Gabourey Sidibe is featured in the latest episode of Comedy Central’s “Drunk History,” which features celebs re-enacting pivotal moments in history through the lens of an intoxicated narrator.
The “Empire” star is recruited to play Ella Fitzgerald to in the story of the jazz legend’s close friendship with actress Marilyn Monroe, played by Juno Temple (Vinyl).
In an August 1972 article for MS magazine, Fitzgerald famously said she owes “a real debt” to Monroe, who singlehandedly got the singer booked into a club that had previously discriminated against her:
“I owe Marilyn Monroe a real debt. It was because of her that I played the Mocambo, a very popular nightclub in the ’50s. She personally called the owner of the Mocambo and told him she wanted me booked immediately, and if he would do it, she would take a front table every night. She told him – and it was true, due to Marilyn’s superstar status – that the press would go wild. The owner said yes, and Marilyn was there, front table, every night. The press went overboard… After that, I never had to play a small jazz club again. She was an unusual woman – a little ahead of her times. And she didn’t know it.”
It is this story that is re-told by a drunken Tymberlee Hill and re-enacted by Sidibe and Juno on “Drunk History.”
“My favorites stories are when we hear about people we may already know in a story that is rarely told,” says
“Drunk History” co-creator and director Derek Waters. “This story in particular is by far one of my favorites that we’ve ever been able to tell. The performances, hair, makeup and costumes are top-notch.”
Titled “Legends,” the episode airs tonight (Oct. 4) at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT.
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(Photo Source: Comedy Central screenshot)
