Gabourey Sidibe is an Oscar-nominated actress, but she rather her son and daughter don’t know about her career — at least not yet.
The American Horror Story alum, 41, exclusively told Us Weekly that she prefers her twins Cooper and Maya, whom she welcomed with husband Brandon Frankel in June 2024, remain unaware of what their famous mother does for work.
“They’re not allowed to watch screens yet,” Sidibe shared at the 2025 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards. “They’re still young. We’re trying to hold out until they’re at least 2 years old. Now, we might get too busy, and we might need to put a screen in front of ’em — but for now they have no idea. I also don’t want to tell them what I do for a living yet.”
Sibide explained that she’s too “embarrassed” and “shy” to tell Cooper and Maya about her acting career, but she loves being a mother. The actress gushed that every day of motherhood “is a new fascinating day,” adding that Cooper and Maya “are really into clapping right now.”
Gabourey Sidibe and Brandon Frankel Welcome Twins — and Reveal Their Names
“My daughter is saying ‘cat’ a lot,” Sidibe said. “We have two cats. She learned their names and my son is just so — he’s so cuddly and cute. Yesterday, he stood up. They’re not walking yet. He stood by himself and just hung there for about 40 seconds, and that was really fun to watch. It’s so great to watch them grow and become people.”
Sidibe and Frankel, whom she married in March 2021, will celebrate the twins’ 1st birthday in June. The couple are not planning a big party for their little ones; instead, they plan to celebrate at Build-A-Bear Workshop.
“They’re so young; they don’t know,” Sidibe said when asked about throwing a big shindig for the twins. “We’re going to take them [to Build-A-Bear]. Apparently, if you take a child to Build-A-Bear, they can build a bear for the amount of their birthday. So 1-year-olds get $1 bear.”
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The StuGo actress also gushed about her husband, to whom she’s been married since 2021, sharing that the secret to their happy union is “being best friends.”
“My husband and I laugh together. He thinks I’m the funniest person. I think he’s the funniest person, and we are just buddies,” Sibide added. “Keep being best friends. Marry your best friend and just continue. Remember that your friendship is the most important part of your relationship.”
