Yahoo News Empire star Taraji P Henson announced for major Abbott Elementary role
Abbott Elementary has added a brand new guest star for its penultimate episode this season — Empire's Taraji P. Henson.
Abbott Elementary follows a group of teachers working at the titular public school, which is one of the worst in the country. The series follows Quinta Brunson, who also created the series, as Janine Teagues, and Henson is set to play Janine's mother.
Henson will play Vanetta in the 21st episode of the current season, which is the show's second. The episode, titled Mom, will see Janine's plans for a Memorial Day weekend solo trip ruined when Vanetta shows up unannounced and asks for help.
Related: Abbott Elementary's future is confirmed beyond season 2
The episode will air on April 12, while the news of Henson's casting was unveiled at the Paley Center for Media’s annual PaleyFest LA event during a panel for the show that featured Sheryl Lee Ralph, Lisa Ann Walter, Tyler James Wiliams, and William Stanford Davis, plus Janelle James and Chris Perfetti via Zoom.
Henson is best known for her role as Cookie Lyon in Empire, while she also earned an Oscar nomination in 2009 for best supporting actress for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Recently, Walter opened up about the The Parent Trap Easter egg that she managed to sneak into Abbott Elementary. Walter played Chessy, the housekeeper of Dennis Quaid's Nick Parker in the iconic 1998 Lindsay Lohan movie.
In Abbott Elementary, Walter's character is seen dressed in a denim shirt in one scene — matching the costume Chessy wears in The Parent Trap. Walter explained that she managed to get this Easter egg into the scene for all the Chessy fans.
"I wanted to dress a little bit differently at home. They said, 'Well, what do you want?' And I went, 'I'm in my kitchen. We're standing over food. Let me throw a little Easter egg for the Chessy fans because they're so vocal and I love them and they all dress like the character. So, let me do this," Walter said.
"I thought it was going to be just for me. Or a couple of people get it because they're really into it, but everybody got it and went nuts with it. It was really fun."
Abbott Elementary airs on ABC in the US, and is available on Disney+ in the UK.
You Might Also Like
