SURPRISE! Taraji P. Henson Will Play Janine’s Mother On ‘Abbott Elementary’ Penultimate Episode, ‘Mom’

Actress Taraji P. Henson is guest appearing on the ABC comedy Abbott Elementary‘s April 12 episode, Variety reported.

According to the outlet, the news was revealed on Saturday at the Paley Center for Media’s annual PaleyFest event, which took place in Los Angeles. The stars Sheryl Lee Ralph, Tyler James Williams, Wiliam Stanford Davis and Lisa Ann Walter were on the panel. Janelle James and Chris Perfetti attended through Zoom, while lead actress Quinta Brunson couldn’t attend because she hosted

Saturday Night Live.

The host on the festival’s stage instructed the show’s mystery guest star to reveal themselves and a video message showing Henson popped up, causing the crowd to go berserk.

@hopesloopentertainment And we now know who is playing Jeanine Teagues’ mom on #AbbottElementary!! Its none other than Miss Taraji P. Henson!! #abbottelementaryseason2 #abbottelementaryedit #abbottelementaryabc #abbottelementaryreactions ♬ Able – Pharrell Williams

Henson will play Janine’s (played by Brunson) mom, Vanetta, whose unexpected

appearance wrecks Janine’s Memorial Day weekend solo trip plans. Vanetta requires her daughter’s help with something. Also, Gregory (played by Williams) attempts to help his colleagues brush up on their people skills after realizing they fail at making small talk.

The show’s official Twitter account also confirmed the news of their superstar guest after a photo of Brunson and Henson surfaced with the caption, “about that episode titled ‘mom’ you saw earlier…”

Another of Janine’s family members appearing on the “Mom” episode is her sister Ayesha (played by Ayo Edibiri). Viewers were introduced to her in season two, episode 18 (“Teachers Appreciation”).

“You already met her sister, so why not make it a family affair?” Henson said in the video. “I can’t share too many details with you, so you’ll have to tune in to ABC April 12, but I can guarantee you that it is going to be a riot.”

The episode (season two, episode 21) airs on April 12, 2023, on ABC at 9 p.m. Episode 20, “Educator of the Year,” hits the network on April 5, 2023.