Gabourey Sidibe poses for cameras.Photo:Bonnie Osborne/ABC
Bonnie Osborne/ABC
Gabourey Sidibeis taking her love for practical jokes to the next level.
The self-proclaimed “unserious person” is bringing her renowned wit, bubbly personality and contagious laugh to ABC’sThe Prank Panel, which also stars prank mastersJohnny KnoxvilleandEric André.
And while the show is lighthearted and fun, if the Oscar nominee’s therapist has anything to say about it, her reason for joining may be a bit darker .
“According to my therapist, I joined the show because I’m ‘addicted to trauma,'” the 40-year-old joked to PEOPLE while at the 2023 Essence Festival of Culture. “That’s possible, but I thought it would maybe be fun and give me a chance to grow and stretch myself because I really don’t like pranks.”
The ABC show is like “Shark Tankfor pranks” Sidibe explained. Every day people get the opportunity to pitch their most mischievous and outlandish prank ideas to the panel of “pranxperts,” who decide whether or not they want to help produce and execute the ruse.
With Knoxville and André’s history as troublemakers, theAmerican Horror Storyactress did wonder how she’d fit in on the panel. “Johnny and Eric are really inventive and genius about pranks and they have such different styles that I worried about being compared to them,” she confessed.
“Johnny’s style is about putting people in amplified, everyday positions and seeing what comedy can come from it, and Eric’s style is more absurdist humor,” she added.
However, she found her rhythm and figured out her own “pranking style.” She told PEOPLE, “Turns out, I enjoy whimsical pranks that end in dance numbers, people falling in love and dreams coming true, and Johnny and Eric were both really supportive of that.”
Gabourey Sidibe, Johnny Knoxville and Eric Andre.Christopher Willard/ABC
Christopher Willard/ABC
Gabourey Sidibe/Instagram
As for how married life is going, Sidibe shared, “It’s been pretty good. We’re still pretty into each other!”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The Prank Panelpremieres Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
source: people.com
