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Gabourey Sidibe | |
|---|---|
 Sidibe in 2014 | |
| Born | (1983-05-06)May 6, 1983 (age 41) |
| Other names | Gabby Sidibe |
| Alma mater | Borough of Manhattan Community College |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent | Alice Tan Ridley (mother) |
| Relatives | Dorothy Pitman Hughes (aunt) |
Gabourey Sidibe (/ˈɡæbəˌreɪˈsɪdɪˌbeɪ/GAB-ə-raySID-i-bay; born May 6, 1983)[1] is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the 2009 filmPrecious, a role that earned her theIndependent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead, in addition to nominations for theGolden Globe andAcademy Award for Best Actress. Her other film roles includeTower Heist (2011),White Bird in a Blizzard (2014),Grimsby (2016), andAntebellum (2020).
From 2010 to 2013, she was a main cast member of theShowtime seriesThe Big C. Sidibe co-starred in the television seriesAmerican Horror Story arcsCoven (2013–2014) asQueenie andFreak Show (2014–2015) as Regina Ross, and later reprised her role as Queenie inHotel (2015–2016) andApocalypse (2018). From 2015 to 2020, she starred in theFox musical drama seriesEmpire as Becky Williams. Sidibe also provides the voice of Francis on theDisney Channel animated seriesStuGo (2025–present).
Sidibe was born inNew York City in theBedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn neighborhood, and was raised inHarlem.[2] Her mother,Alice Tan Ridley, is an AmericanR&B andgospel singer who appeared on thefifth season ofAmerica's Got Talent, on June 15, 2010. Her father, Ibnou Sidibe, is fromSenegal and is a cab driver.[3] Growing up, Sidibe lived with her aunt, feminist activistDorothy Pitman Hughes.[4] She holds an associate degree fromBorough of Manhattan Community College and attended but did not graduate fromCity College of New York andMercy College.[5] She worked atThe Fresh Air Fund's office as a receptionist before pursuing an acting career.[6]
InPrecious, Sidibe played the main character, Claireece "Precious" Jones, a 16-year-old mother of two (the result of Precious being raped by her father) who tries to escape abuse at the hands of her mother. The film won numerous awards, including twoAcademy Awards, aGolden Globe Award, andSundance Film Festival Grand Jury Award.[7] On December 15, 2009, she was nominated for a Golden Globe in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for her performance inPrecious. The next month she received an Academy Award nomination forBest Actress.
Her next film,Yelling to the Sky, was aSundance Lab project directed by Victoria Mahoney and starringZoë Kravitz, in which she played Latonya Williams, a bully.[8] In 2011, Sidibe was in the filmTower Heist and voiced a character in"Hot Water", the first episode of season 7 ofAmerican Dad! She appeared in the season 8American Dad! episode "Stanny Tendergrass" early in 2013, and starred in the music video for "Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)" by theindie pop bandFoster the People. Sidibe also appeared in theShowtime network seriesThe Big C as Andrea Jackson.
Sidibe said in 2012 that before she was hired for the 2009 filmPrecious, she was advised byJoan Cusack not to pursue theentertainment industry, advising Sidibe to quit the business since "it's so image-conscious."[9]
By April 2013, Sidibe had joined the cast ofAmerican Horror Storyseason 3, portrayingQueenie, a young witch.[10] She returned to the series for its fourth season,American Horror Story: Freak Show as a secretarial school student, Regina Ross.[11] From 2015, she stars inLee Daniels' Fox musical seriesEmpire as Becky Williams alongsideTerrence Howard andTaraji P. Henson. Sidibe portrays the head of A&R in the Empire company.[12] As of April 2015, Sidibe was promoted to a series regular in season 2.[13] She also starred in the Hulu seriesDifficult People as Denise.[14]
In 2015, publisherHoughton Mifflin Harcourt announced Sidibe would be writing a memoir set to be published in 2017.[15] On January 6, 2016, Sidibe appeared in the penultimate episode ofAmerican Horror Story: Hotel, reprising herCoven role as Queenie, marking her third season in the series. After sitting out subsequent seasonsRoanoke andCult, Sidibe returned toAmerican Horror Story in 2018, appearing once again as her character Queenie in its eighth season,Apocalypse.
In March 2017, Sidibe revealed that she had been diagnosed withtype 2 diabetes and underwent laparoscopicbariatric surgery in an effort to manage her weight.[16]
In November 2020, Sidibe announced her engagement to Brandon Frankel, atalent manager withCameo.[17][18][19] The couple married in March 2021.[20]
In February 2024, Sidibe and her husband announced that she was pregnant with twins.[21] She announced the birth of the twins in June 2024, one boy and one girl.[22]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Precious | Claireece Precious Jones | |
| 2011 | Yelling to the Sky | Latonya Williams | |
| Tower Heist | Odessa Montero | ||
| 2012 | Seven Psychopaths | Sharice | |
| 2014 | White Bird in a Blizzard | Beth | |
| Life Partners | Jen | ||
| Top Five | Herself | Cameo | |
| 2015 | Gravy | Winketta | |
| 2016 | Grimsby | Banu | |
| 2019 | Come As You Are | Sam | |
| 2020 | Antebellum | Dawn | |
| 2021 | Asking for It | Rudy |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Saturday Night Live | Host | Episode: "Gabourey Sidibe/MGMT" |
| 2010–13 | The Big C | Andrea Jackson | 30 episodes |
| 2011 | Glenn Martin, DDS | Keisha | Voice, episode: "Date with Destiny" |
| American Dad! | Herself (live action cutaway appearance) | Episode: "Stanny Tendergrass" | |
| 2012 | Party girl | Voice, episode: "Hot Water" | |
| 2013–14 | American Horror Story: Coven | Queenie | 12 episodes |
| 2014 | American Horror Story: Freak Show | Regina Ross | 3 episodes |
| 2015–20 | Empire | Becky Williams | 90 episodes |
| 2015–17 | Difficult People | Denise | 12 episodes |
| 2016 | American Horror Story: Hotel | Queenie | Episode: "Battle Royale" |
| Brad Neely's Harg Nallin' Sclopio Peepio | Various | 10 episodes | |
| Drunk History | Ella Fitzgerald | Episode: "Legends" | |
| 2017 | BoJack Horseman | Tamera | Voice, episode: "The Old Sugarman Place" |
| Doc McStuffins | Hilary Mole | Voice, episode: "Toy Hospital: Mole Money, Mole Problems" | |
| 2018 | American Horror Story: Apocalypse | Queenie | 5 episodes |
| 2021 | Santa Inc. | Goldie | 8 episodes |
| 2022 | American Horror Stories | Jaslyn Taylor | Episode:"Aura" |
| All I Didn't Want for Christmas | Emily Harris | Television film | |
| 2023 | The Prank Panel | Herself | Host |
| 2025 | StuGo | Francis | Voice, main role |
I know that she meant well. I metJoan Cusack, who is my favorite-favorite, ... and I was at some industry party and she says, 'Are you an actress?' And I said, 'Yeah.' And she says, 'Oh, honey, you should really quit the business — it's so image-conscious. And I think she really, really meant it in a good way. ... But I was, like, 'Oh, but I love you. Please don't tell me to quit my job!'and as reported atFisher, Kelly (April 26, 2012)."Gabourey Sidibe: Joan Cusack Told Me To Quit Show Business".HuffPost.Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. RetrievedApril 27, 2012.
My BFF proposed and now I get to hold him forever.
