Gabourey Sidibe Says She Secretly Married Brandon Frankel Last Year

Gabourey Sidibe and Brandon Frankel have been keeping their relationship status a secret for over a year. While promoting her new holiday film All I Didn't Want for Christmas during an appearance on Live With Kelly and Ryan on December 5, 2022, the actress announced that she and Frankel are actually married. 

As it turns out, the duo have been keeping the happy news a secret for quite some time. After Sidibe shared the news, Frankel, the chief business officer of NoCap, took to Instagram to provide more context. “SURPRISE,” he exclaims in the post. “I can finally call her my WIFE publicly! Since @gabby3shabby finally spilled the beans today on Live with Kelly and Ryan- we’ve been MARRIED since March ‘21! Relieved we can finally tell the world.”

Along with a few sweet snaps of the couple showing off their wedding rings, Frankel opened up about his relationship with Sidibe. “So thankful to have found my forever person, my partner-in-crime, and the love of my life,” he says. “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 💚🫶🏽😍🥰👰🏿🤵🏻.”

The happy couple covered our fourth digital issue earlier this year; in our exclusive interview with the pair, the actress admitted that she wasn’t even sure she wanted to host a wedding. “The entire time we have been engaged, I've always been like, ‘No, we shouldn't have a wedding,’” she said at the time. “Maybe we'll throw a barbecue, get married in the bathroom, and then we’ll come out and tell everyone we're married.”

Sidibe also said that if she did have a wedding, it wouldn’t look like the typical vow swap. “It cannot be a traditional wedding,” she noted. “Really, it can't be. I don’t want anything done the 'traditional' way. Our relationship is very much on our terms, and I want it to be fun, like a true party." At the time, the couple explained that they were taking a hands-on approach to planning their nuptials. “We like to outsource, but we're both very involved in everything we do,” Frankel said. “We're creative people, and we're both pretty good at executing, so we'll have someone [helping], but we'll definitely be super involved." 

What's more, Sidibe told us that wasn’t sure she would find true love. “I couldn't imagine dating someone I actually liked,” she admitted. “Turns out, totally possible! So, I'm really happy to have been wrong about where I saw my life going, partnership-wise. [Brandon] is an incredible, incredible partner."

The duo first met on a dating app. At the time, Frankel decided to give online dating a try after his first marriage ended. Once they went on their first date, which lasted more than seven hours, they knew it was a true connection. In November of 2020, the entertainment professional popped the question, and Sidibe announced her engagement in the sweetest way. “It’s weird that people think we’re already married but I guess our hearts and intentions for each other are just that clear to see,” she wrote. “My BFF proposed and now I get to hold him forever. The funniest man I’ve ever met. The sweetest human to exist.”