'Fast & Furious' star says mother forced him to act like he had special needs for government check
Tyrese Gibson is disclosing shocking details from his childhood, admitting his mother used him as a pawn in an effort to support their family.
"My motherf---ing stomach was touching my back. Every form of public aid, WIC vouchers, county checks," Gibson shared on the "Million Dollaz Worth of Game" podcast with rapper King Gillie and influencer Wallo267, of his upbringing.
The actor was raised in a Los Angeles neighborhood in a single-parent household. He had one brother and two sisters.
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"My mama made us go to [the] Social Security building and play r-----ed," the "Transformers" star revealed. "Straight up – government cheese."
"You can't arrest my momma 'cause she gone," Gibson said to the camera. His mother. Patricia Murray Gibson, passed away in 2022 after being hospitalized with both COVID-19 and pneumonia.
"She said, ‘This is what we’re gonna do,'" Gibson said of the devised plan. "'We got to go into this county building and if y'all end up doing this we're going to get $760 a month. And your mama can use this. You know, I'm here, we in the hood, I'm working and trying to keep up,'" she said of life with two sons and two daughters.
Gibson, who was only 8 years old at the time, said his mother told him to "delay" his answers, which confused him. When he asked for further clarification, she explained, "'I might ask you a question, ‘What color is the wall?’ I said, ‘White.’ She said, ‘Don’t do that.' She said, ‘If they ask you what color is the wall, act like [you’re] thinking about it.'"
Gibson clarified that his mother didn't fully "unpack" the situation or use derogatory language.
"She was just basically like, ‘We got to go up in there and make them believe that y’all got some issues.'"
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The "How You Gonna Act Like That" singer said his mother explained that he'd likely have to take some form of assessment – and he did. He remembered a woman coming into the room, "talking to me like I'm slow," placing a puzzle in front of him. Gibson said he followed his mother's request to "delay" his answers.
"I don't remember [either] of my sisters doing it. [My brother and I] definitely did it."
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The "Fast & Furious" actor said he is extremely grateful for what he has now.
"My life – my whole career – felt like a rental car. Like at some point, I gotta give it back," he admitted. "I'm almost at 30 years [of fame]… God's got his hands on me… Every day feels like Christmas."
Representatives for Gibson did not respond to Fox News Digital's immediate request for comment.