Gabourey Sidibe found herself in the spotlight again after Kathy Hilton mistakenly identified her as Lizzo during a celebrity photo guessing game about four years ago.
This incident took place on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” back in August 2022. When shown a photo of Lizzo, the 66-year-old Hilton surprisingly remarked, “Is that [her]? Is that valuable?” This comment drew some awkward chuckles from the audience and Cohen himself.
Hilton then offered her own explanation, claiming, “That’s kind of what I call her. Her nickname is precious to me.”
Crystal Kung Minkoff, a former cast member of RHOBH who was also present, tried to assist Hilton by saying, “But she’s precious. Lizzo is precious.”
Finally speaking about this memorable moment, Sidibe, now 42 and an Oscar nominee for her role in the 2009 film “Precious,” discussed it on Wednesday during the One 54 podcast.
She recalled, “It was weird because I went to the woman’s house and met her,” referring to Hilton. “I was like, ‘I know you, Kathy.'” Sidibe emphasized that while she hadn’t met Lizzo, she often gets confused with other black women. This, she pointed out, felt strange and seemed tinged with racism.
Sidibe expressed her discomfort regarding Hilton’s mistake, noting that it was odd because they had met in person. “I thought that was very strange,” she remarked. Adding to that, she questioned why Hilton would refer to her character and not use her actual name.
Meanwhile, representatives for Hilton didn’t respond to inquiries about the matter. Initially, Hilton had addressed her blunder on social media, stating, “My eyesight is terrible” and mentioning that she couldn’t recognize even Justin Timberlake from a distance.
A source later revealed to E! News that Hilton felt “terrible” about the gaffe, indicating she gets nervous during live shows and would never intentionally hurt anyone’s feelings. It seems that identifying people correctly isn’t always a strong suit for her.
