For those of us watching from the sidelines, Hollywood stardom appears to be all about glitz and glam. But once we get to know celebrities, we realize that life in the spotlight isn’t as easy as it seems. Having talent is one thing, but celebrities are also expected to maintain a certain image.
Gabourey Sidibe is one of the celebrities who have had to face severe criticism about their weight, but she has taken it all in stride. Amidst battling health issues over the years, she has managed to control her weight as her star continues to rise in Hollywood.
Humble Beginnings
Born on May 6, 1983, Gabourey MaLingair Sidibe grew up in Harlem. Her mother, Alice Tan Ridley, used to teach students in special education before she became a gospel and R&B singer. Gabourey’s father, Ibnou Sidibe, works as a cab driver and is of Senegalese descent.
Gabourey has revealed that she survived abuse as a child, with her father calling her fatso and beating her up. She explained that when everyone around her didn't understand how she felt, she learned to pretend she was fine when she actually wasn’t at such times.
She Felt Depressed
As a result of the abuse she endured, Gabourey struggled with panic attacks and depression. When she began living on her own, her panic attacks got so bad that she made herself feel better by forcing herself to vomit, unwittingly trading one demon for another.
Gabourey explained that when she felt sad and couldn’t stop crying, she would eat just one slice of bread with a drink of water only to throw it up later. It made her feel relaxed and momentarily forget about the negative thoughts running through her mind.
Misunderstood By Her Mother
Unfortunately, Gabourey didn’t have the support of her mother, Alice, throughout all this. She recalls that when she first told Alice she was depressed, her mother simply laughed it off. It broke her heart that Alice expected her to deal with her problems the same way everyone else did.
Gabourey then started suppressing her feelings, which only made the situation worse. Eventually, she got professional help. After giving a rundown of all her issues, Gabourey came to the conclusion that she couldn’t deal with it all herself. She got on antidepressants and began seeing a therapist.
Stardom Is In Her Blood
Trying to build a singing career, Gabourey's mother, Alice, performed on New York subway stations for 30 years. Yet it wasn't until she appeared on America’s Got Talent’s fifth season when she was 57 years old that she became famous. At age 63, Alice released her first album.
Alice's story was inspirational to her daughter Gabourey, who also has singing talent. However, Gabourey later said that watching her mother's struggles made her choose to pursue a regular job so she could have a steadier income. But Gabourey still appeared in plays when she was in college, foreshadowing her future career.
Psychic Abilities?
As spooky as it might sound, a psychic once approached young Gabourey to tell her she would become famous when she grew up and even meet talk-show host Oprah Winfrey. After the psychic's predictions came to pass, Gabourey is rumored to have almost given her book the title A Psychic Told Me.
Gabourey shared that she believes she may also have psychic abilities, though she hedged that most of her friends would say she's nothing but crazy. Then again, many people think psychics should be checked into a psychiatric ward, so maybe Gabourey could be both.
Her Secret Senegalese Family
When Gabourey was 12 years old, her mother found out that her father had another wife and children back in Senegal. The family was completely blindsided by the discovery, and her parents decided to get a divorce when they realized their cultural differences couldn't be reconciled.
Gabourey shared that they shouldn't have been surprised. Polygamy is an accepted practice in Senegal, and her Senegalese grandfather had multiple wives that each had their own children. Sadly, Gabourey's relationship with her father has become very strained as a result of her parents' separation.
The Love List
Sadly, Gabourey has been getting derogatory comments about her physique since her older brother picked on her as a child, probably following their father's example. More recently, radio-show host Howard Stern infamously referred to her as "the most enormous, fat black chick I've ever seen."
Gabourey coped with these remarks by writing down a “love list” to remind herself of everything she appreciates about her body. She often returns to the list as a form of therapy whenever anyone says something unkind about her appearance. Gabourey encourages young girls to boost their self-esteem by practicing activities they enjoy.
Overcoming Bad Eating Habits
Because of her insecurity about her weight, Gabourey developed a vomiting habit that led to a case of bulimia nervosa. She struggled with this disorder for 3 years, trying not to let other people see her eat and challenging herself to go for several days without food.
Gabourey's mental and emotional state deteriorated in a vicious cycle until the downward spiral eventually brought her to the brink of suicide. Fortunately, a professional counselor literally saved her life by helping her to work through her issues and get her life back on track.
Her Passion For Helping Others
After obtaining an associate's degree from Borough of Manhattan Community College, Gabourey graduated from Mercy College. She then took a job as a receptionist for The Fresh Air Fund, a non-profit organization offering kids from low-income families free summer vacations, but she knew she wanted more.
Gabourey has always been passionate about helping others. By the time she was 10, she wanted to become a counselor, having already studied the various tricks of the trade. After going through treatment herself, she sought to join the profession. However, it was not meant to be.
Facing Racism At Her Workplace
When Gabourey was 21 years old, she was advised to get a job in telemarketing, but somehow she ended up in the business of answering intimate phone calls. Soon after being hired, she found out that she was expected to “sound white” at the caller's request.
Gabourey joked that callers thought they were talking to Megan Fox when in reality they were speaking with her. During the 3 long years that she held the job, Gabourey's acting skills were fine-tuned as she practiced sounding like a different person on a regular basis.
A Breakthrough Performance
Gabourey then tried her luck at acting, but she failed to land any major roles at first. Her big break finally came when she auditioned for the titular role in Precious. Gabourey envisioned the character seeing herself as the ugliest person, so she showed up for the audition in that state of mind.
After months of searching for the right actress for the part, everyone was blown away by Gabourey's audition, during which she cried real tears. The 2009 film marked her debut in Hollywood and earned her a coveted nomination for Best Actress at the Academy Awards.
Her Career Flourished
Radio personality Howard Stern also said that someone like Gabourey could never land another major role, but she has appeared in numerous productions since Precious. She went on to be featured in 3 different TV series: The Big C, Difficult People, and American Horror Story.
In 2011, Gabourey appeared in the movie Tower Heist. Then, in 2015, she snagged the role of Becky on Empire, and she’s since become a regular on the show. Gabourey proudly imagines all the little girls like her that she inspires by showing them they really can be on TV.
Recognition For Her Talent Finally Comes
Gabourey's performance in Precious was widely acclaimed, and she received many accolades for her lead role. Besides the Academy Award nomination, Gabourey clinched the Independent Spirit Award and earned a Golden Globe nomination. She also won the award for Breakthrough Performance at the 2009 Chicago International Film Festival.
Gabourey also received NAACP Image Award nominations for her roles in The Big C and American Horror Story. Much like her character on Empire, she has risen through the ranks from the very bottom to the pinnacle of fame, proving that she has staying power in Hollywood.
Inspired By Her Aunt
After her parents' divorce, Gabourey, her mother, and her brother moved in with her aunt Dorothy Pittman Hughes, a noted feminist activist. With all her peers at school making fun of her appearance and her family treating her no better, Dorothy was a much-needed role model.
During a speech she delivered in 2014, Gabourey thanked her aunt for inspiring her every day. The iconic photo of Dorothy posing with fellow feminist and socio-political activist Gloria Steinem, who was turning 80 years old, renewed Gabourey's resolve to be a trailblazer in her industry.
Breaking Hollywood Barriers
Gabourey shared that before she got the role in Precious, comedian-actress Joan Cusack advised her that because showbiz is heavily image-conscious, she would be unsuccessful in this industry unless she planned on losing weight. But Gabourey's role on Empire has been crossing all the boundaries.
In 2015, she received a lot of pushback for her intimate scene on Empire. She responded that though she had been nervous, she had enjoyed filming the scene. Gabourey acknowledged that people are entitled to their opinions but declared herself too busy working to pay attention to naysayers.
A Rude Chanel Saleswoman
Even as she steadily climbed up the Hollywood ladder, Gabourey still faced quite a bit of discrimination against her based on her appearance. She shared one incident when a Chanel saleswoman was less than civil to her when she came into the store to buy eyeglasses.
According to Gabourey, the saleswoman assumed she couldn’t afford anything in the store even though she was carrying a Chanel handbag and wearing Balenciaga prescription shades. The saleswoman kept trying to turn Gabourey away until finally employees of color recognized her as a famous actress.
Bought Her Own Red-Carpet Attire
At a CurvyCon event, a convention held during New York Fashion Week in celebration of body positivity, Gabourey described her struggles as a plus-sized woman. She shared that she couldn’t get anyone to dress her for her first red-carpet appearance, so she had to buy a gown from Torrid.
Similarly, Gabourey wore an affordable alternative for her appearance at the Cannes Film Festival. She reported that to this day some designers refuse to dress her. Though several brands are beginning to offer plus sizes, Gabourey says that haute couture still has a long way to go.
A Disturbing Diagnosis
In March 2017, Gabourey disclosed some troubling news: she had been diagnosed with type 2 or adult-onset diabetes. The illness is marked by a significant lack of insulin, high blood sugar levels, and insulin resistance. A couple of its symptoms include feeling tired and increasingly hungry.
The disease has been linked to obesity as well as the lack of an active lifestyle, which accounts for 90 percent of all cases. Upon receiving this diagnosis, Gabourey realized that she needed to make some major changes to get her body in shape.
Lap Band Surgery
To reverse the effects of the disease, Gabourey underwent laparoscopic bariatric surgery, in which a band was placed around her stomach to help her lose weight by limiting her food intake. The surgery was performed in 2016 after she received the diagnosis and found out that her brother, Ahmed, also has the illness.
Gabourey explained that she just didn’t want to suffer through the symptoms of the disease, joking that most of all she didn’t want to lose her toes. She added that she was responsible for taking care of her body and wished to avoid fearing the worst for the rest of her life.
Sick Of Compliments
In the 2017 podcast Everybody’s Got Something hosted by Robin Roberts, Gabourey said that she was sick of compliments about her physical transformation. She explained that her journey to recovery was a private matter and that therefore strangers had no business commenting on her body.
Gabourey had already shed a noticeable amount of weight, but she declined to share any specifics because they were too personal. She also explained that for her the point wasn’t to look beautiful but rather to be able to walk around comfortably in high heels and do cartwheels.
Riding A Tricycle
Gabourey hasn’t shared many details about the changes she's made to her lifestyle. However, she has revealed that she rides a tricycle on set, remarking that she considers it to be one of her best purchases because she gets a lot of use out of it.
She also recently joined plus-sized models such as Ashley Graham as ambassadors for the Lane Bryant campaign #ThisBodyIsMadeToShine. The campaign aims to encourage more clothing brands to work with plus-size women. Gabourey has clearly become confident that her body is beautiful just the way it is.
Her Memoir Hit The Shelves
Gabourey revealed that she had had many stories to tell as far back as she could remember and been writing since she was a little girl. In 2015, she announced that she was writing a manuscript, and in 2017 she released her memoir, This Is Just My Face: Try Not To Stare.
She commented that she had enjoyed adding "published writer" alongside "part-time foot model" on her resume. Her memoir has the same humorous tone found in her blog and Instagram posts and sheds more light on several aspects of her personal life, particularly her mental and emotional struggles.
Her Mystery White Boyfriend
In 2018, Gabourey posted a photo of her boyfriend on social media, wishing him a happy birthday. The man, whom she referred to as her Tom Cruise, is white, indicating that she’s joined the growing list of black women who are currently in interracial relationships.
Gabourey has mostly kept details about him under wraps, and we don’t even know his name. This is the first man she's known to have dated. He may be a man of mystery, but Gabourey is clearly smitten. We may soon have a wedding to look forward to.
Gabourey’s Net Worth
Gabourey has done well for herself. She’s estimated to have a net worth of about $6 million, and the original manuscript of her memoir was sold for $2.5 million at an auction in 2017. Since becoming a series regular on Empire, we can expect that she earns a good chunk of money from the show.
She’s set to earn even more income with her appearance in the upcoming 2019 movie Come As You Are. She will also play a role in an untitled project by Christopher Renz and Gerard Bush that’s currently in post-production and expected to be released in 2020.
Finally Comfortable In Her Own Skin
Gabourey shared that after several years spent unsuccessfully trying to lose weight, she finally feels at home in her own skin. She also said that she's no longer focused on losing weight and would actually prefer to be a little bit plump rather than thin.
Gabourey declared that there’s nothing ugly about her and that no one can make her believe otherwise. She said that she has overcome her internal struggle over her appearance and that if she had only treated her body better, she wouldn’t have hated herself so much. At long last, Gabourey has accepted her body image.