Gabourey Sidibe had a question for Raven-Symoné about encounters that had bothered her for years. “Girl, I didn’t think you liked me,” she told the actress during an appearance on Raven’s own podcast.
Sidibe, 43, discussed their history on the November 5 episode of Tea Time with Raven and Miranda. Raven, 40, hosts the show with her wife, Miranda Maday, who encouraged the two actresses to talk through what had happened.
Their careers had overlapped on Fox’s Empire, where Sidibe played Becky Williams and Raven guest-starred in 2015. In a contemporary Vulture interview, Raven said visiting friends on the Chicago set had led to the offer of a role.
The personal exchange began during a discussion about designers and red-carpet clothes. Sidibe’s debut in the 2009 drama Precious had brought her onto the awards circuit, earning her a Best Actress Oscar nomination the following year.
Sidibe Says She Heard Raven Asked Others Not to Befriend Her
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Sidibe said she had been told that Raven made certain people promise not to become friends with her, according to Entertainment Weekly’s account of the conversation. The names she mentioned were bleeped in the episode, leaving the people involved unidentified to listeners.
She also remembered an evening at a Chicago restaurant with members of the cast. Sidibe said Raven seemed put off by her presence, reinforcing the impression she had taken from their other interactions. When Raven brought up their time on Empire, she offered a brief “my bad.”
Maday disputed the suggestion that her wife would go behind someone’s back to tell others whom they could befriend. Raven described what she might have said instead: “What I would say is, like, ‘Don’t bring her around me.’” She did not confirm the specific allegation that she had required anyone to make a promise.
Raven Says She Felt Jealous of Sidibe’s Fashion Opportunities
Raven acknowledged feeling jealous when Sidibe received attention from stylists and designers after becoming famous. She recalled having difficulty finding people willing to dress her during her own early career and having to buy clothes herself, as PEOPLE reported.
Sidibe challenged the comparison. She argued that having a larger bust was not the same as navigating the industry as a plus-size actress. Raven pushed back, explaining that her clothing size had fluctuated and had reached a size 16. Both remembered a fashion industry that offered limited options, but they disagreed about how closely their experiences matched.
Watching Sidibe’s reception had left Raven with conflicting feelings. She appreciated another actress gaining opportunities that could help women who had been excluded, while also feeling angry about the treatment she remembered receiving.
Sidibe Had Also Bought Her Own Clothes for Cannes
Sidibe has previously described the financial and wardrobe difficulties behind her early appearances. In a May 2017 NPR interview, available through WBEZ, she recalled promoting Precious without the money or professional styling teams available to her established costars.
At Cannes, she wore a dress from Torrid with jeans underneath, brown wedges from Payless and a headband she hoped would become her signature. She estimated that the whole outfit cost about $37. Standing between Paula Patton and Mariah Carey, both of whom she admired for their style, left her feeling under considerable pressure.
At the Curvy Con in September 2018, Sidibe said designers were still declining to dress her because of her size. Speaking to Teen Vogue, she argued that greater visibility had not eliminated resistance to plus-size women. She wanted the conversation to move beyond appearance: “I’m not my body. I’m a whole person.”
Maday Invited Sidibe to Pilates After Their Conversation
Maday offered another explanation for the uncomfortable encounters. She said Raven could appear cold or distant around someone she did not know, holding back until she felt comfortable enough to open up. Raven acknowledged carrying considerable resentment at the time.
She allowed that Raven could be petty or difficult, while making clear that she herself wanted to spend time with Sidibe. She pointed out that they were neighbors and invited her to a Pilates class. The podcast later shared its own excerpt from the discussion on Instagram with the caption, “Consider the beef squashed.”