There’s a new familiar face gracing the halls of “Abbott Elementary.” Taraji P. Henson will be joining the ensemble as a guest star in an upcoming episode. Details of her role were announced over the weekend.
On Saturday (April 1), members of “Abbott Elementary’s” main cast — including Sheryl Lee Ralph, Lisa Ann Walter, Tyler James Wiliams and William Stanford Davis — sat on a panel at PaleyFest, an annual event in Los Angeles held at the Paley Center for Media, to share some exciting news. Stars Janelle James and Chris Perfetti, who play Ava Coleman and Jacob Hill in the mockumentary series, were in New York but sent a pre-taped video message to share with attendees. The big announcement? Henson will be featured on the Emmy Award-winning ABC hit comedy program — this month!
Along with the PaleyFest reveal, the “Abbott Elementary” official Twitter account also shared a snap of Henson smiling with the show’s main character, Janine Teagues (played by creator Quinta Brunson). In the flick, the two were on set in one of the hallways of the Philadelphia public school. “About that episode titled ‘Mom’ you saw earlier,” the tweet read. Henson will appear on season two’s finale episode which airs at 9 p.m. ET next Wednesday (April 12). According to Variety, the Hidden Figures star’s character enters as Teagues is attempting to go on a solo Memorial Day weekend trip, which puts a wrench in the second-grade teacher’s plans.
Brunson was not present for the PaleyFest-Henson news as she was in New York City for her “Saturday Night Live” hosting debut. Her appearance was a success, with the Golden Globe winner’s opening monologue leaving the ‘90s sitcom “Living Single” trending on social media. While on stage, Brunson joked about obvious comparisons between it and another popular series, “Friends,” and its lack of diversity. “It’s kind of unique,” she began about her program. The Philly native added, “It’s a network sitcom like, say, ‘Friends,’ except instead of being about a group of friends, it’s about a group of teachers. And instead of New York, it’s in Philadelphia. And instead of not having Black people, it does.”