With Taraji P. Henson’s arrival at Abbott Elementary, Janine Teague’s parenting difficulties will finally have a name.
In the season’s penultimate episode, appropriately titled “Mom,” the Empire actress will make a special appearance as Quinta Brunson’s television mother, Vanetta.At the Paley Center for Media’s annual PaleyFest L.A. event on Saturday, the news was revealed during the panel discussion for the show.William Stanford Davis, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Lisa Ann Walter, and Tyler James Williams were all present on the panel.Founder and actress Brunson opted not to participate on the panel in order to get ready for her Saturday Night Live debut.
In the upcoming episode, Janine’s (Brunson) exciting plans for a solo trip over Memorial Day weekend are derailed when her mother, Vanetta (Henson), shows up unannounced and asks for help. In the meantime, Gregory (Williams) notices his colleagues are great at small talk and realizes he needs to brush up on his people skills.
Henson is the latest of the Teague family to make her appearance — The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri previously appeared on the ABC sitcom as Janine’s sister, Ayesha.
The Abbott Elementary social media accounts later confirmed the casting news by sharing a behind-the-scenes photo of Henson and Brunson on set.
While Henson will only star in one episode of season 2, there’s still hope she could make an appearance in the previously announced third season. The series has been on an award-winning kick and recently won big at the 2023 SAG Awards, winning Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series — the first network comedy to do so since Modern Family in 2013.