Gabourey Sidibe walked onto a daytime talk show stage on Friday, October 30, wearing a fake beard, an all-black outfit and a tan fringed shawl, and introduced herself as Drake. Specifically, as she put it to host Jennifer Hudson: “I’m Drake leaving his 40th bday party.”
The studio audience on the Halloween episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show broke into applause and laughter the moment she appeared. The costume was not a random pick. It was a reply.
Why Sidibe chose Drake
In the days since, by Sidibe’s account, people online have been editing the Toronto rapper into pictures of her. Sidibe told Hudson she had seen the clips and the comment threads, including one that put him on her body using her own photos taken by paparazzi.
“There’s an AI video of him spliced onto my body, my paparazzi photos,” Sidibe said on the show. “So here I am my true self: Drake.”
She framed it as a challenge to the meme makers, joking that she could play the part better than any edit could. Then she moved on to a segment of cheap, last-minute costume ideas, among them a blackberry and a homemade tornado.
The shawl that started it
The look Sidibe copied is barely a week old. Drake was photographed outside MAMO, a restaurant in New York City, on Thursday, October 22, two days before he turned 40. Over black leather pants, black boots and a black crewneck, he draped a long chestnut shawl whose fringe fell past his hips.
The piece is a vintage Hermès design from the years Martin Margiela worked for the house, and it was sourced by stylist Juliet Charlotte, who pulled all of the rapper’s birthday outfits. Later that night Drake changed into a glittering black suit with a bow tie covered in brooches. The shawl, though, was what people remembered.
Social media users decided the wrap made him look like somebody’s aunt on a night out. “Where’s aunty going?” one asked under the paparazzi shots. Another compared him to a parent heading to a parent-teacher conference, and a third said the only thing missing was a pumpkin spice latte. The outfit soon picked up a nickname of its own, “Pumpkin Spice Papi.”
How the joke traveled in nine days
Badiyaa traced the meme from paparazzi photos to a network television costume in just over a week:
- Thursday, October 22: Drake is photographed in the fringed shawl outside MAMO in New York.
- Saturday, October 24: he turns 40.
- By Monday, October 26: the “aunty” jokes about the shawl are all over social media.
- The following days: edited clips and images put Drake into photos of Sidibe, by her own account.
- Friday, October 30: Sidibe arrives on Hudson’s Halloween episode as Drake, shawl, beard and all.
Sidibe matched the details closely: a stretchy black long-sleeve top, black pants, glossy pointed black boots with block heels, and a tan boho shawl. The thick beard was a nod to his trademark scruff.
The timing gave the costume extra punch. Drake marked his 40th with new certifications from the RIAA, which we covered on his birthday, yet a single accessory ended up drawing more jokes than the plaques did.
Who else showed up in costume
Sidibe, 43, built her career on the 2009 drama Precious, which earned her an Academy Award nomination for best actress, and she has since become a regular in the anthology series American Horror Story. Hosting her on Halloween, Hudson came dressed as a giant butterfly, and Janelle Monáe arrived as Fish Boy, in full aquatic prosthetics and a pinstriped suit. Monáe told the audience they plan their costumes two to three years ahead.
As of Friday, Drake had not responded publicly to the tribute. Sidibe’s version aired as part of the show’s fifth season, one day before Halloween.
Further reading
Image: Siebbi, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by our Editorial Desk. How we work.
