Gabourey Sidibe confirms the arrival of girl and boy twins

Gabourey Sidibe posing in a bright blue off-the-shoulder dress and past-the-shoulder earrings

By Nardine SaadStaff Writer

June 7, 2024 10:13 AM PT

Precious twins! Gabourey Sidibe and husband Brandon Frankel are parents to a baby boy and baby girl.

The couple, who got engaged in 2020 and married in 2021, welcomed son Cooper and daughter Maya in early April and made their debut Thursday as a family of four in a pictorial published by Shutterstock and the Shade Room.

The quartet appears in a series of portraits in a yard and a nursery, soaking up the newborn cuddles and making that chaotic twin-parent life look like a breeze. On Instagram stories, Frankel wrote Thursday that the babies’ arrival “wasn’t a secret. It was SACRED! Surprise!”

“I’ve taken over 2k+ baby pics and videos in the span of two months and I don’t feel a lick of bad about it,” he added.

Frankel and the Oscar-nominated “Precious” star, 41, revealed her twin pregnancy on Instagram in February. She told Shutterstock this week that her labor and delivery came as a surprise sooner than than their expected due date — something that’s not unusual with twins.

“We originally were going in for a routine appointment, only to be told the twins would be coming later that day and not when originally planned,” Sidibe said.

And it’s been a wild ride ever since.

“They’re both extremely strong and hilarious, though they have yet to really interact with each other,” the “American Horror Story” and “Empire” actor said. The biggest surprise since her delivery? How “loud and chaotic babies are when they sleep.”

“ ‘Active sleep’ is pretty wild,” she said. “Also, it was a surprise to see how little they’ve acknowledged each other outside the womb when they seemed to interact so much inside.”

Getting the duo on the same schedule is “a must,” she added, noting that she’s most looking forward to getting her kiddos dressed up for sing-alongs and trips and “raising them to be good people.”

As for their names, Sidibe explained that her husband always wanted a son named Cooper “so we can call him ‘Coop,’ ” and Maya was named shortly before their babymoon trip to the Mayan Riviera in Mexico. Each child also has a traditional West African middle name inspired by members of Sidibe’s family.

In February, Sidibe quipped that she and her husband “thought it was time to give our cats some responsibility so we’re giving them each a baby to take care of!”

“Double the babies, double the cats, double the fun!! Twin Delivery coming soon! Twinty Twinty Four!!,” she wrote at the time.

Separately, Frankel shared a snapshot of his wife and said at the time that he could not wait to be a twin dad.

“so excited the twins get to have a Mom that is so loving, thoughtful, funny, and beautiful. These two are already so incredibly loved- we can’t wait to meet you and give you the world. I love you three more than words will ever do justice,” the tour marketing agent wrote on Instagram.

In a late April post — presumably shared after the babies arrived — Sidibe thanked the “village” of friends who rallied around her to throw her a baby shower.

“Late because I lack focus but weeks ago, my friends ... the perfect baby shower!” she wrote. “It was perfect because it was so intimate and private and I didn’t have to lift a finger because it was mostly a surprise! Brandon and I really appreciate the love for our little family, especially because we are so bad at throwing parties, and being celebrated, but we need to work on that because we have 2 lil lives that deserve celebration so we’ll get it together by their 1st birthday!…..Maybe their 2nd birthday. 5th birthday for sure! Either way, I know my village will jump me and whoop my ass if I try to slide by without giving these babies a proper party and I love that for them! And me! We are so lucky to have friends like them.”

Representatives for Sidibe and Frankel did not immediately respond Friday to The Times’ request for comment.