Quinta Brunson seemingly has a lot of pull in Hollywood, given that so many celebrities have made cameos or guest-starred inAbbott Elementaryover the course of its three seasons. The ABC mockumentary sitcom, created by Brunson, follows the lives of the teachers at Willard R. Abbott Elementary School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Abbott Elementaryhas arguably helped revive the mockumentary tropeand has been a massive success for ABC.Its achievements can be attributed to its hilarious and talented cast(including the various A-list celebrity cameos and renowned guest stars).
A cameo inAbbott Elementaryis when a celebrity plays themselves, and a guest star is a major actor in a small role in the sitcom.
The main cast ofAbbott Elementaryalso includes impressive and noteworthy stars. Tyler James Williams is famous for his role as Chris Rock in the CW sitcomEverybody Hates Chris; Lisa Ann Walter is recognized for playing Chessy in the iconic1990s rom-comThe Parent Trap; and, of course, Sheryl Lee Ralph is a Tony-nominated actress best known for originating the role of Deena Jones in the 1981 Broadway musicalDreamgirls. As anyone could deduce,theAbbott Elementarycast is already stacked.However, that’s not stopping Brunson from persuading other major stars to appear in the sitcom.
16Orlando Jones
Season 1, Episode 8 & Season 2, Episode 12
Abbott Elementary’s first major guest star was Orlando Jones, who stars as Martin Eddie, Gregory’s father. Jones is a talented actor and stand-up comedianmost known for being one ofMADtv’s original cast members in the 1990s.However, many will recognize Jones from his roles in movies such asThe Replacements, Evolution, Drumline,andThe Time Machine. Most recently,Jones starred as Mr. Nancy inAmerican Godson Starz, and he is set to appear in the upcoming spinoff ofThe Family Business,The Family Business: New Orleans, on BET+.
Abbott Elementary Season 4’s Best Crossover Is So Ridiculous, But Is The Only Way To Achieve Brunson’s Promise
Star/creator Quinta Brunson promised Abbott Elementary season 4’s crossover would change TV history, and one wild plan would prove this true.
In theTV showAbbott Elementary, Jones' Martin isGregory’s father who does not support his teaching career.Martin owns a landscaping business and is always trying to persuade Gregory to quit Abbott and join him in the world of landscaping. Although Gregory is a natural when it comes to gardening and landscaping, he consistently turns his father down. Jones only appears via a video call inAbbott Elementaryseason 1, episode 8, but he physically comes to the school in season 2, episode 12.
15Gritty
Season 2, Episode 1
While Orlando Jones was the ABC mockumentary sitcom’s first noteworthy guest star,Gritty wasAbbott Elementary’s first cameo.Gritty is the beloved mascot for the Flyers,Philadelphia’s hockey team. The furry orange creature appears during theAbbott Elementaryseason 2 premiere when Janine invites him to her first day of school celebration, and to no one’s surprise (well, maybe Gregory’s), Gritty is a hit. Even Gregory, who is skeptical of Gritty at first, warms up to the Flyers mascot by the episode’s end.
14Leslie Odom Jr.
Season 2, Episodes 7 & 19
Tony Award winnerLeslie Odom Jr. guest stars as Draemond Windingin two episodes ofAbbott Elementaryseason 2. The renowned actor is best known for his role asAaron Burr in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s triumphant Broadway musicalHamilton,a performance that earned Odom Jr. a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musicaland a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. Since then, Odom Jr. has made appearances inOne Night in Miami…(which earned him an Oscar nod),Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, andThe Exorcist: Believer.
Draemond is sort of a villain in the ABC series as he wants to turn Abbott into a charter school.
As for his time inAbbott Elementaryseason 2, Odom Jr.‘sDraemond is the owner of Legendary Charters and Barbara’s former student.Draemond is sort of a villain in the ABC series as he wants to turn Abbott into a charter school, meaning he consistently butts heads with the main characters. However, Draemond’s plan ultimately fails when the students’ parents turn on him.
13Ayo Edebiri
Season 2, Episodes 14 & 18
Ayo Edebiri’s TV star statusgrows with each passing year. Consequently, Quinta Brunson was smart to cast her to play Janine’s sister, Ayesha, inAbbott Elementarywhen she did. Edebiri, who ismost known for her Emmy Award-winning role as Sydney Adamu inThe Bear,first appears as Ayesha during season 2, episode 14, when Janine FaceTimes her.
Aside from starring in the critically acclaimed seriesThe Bear, Ayo Edebiri is also a writer and voice actor. She voices Missy inBig Mouthand serves as a consulting producer on the Netflix show, and more recently, Edebiri voices Envy inInside Out 2.
Then, in episode 18,Ayesha flies from Denver to Philadelphia to visit her sister.During the episode, it becomes quite clear why Janine and Ayesha aren’t very close as they disagree about how to treat their mother. Thankfully, by the end, Janine and Ayesha come to an understanding and leave on good terms. Hopefully, this isn’t the last viewers have seen of Edebiri inAbbott Elementary.
12Mike O’Malley
Season 2, Episode 15 & Season 3, Episodes 4 & 8
Mike O’Malley has guest starred in numerous sitcoms and other shows over the years, includingAbbott Elementary. Some of his noteworthy credits includeYes, Dear,Glee,The Good Place,Snowpiercer, andHeels. In the mockumentary sitcom, though, O’Malley plays Captain Robinson, a fire captain who responds to the fire at Abbott in season 2, episode 15. Melissa and Robinson flirt a little bit, but since she is with Gary at the time, nothing happens. Flash forward to season 3, the audience and Barbara are shocked to learnMelissa and Robinson are hooking up,anAbbott Elementarysubplot that took place offscreen.
11Taraji P. Henson
Season 2, Episode 21 & Season 3, Episode 12
Taraji P. Henson stars as Janine’s absentee and irresponsible mother,Vanetta, inAbbott Elementary. Janine has always had to act as the parent in their relationship, a dynamic that is demonstrated in season 2, episode 21 when Vanetta visits Janine at Abbott and asks her for money.Henson returns inAbbott Elementaryseason 3 via a phone call when Janine asks her mother who her father is (and if it’s possibly Kevin Hart).
William Stanford Davis
Mr. Johnson
Henson is an award-winning renowned actressrecognized for her roles as Shug inHustle & Flow, Queenie inThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button(which earned her an Oscar nomination), Katherine Johnson inHidden Figures, andCookie Lyon in the Fox dramaEmpire. Over the course of her career, Henson has received various awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe for her performance inEmpire. Hopefully, Henson will reprise her role as Janine’s mother alongside Ay Edebiri’s Ayesha in a futureAbbott Elementaryepisode.
10Josh Segarra
Season 3, Episodes 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 10, 11, & 14
Josh Segarra has appeared in the mostAbbott Elementaryepisodes (eight) of the stars on this list, which makes sense given his role.Segarra portrays Manny, a character who works at the school districtalongside Janine in season 3. There was potential for a possible romance between Manny and Janine. However, one otherAbbott Elementarycouple(Janine and Gregory) got in their way during the finale. Aside from the ABC sitcom, Segarra has played many significant roles in TV shows and movies, includingthe iconicArrowvillainAdrian Chase/Prometheus, Pug inShe-Hulk, and Danny inScream VI.
9Jason Kelce, Jalen Hurts, & Brandon Graham
Season 3, Episode 2
Days before Super Bowl LVIII, three football players from the Philadelphia Eagles (who didn’t play in the big game), made cameos duringtheAbbott Elementaryseason 3 premiere— Jason Kelce, Jalen Hurts, and Brandon Graham.The three appear via Zoom during career day at Abbott.Hurts helps Gary with his marriage proposal to Melissa (before Kelce and Graham walk in on him). Unfortunately, she awkwardly turns him down, which results in a few humorous moments including the Eagles players.
8Sabrina Brier
Season 3, Episode 4
Sabrina Brier, an online personality, plays a substitute for Janine’s classroomwhile she is busy working at the school district inAbbott Elementaryseason 3, episode 4. Unfortunately, her time at Abbott doesn’t last long. However, it’s a treat just to watch Brier’s character, Jessca (no, that is not a typo for Jessica), on the small screen. Brier got her start on TikTok, where she posts various skits featuring her playing original characters. Now, she’s taking her skills to Hollywood.
7Bradley Cooper
Season 3, Episode 6
Directly following the 2024 Oscars,Bradley Cooper, who was nominated for Best Actor but lostto Cillian Murphy, made a cameo inAbbott Elementary. And unlike some of the other A-listers on this list,Cooper’s cameo was in person.Season 3, episode 6, begins with Melissa’s classroom participating in show and tell. One of her students says he brought a celebrity he met outside and in walks Cooper.
The actor is from Philadelphia in real life,so, in the show, he’s just visiting his hometown. Of course, all the teachers swarm to Melissa’s classroom. While there, the characters fawn over Cooper, Cooper does his Rocket Raccoon voice, the teachers take a picture with him, and Barbara mistakenly says she loved Cooper inThe Holdovers.
