Megan Piphus (Gabrielle)
Megan Piphus Peace started puppetry and ventriloquism at the age of 10 years old and taught herself the art form by watching VHS tapes.
Megan Piphus Baptist began puppetry and ventriloquism at age ten, teaching herself through VHS tapes before spending her teenage years performing at schools and churches nationwide.
She graduated as valedictorian of Princeton High School and earned degrees in Economics, Music and Spanish and a Master of Science in Finance from Vanderbilt University. While in college, she appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and received four “yeses” on America’s Got Talent. In 2019, Megan collaborated with the University of Cincinnati on an educational children’s television series focused on financial literacy, earning four Emmy Awards for composition and children’s programming. Since 2020, Megan has performed Gabrielle, a 6-year-old Black girl Muppet, on Sesame Street, making history in 2021 as the show’s first full-time Black woman puppeteer. In 2023, Megan released her debut children’s album, Spaceships & Dreams, as May & Them Pups, collaborating with artists including Bootsy Collins, Sir the Baptist and Anthony Hamilton. The album was named to Apple Music Kids’ Best of 2023. In 2025, she partnered with Saving Our Daughters to create Cinderella Sweep, featuring more than 60 girls across the country. Megan and her husband, Grammy-winning artist Sir the Baptist, also created Sunday School, a Christian children’s series blending puppetry, music and storytelling. Megan is the author of Brave Like a Lion! How a Puppeteer Found Her Voice, published by Penguin Random House in 2026. She also stars in Disney Jr.’s Megan and Cupcake Ready for Preschool, a live-action and animated series featuring her puppet sidekick, Cupcake, whom she also voices. Megan is the mother of two boys, Leo and Tyson.
