Author: Marla Gibbs
Publisher: Amistad
Genre: Memoir
Format: Audio ALC and Kindle ARC
Narrator: Marla Gibbs; Tisha Campbell;
Regina King
Length: 8 hrs 35 mins
No. of Pages: 288
Date of Publication: February 24, 2026
My Rating: 5 Stars
DESCRIPTION:
The star of classic television series, including The Jeffersons and 227, reveals her difficult journey from a tempestuous childhood to becoming a confident Hollywood powerbroker and groundbreaker who paved the way for today’s superstar talents.
Marla Gibbs has been a Hollywood icon for generations of fans. Now, at ninety-three, she chronicles her climb from a difficult youth in which she yearned for safety and love, to the high-stakes world of Hollywood where she became a confident powerbroker learning to work behind the scenes for fair pay, access, and more creative control for herself and her colleagues.
Told in her forthright voice, It's Never Too Late illuminates Gibbs' daring move to Los Angeles to rebuild her life after an abusive marriage, how she became an actor, and how she eventually learned to balance acting with show running. She was a “Boss Bae” decades before the term would become entertainment industry shorthand for a power flex. While developing 227 her lawyer won her “all rights, courtesies and privileges of an executive producer without the credit.” Though the authority she wielded behind the scenes created deep tensions on and off the set, her hard-luck young life had prepared her to succeed even as her tenacity was put to the test. Her experiences laid the groundwork for powerbrokers like Shonda Rhimes and Issa Rae.
An inspiring personal portrait of triumph and Hollywood that reminds us we can leave the past behind, It’s Never Too Late is the true tale of a remarkable life and a wise guidebook for aspiring artists, entrepreneurs, and entertainment fans.
Marla Gibbs has been a Hollywood icon for generations of fans. Now, at ninety-three, she chronicles her climb from a difficult youth in which she yearned for safety and love, to the high-stakes world of Hollywood where she became a confident powerbroker learning to work behind the scenes for fair pay, access, and more creative control for herself and her colleagues.
Told in her forthright voice, It's Never Too Late illuminates Gibbs' daring move to Los Angeles to rebuild her life after an abusive marriage, how she became an actor, and how she eventually learned to balance acting with show running. She was a “Boss Bae” decades before the term would become entertainment industry shorthand for a power flex. While developing 227 her lawyer won her “all rights, courtesies and privileges of an executive producer without the credit.” Though the authority she wielded behind the scenes created deep tensions on and off the set, her hard-luck young life had prepared her to succeed even as her tenacity was put to the test. Her experiences laid the groundwork for powerbrokers like Shonda Rhimes and Issa Rae.
An inspiring personal portrait of triumph and Hollywood that reminds us we can leave the past behind, It’s Never Too Late is the true tale of a remarkable life and a wise guidebook for aspiring artists, entrepreneurs, and entertainment fans.
Link to purchase the book
MY THOUGHTS:
For ten years of my life, beginning in 1975, I fell in love with Marla Gibbs as the unforgettable Florence on The Jeffersons, and later all over again as Mary Jenkins on 227. While these were her most iconic television roles, It’s Never Too Late makes it clear that Gibbs is far more than a gifted comedic performer.
Her memoir is a powerful story of determination, strength, and resilience. Memoirs offer readers a brief window into lives we may recognize from afar, while also revealing experiences we might never otherwise see. This is exactly what Gibbs’s story does.
Strong narration is essential when listening to someone’s life story, and this audiobook truly shines. With Marla Gibbs herself opening several chapters, followed by the warm and engaging narration of Tisha Campbell, It’s Never Too Late becomes an absorbing and heartfelt listening experience.
Many thanks to Amistad and to Libro.fm and NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
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