Megan Piphus is a 4x Emmy-winning ventriloquist and musician best known as Sesame Street’s first Black woman puppeteer. Through the vibrant Muppet character Gabrielle and her own lively crew of puppets, Piphus entertains audiences of all ages and inspires children to achieve their wildest dreams, regardless of their background, race, or zip code.

As a keynote speaker, Megan Piphus is in high demand with education conferences, K-12 schools, performing arts colleges, youth-focused non-profits, and libraries. Through keynote speeches and moderated conversations, she speaks about finding her voice through ventriloquism as a shy child and making her lifelong Sesame Street puppeteer dreams come true. Available as the main event or as an add-on to her speaking, Megan Piphus can also be booked for comedic, musical ventriloquist performances and children’s book read-alongs.

More About Megan Piphus
Megan Piphus is the saying “If you can see it, you can be it” come to life. Captivated by two female ventriloquists at age ten, she began teaching herself the art of puppetry and ventriloquism with VHS tapes from the library. She spent the next few years honing her craft, entertaining her classmates and teachers, performing at schools and churches all over the nation, and eventually delivering her high school valedictorian speech through ventriloquism. In college, she made a name for herself as the “Vanderbilt Ventriloquist,” appearing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and receiving four enthusiastic yes’s from the judges on America’s Got Talent.

Piphus continued to perform as a ventriloquist throughout college, grad school, and while working in real estate, building her profile at home and overseas with appearances on Tú sí que vales (Italy), Die Puppenstars (Germany), and Showtime at the Apollo with Steve Harvey. In 2019, in collaboration with the University of Cincinnati, she performed and wrote songs for a TV musical series teaching young children basic financial literacy, winning four Emmy awards for best composition and best children’s short.

In 2020, Piphus was invited to learn Muppet-style puppetry with the cast of Sesame Street and in 2021, she joined the cast as the show’s first Black female puppeteer. In portraying Gabrielle, a 6-year-old Black girl Muppet, Piphus delivers culturally resonant lessons on identity, self-love, and belonging.

Beyond Sesame Street, Piphus writes music and books that empower children to become their best selves. Her first album, Spaceships & Dreams, released under the group name May & Them Pups, was co-produced by Grammy winners Bootsy Collins and Sir the Baptist and made Apple Music Kids’ Best of 2023 list. In 2025, she released Cinderella Sweep in partnership with Saving Our Daughters, providing over 60 girls across the U.S. with recording opportunities. Her debut book, Brave Like a Lion!, published in 2026, tells the story of a young girl who finds her voice through puppeteering.