Born Carlena Yvonne Jibson Aug 1, 1984 (age 35)

Decatur, Alabama

Occupation Actor

Years Active 2001-present

Carly Jibson Carlena Yvonne Jibson (born August 1, 1984 in Decatur, Alabama) is an American Actress, Writer, Author, Producer, and Humanitarian. She is most noted for originating the role of Tracy Turnblad on the 1st National Tour of Hairspray and then later moving to the Broadway company becoming the 3rd actress to play the role until 2005. In the fall of 2017 she had two shows premiering within one week of each other TBS's "[Guestbook]" and Amazon's "One Mississippi." She can also be seen on the Netflix hit "Atypical" and the new E! smash hit "The Funny Dance Show." Her episode will air March 25th.

Early Life and Career Carly Jibson, was born in Decatur, Alabama to Renee’ Marie Zimmerman and Vernon George Jibson. After her parents divorced in 1989, her mother relocated her and her older brother, Robb Jibson, back to her mother's native town of Muskegon, Michigan. Her father followed shortly after and resided on the east side of the state while sharing joint custody of the children.

She was later discovered in Muskegon at the age of 16 by the late Bret Adams after having performed in the world premier of "Crash Nation" at Cherry County Playhouse in the summer of 2001. She then decided to drop out of high school (Mona Shores High School) at the end of her senior year and moved to New York City when she was just 17 years old. Shortly after, she landed the role of Tracy Turnblad in the first National Tour of "Hairspray," which she originated on the road with Bruce Vilanch. After seven months on the road she was transferred to the New York company in the Spring of 2004 where she re-opened the Broadway show with Michael McKean and Peter Scolari. After almost 2 solid years of being with the show, she left in the summer of 2005 and returned back home to Michigan to take a much needed break.

Her next venture brought her to Chicago, in 2006, where she originated the World Premier of Andrew Lippa's "Asphalt Beach" playing Baby Manicotti. A few months later she was back in New York developing a new Broadway musical where she would originate the role of "Pepper Walker" in Cry baby in 2008. However, the show closed just 2 months after open night.

That following summer Jibson booked her first TV gig on All My Children. She also began writing and producing a concert series. In the fall of 2009 she premiered "Not A Bitch, Not Yet A Woman,” a rock and roll styled “cabaret” where she unveiled the REAL biography of her life and career thus far despite a slew of rumors circling the young stars career. This sold out performance at Joe's Pub in NYC was a featured part of the Sh-K-Boom/ghostlight series. In 2010, she went back to the stage and spent the summer in Boston doing the world premier of "Johnny Baseball" directed by the Tony Award winning Diane Paulus. Later that year Jibson began to write, produce and record her very first original album entitled "Best of Me,” which was released in the late summer of 2011.

Later that winter she produced and starred in an another original concert series "HEADLINERS" which featured fellow singer/songwriters: Katie Thompson, Kacie Sheik and Tony Award winning Lena Hall. This, along with the anticipated return of "Fat Camp,"[1] a musical Jibson had been apart of since its inception, slated to open off Broadway in the spring of 2012, landed Carly a spot on MTV's new reality show "Making It."

Sadly, the beginning of 2012 would bring devastating news to Jibson as she would learn that her mother, Renee’ had been diagnosed with stage 4 lung & bone cancer. Jibson then made the difficult decision to put all other plans on hold to return home to Michigan to be by her mothers side where she stayed for the next year and a half until her mother lost her battle with cancer on October 24th, 2013.

In the spring of 2014, Jibson moved to Los Angeles to start fresh. Shortly afterwards she started working on the Web series “Los Feliz, 90027” and the "Unauthorized Musical Parody of Scream" at the Rockwell Table and Stage. She continued to work on various projects, writing and recording demos but it was the fall of 2016 that changed everything when she was cast as “Tickles,” in Greg Garcia’s The Guestbook. The following summer of 2017 she was brought into season 2 of the Amazon hit “One Mississippi” starring Tig Notaro, as the brassy southern bell “Desiree.” That fall of 2017 Jibson was starring in two shows premiering within just one week of one other.

Season 2 of the Guestbook was beginning to film in 2018 when Jibson learned that One Mississippi had been canceled, and just over a year after that she would learn that The Guestbook would not be returning for a third season.

In the spring of 2019 Jibson also contributed an excerpt in “Moving Foreword,” a comical, coffee table style book where authors/comedians write real forewords to fake books. Jibson wrote a hilarious, and somewhat factual foreword, to her namesake doppelgänger, Carly Rae Jepsen making light of how she commonly gets mixed up for the pop star.

Later that summer she was cast as Josie on Netflix’s “Atypical.” She then was asked to dance and compete on the comedy competition series “The Funny Dance Show,” which premieres on E! in March 11th 2020. Jibson's episode will air on March 25th.

Photoshoot Location: Los Angeles Photographer: Tiffany Kyees

Personal Life Carly currently lives in Los Angeles with her Maltese, Brooklyn. She became engaged to her boyfriend of 3 years, Garrett Warren of The wild Young Hearts, in December 2019. She has 3 siblings; an older brother, Robb Jibson, a younger brother Tyler Jibson and a step-sister Carlee Cavanaugh.

She volunteers with the local charity Hope of the Valley where she helps raise money for the organization to aid and rehabilitate the homeless community of Southern California. She is also an outspoken advocate for LGBTQIAAP+ community volunteering for varies organizations throughout her career.

Broadway/Off Broadway/Regional/Tour Year Show Role 2001 CRASH NATION

Lead

2003-2004 HAIRSPRAY (1st National)

Tracy Turnblad

2004-2005

HAIRSPRAY (Broadway)

Tracy Turnblad

2006/2007

ASPHALT BEACH

Baby Manicotti

2008

CRY BABY

Pepper Walker

2009

FAT CAMP THE MUSICAL

Daphne Daluca

2010

JOHNNY BASEBALL Patty 2011-2012

FAT CAMP THE MUSICAL (Off Broadway) Daphne Daluca

2014 & 2015

UMPO SCREAM THE MUSICAL

Narrator

Filmography Year Show Role Notes 2008 All my Children Receptionist 2016-2018 The Guestbook Vivian/Tickles Seasons 1 & 2 2017 One Mississippi Desiree Season 2 2019 Atypical Josie Season 3 Episode: Y.G.A.G.G.

2020 The Funny Dance Show Herself Season 1 Episode: 3

Discography Album Track listing Year 'Dreaming Wide Awake" (Scott Alan)

"At Seventeen" (featuring Jackie Hoffman)

Released in 2007 "Best of Me" (Carly Jibson)

"Be My" "The Dream"

"Home"

"The Letter"

"Best of me"

"I remember you"

Released in 2011 Cry Baby (OBC cast Recording)

"Overture" "The Anti-polio picnic"

"Watch your ass"

"I'm infected"

"A whole lot worse"

"Baby, baby, baby, baby"

"Girl, can I kiss you with tongue?"

"You can't beat the system"

"Misery, Agony, Helplessness..."

"Nothing bad's ever gonna happen again."

Released in 2015