Gabourey Sidibe Biography

Gabourey Sidibe was born on May 6, 1983, in Brooklyn, US, to Ibnou Sidibe, a cab driver and Alice Tan Ridley, a gospel singer. Alice appeared on America’s Got Talent, in the fifth season of the talent hunt show on television. She was bullied for being overweight at school while she also faced harassment at home from her parents.

Gabourey Sidibe is an alumnus of Borough of Manhattan Community College and The City College of New York. She enrolled for a course in psychology at Mercy College, New York, but quit studies to act in Precious, her debut film.

After her parents’ divorce, Gabourey Sidibe, along with her mother and brother, moved to Harlem to live with her aunt, Dorothy Pitman Hughes. Hughes, a renowned activist for civil rights and feminism, had been one of the greatest inspirations for Gabourey Sidibe during her growing up years.

In 2009, Gabourey Sidibe’s debut movie Precious received critical appreciation from all quarters for her portrayal of Claireece, a teen sexually abused by her father and physically abused by her mother. She co-starred with Mo'Nique and Mariah Carey in the movie.

In 2010, she appeared for the first time on television hosting the Gabourey Sidibe/MGMT episode of Saturday Night Live. Gabourey Sidibe debuted as an actor on television in the same year with the role of Andrea Jackson in the series The Big C and continued with the show till 2013.

In 2011, Gabourey Sidibe was seen the movies In Yelling to the Sky and Tower Heist. She also appeared in the television series American Dad! during 2011 and 2012.

From 2013 to 2014, Gabourey Sidibe co-starred in the television series American Horror Story: Coven as Queenie. She reprised her role in American Horror Story: Hotel (2015–2016) and American Horror Story: Apocalypse (2018).

From 2015 to 2020, Gabourey Sidibe was seen in the Fox musical drama series Empire.

In 2016, she directed The Tale of Four, a short film with a plotline inspired from the song Four Women by Nina Simone.

In 2011, Gabourey Sidibe appeared in a music album by the Indie Pop band Foster the People and later in Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx’s music album in 2014.

In 2017, she released a memoir This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare, a humorous but complex account of her struggles before making it big in the entertainment industry.

During 2009-2010, Gabourey Sidibe received nominations at several prominent awards for her work in the movie Precious. She won 19 awards as Best Actress’ for the film.

In 2012, she received the Boston Society of Film Critics’ Awards for Best Cast for her role in the film Seven Psychopaths.

In November 2020, Gabourey Sidibe got engaged to Brandon Frankel. In 2021, the couple got married.

Gabourey Sidibe received many negative remarks for the lovemaking scene in an episode of Empire aired on primetime television.

She was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in 2017, and had to undergo laparoscopic bariatric surgery to reduce weight.

Before making it big with Precious, she worked with a phone sex hotline as a telephone executive, where she had to pretend to be a white woman.