Why Most ‘Abbott Elementary’ Celebrity Cameo Offers Are Rejected
Getting a cameo on Abbott Elementary is no easy feat for celebrities. Why? The people behind the award-winning TV series have a rule about who can step foot inside the fictional world of Willard R. Abbott Elementary School. Ahead, their one stipulation and how it eliminates 95 percent of the celebrities who want to be on the show.
Celebrity cameos have to be realistic within the ‘Abbott Elementary’ universe
The rule with celebrity cameos on Abbott Elementary is their presence has to make “sense.” According to Patrick Schumacker, the show’s co-showrunner and executive producer, the rule comes from Emmy Award-winning creator and star Quinta Brunson (Janine Teagues).
“I think all of us are in agreement, and this comes down from Quinta, that if it can’t make sense in the context of what we’re treating as a real documentary about a real school in Philadelphia,” Schumacher told The Hollywood Reporter, “then 95 percent of the people who want to be on the show and play themselves, like their real-life counterpart essentially, it doesn’t really make a ton of sense.”
“We don’t want to break that sort of precious truth that we’re trying to seek out with the show,” he added. “That said, sometimes it’s very hard to resist.”
Abbott Elementary Season 3 included many celebrity cameos, from Philadelphia Eagles players Jalen Hurts, (now retired) Jason Kelce, and Brandon Graham to Lana Condor, Kevin Hart, and Keegan-Michael Key.
Perhaps the most surprising celebrity cameo, however, came when Oscar-winner Bradley Cooper appeared in the show’s post-Academy Awards episode. In it, he visited Melissa Schemmenti’s (Lisa Ann Walter) classroom as a student’s show-and-tell guest.
The show’s casting team has a ‘love Abbott’ list of celebrities who want to make cameos
Behind the scenes, the Abbott Elementary casting team keeps a list of celebrities who want to make a cameo. Known as the “love Abbott” list, it’s filled with names of those who have shared online, via agents, or told Brunson directly, that they want to be on the show.
“We’ve had so many people who are just like, ‘I don’t care what it is, I wanna be on it. No role too big or too small,” Chris Gehrt, a casting director for Abbott Elementary, previously told Vulture.
“During awards season, Quinta Brunson was at everything,” casting director Wendy O’Brien said. “So I can only imagine how many people come up to her that we don’t even know about. I’d love to get into her cell phone and see who’s there.”
While those with a Philadelphia connection get priority, it hasn’t limited the number of potential celebrity cameos. “You’ll be surprised how many famous people come out of Philadelphia,” Gehrt said. “It’s always very conscious,” O’Brien added. “You wouldn’t wanna waste a big Philly celebrity like Gritty on just any role.”
‘Abbott Elementary’ Season 4 premieres on Oct. 9
Class is almost back for Abbott Elementary fans. New episodes begin on Oct. 9, 2024, when season 4 premieres. Unlike previous seasons of the award-winning series, however, Abbott Elementary is on at a new time. It airs at 9:30 p.m. ET on ABC, as opposed to its previous 9 p.m. time slot.
So, don’t forget the show’s time change and, of course, to look out for more celebrity cameos in season 4.
