Precious Star Gabourey Sidibe Welcomes Twins with Brandon Frankel

Academy-award-winning actress Gabourey Sidibe has officially taken on her biggest role yet—Mom!

The Precious star and her husband, Brandon Frankel, shared the news of their new arrivals with The Shade Room and Shutterstock on June 6. "Brandon always wanted to name a son Cooper, so we can call him ‘Coop,’ and Maya was named shortly before our baby moon to the Mayan Riviera in Mexico,” Sidibe told Shutterstock. “Both twins have traditional West African middle names after members of my family.”

Sidibe went on to say that her twins are ”both extremely strong and hilarious” although they “have yet to really interact with each other.” The new mom says “Cooper will sometimes speak for Maya and alert us that she’s about to spit up. Maya loves her name being sung to her and is the queen of comedic timing, and Cooper loves his sleep and has the funniest facial expressions. They both love cuddling with Mom and Dad.”

The former Empire actress first announced she was expecting on Instagram on February 27. “I’m pregnant! We thought it was time to give our cats some responsibility so we’re giving them each a baby to take care of,” Sidibe wrote. “Double the babies, double the cats, double the fun! Twin Delivery coming soon! Twinty Twinty Four!”

In the photos accompanying her announcement, Sidibe and Frankel shop around The Babylist Store, adding items to their baby shower registry, from strollers and bottles to the cult-favorite Snoo.

Friends, fans and fellow actors were quick to chime in with their congratulations for the happy couple! “OH MY GOSH!!! Congratulations!! This page is now a twinstagram,” wrote singer Jordin Sparks. “How sublime!! Congrats cutie,” added Erika Alexander. “You’re radiant!” noted Octavia Spencer.

Sidibe and Frankel met on the dating app Raya and reportedly had a seven-hour first date. After instantly hitting it off, the actress and NoCap founder got engaged in November 2020. The two tied the knot in secret in March 2021 before sharing the news with the world in December 2022.

“SURPRISE! I can finally call her my WIFE publicly,” Frankel wrote in a post on Instagram. “So thankful to have found my forever person, my partner-in-crime, and the love of my life. Every day is the best day with you. Nobody I would rather raise cats with and be in bed by a smooth 8pm with. Love you forever.”

Our congratulations to the soon-to-be parents who will most certainly have their hands full!