Gibbs got her first acting job in the early 1970s, in the blaxploitation films "Sweet Jesus", "Preacher Man" and "Black Belt Jones". In 1975 she was cast as Florence Johnston, the family's maid, in the CBS comedy series "The Jeffersons". For her performance on the series, Gibbs was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series five times, and once for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film. In 1981 she starred in the short-lived spin-off of "The Jeffersons", titled "Checking In". Gibbs responded in a 2015 interview on Broadway Showbiz, when asked if she'd based any of her characters on real-life people: