In a segment that aired Tuesday night, her mom, Alice Tan Ridley, auditioned for "America's Got Talent" and wowed the audience with her performance.
An NBC spokeswoman confirms the 58-year-old Ridley tried out for the reality show in late April. Her rendition of the Etta James classic "At Last" brought the audience to their feet, and the judges unanimously voted to send her through to the next round in Las Vegas.
NBC says it doesn't believe the judges knew who Ridley was before the taping. She identified herself as a singer who's been performing in New York subways for the past 20 years.
Sidibe made her acting debut in the critically acclaimed film "Precious: Based on the Novel `Push' by Sapphire."
