diff --git a/README.rst b/README.rst
index e946bdea1..9bb76392f 100644
--- a/README.rst
+++ b/README.rst
@@ -260,6 +260,10 @@ You can also run tests in a specific directory by using the ``-s`` option, or by
 What's new
 ----------
 
+- 2016-12-27: We've made a backwards-incompatible change to make the gym monitor
+  a wrapper. Instead of `env.monitor.start(directory)`, wrap your envs with an
+  `env = wrappers.Monitor(env, directory).` This will also give advanced users
+  more flexibility with what exactly is run.
 - 2016-11-1: Several experimental changes to how a running monitor interacts
   with environments. The monitor will now raise an error if reset() is called
   when the env has not returned done=True. The monitor will only record complete
diff --git a/examples/agents/random_agent.py b/examples/agents/random_agent.py
index 6d351c583..524ca931f 100644
--- a/examples/agents/random_agent.py
+++ b/examples/agents/random_agent.py
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ if __name__ == '__main__':
     # will be namespaced). You can also dump to a tempdir if you'd
     # like: tempfile.mkdtemp().
     outdir = '/tmp/random-agent-results'
-    env = wrappers.Monitor(directory=outdir, force=True)(env)
+    env = wrappers.Monitor(env, directory=outdir, force=True)
     env.seed(0)
     agent = RandomAgent(env.action_space)
 
diff --git a/examples/scripts/benchmark_runner b/examples/scripts/benchmark_runner
index b849d33b2..4338e6149 100644
--- a/examples/scripts/benchmark_runner
+++ b/examples/scripts/benchmark_runner
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ def main():
         for trial in range(task.trials):
             env = gym.make(task.env_id)
             training_dir_name = "{}/{}-{}".format(args.training_dir, task.env_id, trial)
-            env = wrappers.Monitor(training_dir_name)(env)
+            env = wrappers.Monitor(env, training_dir_name)
             env.reset()
             for _ in range(task.max_timesteps):
                 o, r, done, _ = env.step(env.action_space.sample())
diff --git a/gym/benchmarks/tests/test_benchmark.py b/gym/benchmarks/tests/test_benchmark.py
index e284cf107..c60bfc91a 100644
--- a/gym/benchmarks/tests/test_benchmark.py
+++ b/gym/benchmarks/tests/test_benchmark.py
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ def test():
 
     with helpers.tempdir() as temp:
         env = gym.make('CartPole-v0')
-        env = wrappers.Monitor(directory=temp, video_callable=False)(env)
+        env = wrappers.Monitor(env, directory=temp, video_callable=False)
         env.seed(0)
 
         env.set_monitor_mode('evaluation')
diff --git a/gym/monitoring/tests/test_monitor.py b/gym/monitoring/tests/test_monitor.py
index c82a78d05..d7800ea26 100644
--- a/gym/monitoring/tests/test_monitor.py
+++ b/gym/monitoring/tests/test_monitor.py
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ from gym.envs.registration import register
 def test_monitor_filename():
     with helpers.tempdir() as temp:
         env = gym.make('CartPole-v0')
-        env = Monitor(directory=temp)(env)
+        env = Monitor(env, directory=temp)
         env.close()
 
         manifests = glob.glob(os.path.join(temp, '*.manifest.*'))
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ def test_monitor_filename():
 def test_write_upon_reset_false():
     with helpers.tempdir() as temp:
         env = gym.make('CartPole-v0')
-        env = Monitor(directory=temp, video_callable=False, write_upon_reset=False)(env)
+        env = Monitor(env, directory=temp, video_callable=False, write_upon_reset=False)
         env.reset()
 
         files = glob.glob(os.path.join(temp, '*'))
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ def test_write_upon_reset_false():
 def test_write_upon_reset_true():
     with helpers.tempdir() as temp:
         env = gym.make('CartPole-v0')
-        env = Monitor(directory=temp, video_callable=False, write_upon_reset=True)(env)
+        env = Monitor(env, directory=temp, video_callable=False, write_upon_reset=True)
         env.reset()
 
         files = glob.glob(os.path.join(temp, '*'))
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ def test_video_callable_true_not_allowed():
     with helpers.tempdir() as temp:
         env = gym.make('CartPole-v0')
         try:
-            env = Monitor(temp, video_callable=True)(env)
+            env = Monitor(env, temp, video_callable=True)
         except error.Error:
             pass
         else:
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ def test_video_callable_true_not_allowed():
 def test_video_callable_false_does_not_record():
     with helpers.tempdir() as temp:
         env = gym.make('CartPole-v0')
-        env = Monitor(temp, video_callable=False)(env)
+        env = Monitor(env, temp, video_callable=False)
         env.reset()
         env.close()
         results = monitoring.load_results(temp)
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ def test_video_callable_false_does_not_record():
 def test_video_callable_records_videos():
     with helpers.tempdir() as temp:
         env = gym.make('CartPole-v0')
-        env = Monitor(temp)(env)
+        env = Monitor(env, temp)
         env.reset()
         env.close()
         results = monitoring.load_results(temp)
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ def test_semisuper_succeeds():
     """Regression test. Ensure that this can write"""
     with helpers.tempdir() as temp:
         env = gym.make('SemisuperPendulumDecay-v0')
-        env = Monitor(temp)(env)
+        env = Monitor(env, temp)
         env.reset()
         env.step(env.action_space.sample())
         env.close()
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ gym.envs.register(
 def test_env_reuse():
     with helpers.tempdir() as temp:
         env = gym.make('Autoreset-v0')
-        env = Monitor(temp)(env)
+        env = Monitor(env, temp)
 
         env.reset()
 
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ def test_no_monitor_reset_unless_done():
         env.reset()
 
         # can reset once as soon as we start
-        env = Monitor(temp, video_callable=False)(env)
+        env = Monitor(env, temp, video_callable=False)
         env.reset()
 
         # can reset multiple times in a row
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ def test_no_monitor_reset_unless_done():
 def test_only_complete_episodes_written():
     with helpers.tempdir() as temp:
         env = gym.make('CartPole-v0')
-        env = Monitor(temp, video_callable=False)(env)
+        env = Monitor(env, temp, video_callable=False)
         env.reset()
         d = False
         while not d:
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ register(
 def test_steps_limit_restart():
     with helpers.tempdir() as temp:
         env = gym.make('test.StepsLimitCartpole-v0')
-        env = Monitor(temp, video_callable=False)(env)
+        env = Monitor(env, temp, video_callable=False)
         env.reset()
 
         # Episode has started
diff --git a/gym/wrappers/monitoring.py b/gym/wrappers/monitoring.py
index 8091d4cdd..75aad85b3 100644
--- a/gym/wrappers/monitoring.py
+++ b/gym/wrappers/monitoring.py
@@ -6,41 +6,41 @@ import logging
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
-def Monitor(directory, video_callable=None, force=False, resume=False,
+class _Monitor(Wrapper):
+    def __init__(self, env, directory, video_callable=None, force=False, resume=False,
+                 write_upon_reset=False, uid=None, mode=None):
+        super(_Monitor, self).__init__(env)
+        self._monitor = monitoring.MonitorManager(env)
+        self._monitor.start(directory, video_callable, force, resume,
+                            write_upon_reset, uid, mode)
+
+    def _step(self, action):
+        self._monitor._before_step(action)
+        observation, reward, done, info = self.env.step(action)
+        done = self._monitor._after_step(observation, reward, done, info)
+
+        return observation, reward, done, info
+
+    def _reset(self):
+        self._monitor._before_reset()
+        observation = self.env.reset()
+        self._monitor._after_reset(observation)
+
+        return observation
+
+    def _close(self):
+        super(_Monitor, self)._close()
+
+        # _monitor will not be set if super(Monitor, self).__init__ raises, this check prevents a confusing error message
+        if getattr(self, '_monitor', None):
+            self._monitor.close()
+
+    def set_monitor_mode(self, mode):
+        logger.info("Setting the monitor mode is deprecated and will be removed soon")
+        self._monitor._set_mode(mode)
+
+def Monitor(env, directory, video_callable=None, force=False, resume=False,
             write_upon_reset=False, uid=None, mode=None):
-    class Monitor(Wrapper):
-        def __init__(self, env):
-            super(Monitor, self).__init__(env)
-            self._monitor = monitoring.MonitorManager(env)
-            self._monitor.start(directory, video_callable, force, resume,
-                                write_upon_reset, uid, mode)
 
-        def _step(self, action):
-            self._monitor._before_step(action)
-            observation, reward, done, info = self.env.step(action)
-            done = self._monitor._after_step(observation, reward, done, info)
-
-            return observation, reward, done, info
-
-        def _reset(self):
-            self._monitor._before_reset()
-            observation = self.env.reset()
-            self._monitor._after_reset(observation)
-
-            return observation
-
-        def _close(self):
-            super(Monitor, self)._close()
-
-            # _monitor will not be set if super(Monitor, self).__init__ raises, this check prevents a confusing error message
-            if getattr(self, '_monitor', None):
-                self._monitor.close()
-
-        def set_monitor_mode(self, mode):
-            logger.info("Setting the monitor mode is deprecated and will be removed soon")
-            self._monitor._set_mode(mode)
-
-    def monitor_wrap(env):
-        return Monitor(TimeLimit(env))
-
-    return monitor_wrap
+    return _Monitor(TimeLimit(env), directory, video_callable, force, resume,
+                    write_upon_reset, uid, mode)
diff --git a/gym/wrappers/tests/test_wrappers.py b/gym/wrappers/tests/test_wrappers.py
index 129b73e83..735d57615 100644
--- a/gym/wrappers/tests/test_wrappers.py
+++ b/gym/wrappers/tests/test_wrappers.py
@@ -19,9 +19,9 @@ def test_no_double_wrapping():
     temp = tempfile.mkdtemp()
     try:
         env = gym.make("FrozenLake-v0")
-        env = wrappers.Monitor(temp)(env)
+        env = wrappers.Monitor(env, temp)
         try:
-            env = wrappers.Monitor(temp)(env)
+            env = wrappers.Monitor(env, temp)
         except error.DoubleWrapperError:
             pass
         else: