Tyrese Darnell Gibson (born December 30, 1978) is an American R&B singer and actor from Los Angeles, California. He signed with RCA Records in 1998, and released his debut single "Nobody Else" in August of that year. It peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and preceded his self-titled debut album (1998), which received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and spawned his second top 40 single, "Sweet Lady".
His second and third albums, 2000 Watts (2001) and I Wanna Go There (2002), both received gold certifications by the RIAA. The latter was led by the single "How You Gonna Act Like That", which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains his highest-charting song. His fourth album, Alter Ego (2006), explored hip hop under the pseudonym Black Ty, while his fifth album, Open Invitation (2011) received a nomination for Best R&B Album at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards. Gibson's sixth album, Black Rose (2015), debuted atop the Billboard 200.
Gibson has sold over 4 million singles and albums in the United States. Gibson had his first starring role in John Singleton's coming-of-age hood film Baby Boy (2001), and gained widespread recognition as Roman Pearce in the Fast & Furious franchise. Gibson reunited with Singleton for the action film Four Brothers (2005) and plays Robert Epps in the Transformers franchise. He appeared in the comedy film Ride Along 2 (2016) and the superhero film Morbius (2022).
Early life
Gibson was born and raised in Watts, Los Angeles, California. His mother, Priscilla Murray Gibson (née Durham), raised him and his three older siblings as a single parent after his father, Tyrone Gibson, left. While growing up in Watts on 113th Street during the late 80s, Gibson was exposed to gangs, with some of his childhood friends becoming members of the Crips. In his autobiography, Tyrese stated it was an older gangster named "Dirtbike Fred" that encouraged him to take a different path. He later graduated from Locke High School in 1996.
Music career
Beginnings
Gibson's career began when he auditioned for a Coca-Cola commercial at the suggestion of his high school music teacher. An appearance in a 1994 Coca-Cola advertisement, singing the phrase "Always Coca-Cola", led to bigger fame. It also led him to other appearances, such as for Guess and Tommy Hilfiger.
Personal life
Gibson was married to Norma Mitchell from 2007 to 2009, and the couple had one child, a daughter, born in 2007.
In January 2017, Gibson purchased a $4 million home in Atlanta, Georgia. He married Samantha Lee on February 14, 2017. Their daughter was born on October 1, 2018. In December 2020, Gibson and Lee announced they were divorcing. In October 2023, it was reported that their divorce was finalized in 2020.
Gibson is a Christian.
On September 9, 2024, Gibson was arrested following an appearance in Fulton County Court where he was issued a contempt charge after it was found that he was failing to pay child support to his ex-wife Samatha Lee. Gibson was ordered to remain in custody until he paid Lee $73,500 in child support. Gibson posted on his Instagram page the next day. According to the Atlanta Black Star, Gibson was released after paying the child support. He plans to appeal the contempt order.
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