Gabourey Sidibe Opens Up About The 'Weird' Moment When Kathy Hilton Confused Her For Lizzo

Actress Gabourey Sidibe is gearing up to film the upcoming 13th season of FX's "American Horror Story." In the meantime, she recently appeared on a podcast and responded to the now-viral 2022 clip of "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Kathy Hilton, apparently mistaking the actress for Lizzo after seeing a photo of the singer. This has led many fans who once considered the clip a lighthearted mistake to now view it as the now-66-year-old being mean to Sidibe. Others believe it's all a misunderstanding.

Sidibe is reacting to the widely discussed clip of Hilton mistaking her for Lizzo.

Sidibe was on the One 54 podcast on February 4. During the episode, the "American Horror Story" actress discussed a range of topics, but one of the sticking points has been her reaction to Hilton's confusion of her with Lizzo. This came during a part of the interview where the hosts asked, "Were you mistaken for Lizzo? I think that Paris Hilton's mom...?"

She responded, "And that was weird because I have been to that lady's house and had a meeting with her. I was like, 'I know you, Kathy.'" The hosts then noted that "Lizzo's tall."

Sidibe added, "I've never met Lizzo, but Lizzo and I do different things. I've been confused for many a Black fat, like many, many, many women. And it's always weird and tinged with racism. I did think that was weird, Kathy Hilton. Because I have been to that woman's house and had a meeting with her, because she wanted to dress me. I was like, that's so strange."

From there, she mentioned that Hilton referred to her as "Precious" rather than by name. Notably, Sidibe played Precious in the 2009 film of the same name.

Hilton appeared on Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live" in 2022 as a guest. While on, host Andy Cohen played a game in which he showed pictures of celebrities to Hiton, who would then identify them. One of the photos featured was of Lizzo. Upon being asked if she knew the singer, she said, "I feel like I do. Precious?"

Cohen replied, "No, that's not..." Crystal Kung Minkoff, who was also on the show, tried to fix the situation, saying, "She is previous, though. Lizzo is precious." This led Hilton to say, "That's what I call her. Her nickname is Precious, to me."

Following the clip of Sidibe making the rounds online, many social media users offered their opinions on what Hilton had said and how the actress responded. One person seemingly defending the now mother of two. They wrote on X, "But Kathy gets away with it as usual." Someone else said, "And she has every reason to feel this way."

However, some people defended Hilton, saying she mistook Sidibe for a model who goes by the name Precious. That person said, "I genuinely think she thought Lizzo was Precious Lee… Precious is a well-known plus-size model in the industry and runs in the same circles … I don’t see a world in which Kathy genuinely thought Lizzo was the fake character ‘Precious’ from a 2009 indie film."

Someone else wrote, "It’s hilarious to me that anyone thinks Kathy even remembers a character from a movie that’s almost 20 years old. She confused Lizzo for Precious Lee."

Sidibe has been married to internet personality Brandon Frankel since 2021. The couple welcomed twins Cooper and Maya in 2024, and in April 2025, she opened up to PEOPLE about what she's learned about balancing it all. Notably, this came as her movie, "Give Me Back My Daughter," was set to premiere on Lifetime. Sidibe said, "I would say take the time to — it feels stupid to say — hold space for yourself."

She continued, "Take the time and enjoy this peace, where there's not a tiny human asking you for things at all times. But, [also] really remember who you are. Really take the time and take the space to do it, and re-fall in love with yourself, really. Because truly, motherhood is so consuming."

Career-wise, Sidibe recently directed her first television movie, Lifetime's "Mary J. Blige Presents: Happy." The movie will premiere on Lifetime on February 7 at 8/7 c. The cast includes Tisha Campbell, Mekhi Phifer, Russell Hornsby, and Nzingha Ashford.

According to Deadline, Sidibe was also announced in October 2025 to be returning to "American Horror Story" for its 13th season. Not much is known about the upcoming season, but reports indicate that filming will begin in early 2026.