Gabourey Sidibe

Sidibe has appeared in films such as the heist comedy Tower Heist (2011), the satirical drama Seven Psychopaths (2012), the romantic comedy Top Five (2014), and the thriller Antebellum (2020). Her television roles include the comedy drama The Big C (2010–2013), the anthology American Horror Story (2013–present), and the musical Empire (2015–2020). Outside of acting, Sidibe wrote the novel This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare and made her directorial debut with The Tale of Four, both released in 2017.

Gabourey Sidibe studied at Mercy University, Washington Irving High School and Borough of Manhattan Community College. The recorded working language is English. Distinctions recorded are NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture, Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead and OkayAfrica 100 Women.

Sidibe was born in New York City in the Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn neighborhood, and was raised in Harlem. Her mother, Alice Tan Ridley, was an American R&B and gospel singer who appeared on the fifth season of America's Got Talent, on June 15, 2010. Her father, Ibnou Sidibe, is from Senegal and is a cab driver. Growing up, Sidibe lived with her aunt, feminist activist Dorothy Pitman Hughes. She holds an associate degree from Borough of Manhattan Community College and attended but did not graduate from City College of New York and Mercy College. She worked at The Fresh Air Fund's office as a receptionist before pursuing an acting career.

Sidibe began acting in 2007; prior to her career, she was advised by Joan Cusack not to pursue the entertainment industry since "it's so image-conscious." She made her debut with Lee Daniels's drama film Precious. She plays 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 two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Award. 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 in Precious. The next month she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Her next film, Yelling to the Sky, was a Sundance Lab project directed by Victoria Mahoney and starring Zoë Kravitz, in which she played Latonya Williams, a bully. In 2011, Sidibe was in the film Tower Heist and voiced a character in "Hot Water", the first episode of season 7 of American Dad!. She appeared in the season 8 American Dad! episode "Stanny Tendergrass" early in 2013, and starred in the music video for "Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)" by the indie pop band Foster the People. Sidibe also appeared in the Showtime network series The Big C as Andrea Jackson. By April 2013, Sidibe had joined the cast of American Horror Story season 3, portraying Queenie, a young witch. She returned to the series for its fourth season, American Horror Story: Freak Show as a secretarial school student, Regina Ross. From 2015, she stars in Lee Daniels' Fox musical series Empire as Becky Williams alongside Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson. Sidibe portrays the head of A&R in the Empire company. As of April 2015, Sidibe was promoted to a series regular in season 2. She also starred in the Hulu series Difficult People as Denise.

Sidibe's memoir, This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare, was released in 2017. On January 6, 2016, Sidibe appeared in the penultimate episode of American Horror Story: Hotel, reprising her Coven role as Queenie, marking her third season in the series. After sitting out subsequent seasons Roanoke and Cult, Sidibe returned to American Horror Story in 2018, appearing once again as her character Queenie in its eighth season, Apocalypse. In 2022, she appeared in the film All I Didn't Want for Christmas. In the same year she appeared as Jaslyn in an episode of the second season of American Horror Stories, a spin-off of American Horror Story in which each episode features a unique story. In October 2025, Sidibe was confirmed to be returning for the thirteenth season of American Horror Story in 2026. This will mark her first season as part of the main cast. Sidibe directed the 2026 drama/romance film Be Happy. It premiered on Lifetime on the 7th of February.

In March 2017, Sidibe revealed that she had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and underwent laparoscopic bariatric surgery in an effort to manage her weight. In November 2020, Sidibe announced her engagement to Brandon Frankel, a talent manager with Cameo. The couple married in March 2021. In June 2024, she announced she had given birth to twins, one boy and one girl.

High on Life (2023) – Mux

"Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)" (2011), by Foster the People "(I Wanna) Channing All Over Your Tatum" (2014), by Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx

Sidibe has been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the following performances: 82nd Academy Awards: Best Actress, nomination, for Precious (2009) Additionally, she has been nominated for a BAFTA Award, a Critics' Choice Award, a Golden Globe Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.