Thea Vidale

Thea R. Vidale (born November 20, 1956) is an American stand-up comedian and actress. Vidale is perhaps best known for her role as Thea Armstrong-Turrell in the ABC sitcom Thea, which originally aired from 1993 until 1994. Vidale is noted as the first African American female comedian to have a television series named after her.

Early life and education Vidale was born in Washington, D.C. into a military family with three sisters and moved around frequently. Her family moved to Victoria, Texas when she was 12 years old. In 2007, she competed on the reality television show Last Comic Standing, making it to the second round. In 2009, Vidale was part of the Hot Tamales Live! presented by Kiki Melendez comedy tour, which was filmed for Showtime. On December 12, 2012, she appeared on Standup in Stilettos, a standup comedy show on the TV Guide Network. She performed on the third and seventh episode of the first season of the Gabriel Iglesias stand-up series Stand Up Revolution. In 2022 and 2024, Vidale worked with Carnival Cruise Lines as one of their comedians, and still works with Carnival cruises line as of April 3, 2025.

Other media appearances In 1999, Vidale appeared at the Philadelphia LGBT Pride Fest, her first LGBT event, with comic Etta May. Both were honored by the city's mayor, who officially named the day simultaneously "Thea Vidale Day" and "Etta May Day". Vidale served as co-host for both the 2005 and 2009 AVN Awards.

Professional wrestling Vidale performed on World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2006. She appeared as the mother to wrestler Shelton Benjamin, who had been going through difficulties in the preceding weeks. Her first appearance was on the January 2 episode of Raw. Over the next several weeks, "Momma Benjamin" was involved in several backstage skits resulting in her challenging wrestlers to matches on Shelton's behalf. Shelton won the majority of these matches, breaking his losing streak that existed before her arrival.

On the February 6, 2006, episode of RAW, Momma Benjamin attempted to interfere in Shelton's match with the Big Show, only to have the Big Show turn to her and scream in her face. After he turned back to finish the match (which he won), Momma Benjamin fainted to the ground, prompting EMTs to rush to her side and wheel her backstage. The official WWE website later announced that she was resting at home after suffering from a heart arrhythmia, which was what caused her to pass out. Momma Benjamin returned to Raw the next week, but with an oxygen tank attached to her wheelchair that started being used as a weapon, especially on the February 20 episode when she led Shelton to winning the WWE Intercontinental Championship, in the process turning them both heel. Momma Benjamin was mentioned for the final time on WWE television on March 13, with Shelton announcing to the crowd that she was having heart surgery, and had no plans to return to WWE.

Personal life Vidale has spoken often about her troubled marriage where she suffered physical abuse from her husband.

On October 21, 2010, Vidale was a guest on The Howard Stern Show, where she announced she had decided to have gastric bypass surgery because she had developed complications resulting from type 2 diabetes. She stated, "I have four children. This is not about vanity...I want it to be like a rebirth. A new me. A healthier me."

Filmography

Film

Television