Rise to Fame
A phone call interrupted her psychology exam prep. A friend told her about an audition for Lee Daniels' Precious (2009), and by the next day she had the lead role with no prior acting experience. The performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, making her the eighth Black actress to receive that nomination. Hollywood had no framework for her arrival, which turned out to be the point.
In the Spotlight
Empire kept her visible for six seasons, but her directorial debut is the more interesting development. Mary J. Blige Presents: Be Happy aired on Lifetime in February 2026, and she took the job for one reason: she wanted control. She's returning to American Horror Story Season 13 as part of the main cast, a step up from her previous guest work. Her mother died in 2025; she processed that while raising twins and supporting a husband who'd just had thyroid cancer surgery. She described where she is now as joy.
Side Notes
Her mother, Alice Tan Ridley, was an R&B and gospel singer who appeared on the fifth season of America's Got Talent. Her father, Ibnou Sidibe, is a Senegalese cab driver. She grew up in Harlem with that as the backdrop, and she's never pretended otherwise. Her 2017 memoir This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare covered depression, bulimia, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. In 2016, she had laparoscopic bariatric surgery after being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. She has said she did it not to transform herself but to avoid losing her toes.