Petey Gibson is a transmasculine comedian, actor, producer, and writer based in Los Angeles, California. He is best known for his role as C Hemingway on FOX’s Alert: Missing Persons Unit, a crime drama series that features a diverse cast of LGBTQ+ characters. He is also a veteran of the Boston underground drag and variety scene, where he honed his skills as a performer and producer.
Early Life and Career
Petey Gibson was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. He did not graduate from college, but instead pursued his passion for comedy and entertainment. He started performing as a drag king in various venues and festivals, touring from London to LA to Toronto. He also created and hosted The Mary Dolan Show, a monthly variety extravaganza that featured guest acts such as writer Baratunde Thurston and comics River Butcher, Danielle Perez, and Solomon Georgio. According to Boston’s Weekly Dig, the show was a “heroic defiance of good taste”.
In 2014, Gibson moved to Los Angeles to further his career in the film and television industry. He produced and starred in several digital projects, such as the webseries Meals with Mary, the shorts Start with Half and Perceptions of Superheroes, and the pilot Somerville. He also co-produced and starred in The Sympathy Card, a lesbian romcom feature film that won three Audience Awards for Best Narrative Feature on its festival run.
Alert: Missing Persons Unit and Other Roles
In 2023, Gibson landed his breakthrough role as C Hemingway, the head forensic anthropologist on Alert: Missing Persons Unit. The show follows a team of FBI agents who specialize in finding missing persons, and features a diverse and inclusive cast of LGBTQ+ characters. Gibson’s character, C Hemingway, is a trans man who is respected and admired by his colleagues for his expertise and humor. He is also romantically involved with another trans character, played by Leo Sheng.
Gibson’s portrayal of C Hemingway has been praised by critics and fans alike, as well as by LGBTQ+ advocacy groups such as GLAAD and The Advocate. In an interview with GLAAD, Gibson said that he was honored to play a trans character who is “fully realized, fully human, and fully awesome”. He also said that he hoped his role would inspire other trans and non-binary people to pursue their dreams and passions.
Besides Alert: Missing Persons Unit, Gibson has also appeared on other popular shows, such as Broad City, Grace and Frankie, NCIS: New Orleans, and Transparent. He also appeared in the Emmy-nominated doc miniseries This Is Me, and Mastercard’s groundbreaking TrueName commercial, the first all-trans commercial of its kind. He is also a voice actor and a children’s entertainer, working with Story Pirates, a bicoastal organization that celebrates children’s stories and ideas.
Personal Life and Activism
Petey Gibson is openly trans and uses he/him pronouns. He often incorporates his experiences and identity into his comedy and activism. He is a co-producer of Them Fatale, a monthly drag king fundraiser in downtown Los Angeles that supports various causes and organizations. He also serves on the DEI Board of Story Pirates, where he promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion in children’s media and education.
Gibson is also a speaker and a mentor, giving talks and workshops to college students and other audiences about his life and career as a trans artist and entertainer. He is passionate about empowering and uplifting other trans and non-binary people, especially in the entertainment industry. He is currently working on several projects, including a transmasc buddy comedy script, two feature documentaries, and an upcoming short film with director Jett Garrison.
Petey Gibson is a multi-talented and multi-faceted artist who has made a name for himself as a trans comedian and actor. He is a trailblazer and a role model for many in the LGBTQ+ community and beyond. He is also a potato lover, a friend hypeman, and a self-proclaimed radical breed of comedian. To learn more about him, you can visit his official website or follow him on social media.