Who is Celeste Gay? Acting credits and more explored as actress goes viral over sharing financial struggles in emotional video

Celeste Gay, a 57-year-old aspiring actress, has shared her financial struggles in a viral video.

She shared a clip titled 57 and Broke on February 13, 2025, in which she discussed her decision to leave her corporate job at FedEx, where she earned a “good salary,” to pursue an acting career in Atlanta.

However, she faced significant challenges instead of finding success, including underemployment and financial instability. This left her to take on gig jobs like delivering for DoorDash, working in an Amazon warehouse, and working overnight shifts at Walmart. She had to withdraw her pension to make ends meet.

Her story resonated with many viewers, which instantly earned her more than half a million views and 22.1K subscribers on YouTube. So, who is she?

Well, Gay grew up in Tennessee. She got the acting bug when she was in sixth grade after she did a play. She completed her master's degree in business administration and marketing. She did her major in journalism and theater at Tennessee State University. Later, she landed a job at FedEx but was not satisfied with her job role and decided to quit for acting, according to People magazine.

As per her IMDb profile, Gay appeared in several commercials for USAA, Hallmark, and Capital One, but was she successful in landing a role in acting?

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Did Celeste Gay sign a film?

Yes, according to a report in CNN, Director Mann Robinson cast Celeste Gay in a supporting role as a grandmother in his upcoming film, Turnt AF.

Russell Wyche, president at Mann Robinson Studios, took to his Instagram on March 14, 2025, to share a joint post with Gay and others. He shared a video featuring the aspiring actress, where she expressed her gratitude to the team for giving her an opportunity to work in the film. The caption read,

“Every success story that comes through @mannrobinsonstudios fuels our passion even more. Seeing people break barriers, reach milestones, and transform their lives reminds us why we started this journey in the first place.”

“Huge congrats to @iamcelestejona for crushing her role as Grandma in “Turnt AF” and look forward to working with her again! We truly do this for the culture!”

In the video, Celeste Gay describes her journey, how her emotional YouTube was re-shared by comedian Lil Duval, which was noticed by the team of Mann Robinson, and eventually they offered her the role.

She thanked the people with her on the set,

“I’m grateful that that saw something in me when they saw the video,” she said in the clip, adding, “I cannot express how grateful I am to be here and be on set. It has done something for me from the inside out. So thank you, thank you, thank you.”

According to CNN, Gay earlier told the outlet that she has received an abundance of help from people around her since she shared the video where she discussed her financial struggles. She is now able to earn money through her social media posts.

Her recent opportunity marked a significant change in her life and a breakthrough in her acting career.