood." The actor also has an ongoing sponsorship with Caeser's Sportsbook, which aligns with all the Caesar imagery that has been seen in challenges and on the clue wall.
While there is lots of evidence to support a connection between Monay and J.B. Smoove, no one in the house has come close to naming the comedian. If this "Claim to Fame" contestant keeps going strong, she has a good chance of making it to the endgame.