Janelle James wasn’t always as glamorous as the principal she portrays on “Abbott Elementary.”
The actress and comedian, who plays Principal Ava Coleman, opened up about the time she was down on her luck as a touring stand up comic, until a comedy legend suddenly swooped in and became her fairy godfather.
During her Nov. 20 interview on the “Good One” podcast, James shared that she was struggling for money and couldn’t afford to get “glammed up” for her gigs on Chris Rock’s 2017 Total Blackout tour. Rock noticed this and discreetly offered to do a kind gesture.
She told host Jesse David Fox, “When I started touring with Chris Rock I was poor. I was touring but I was poor.”
Explaining her predicament, James said she was separated from her husband at the time and didn’t want to use any of her ex’s money while she was touring. Instead her mindset was, “I’m only going to spend what I’ve made from standup on this pursuit.”
But her financial deficiency began to reflect in her appearance on the road with Rock.
She said, “My clothes were ratty. I was touring. I was living out of my suitcase. I had these boots that were like mad dusty, but they were my favorite because they were comfortable. I had this cardigan from H&M that I wore to, like, threads.”
After the first part of the tour in Tennessee, James recalls a moment sitting next to Rock, who noticed the wear and tear in her clothing.
“I remember I was sitting next to him and I remember him looking at my boots,” she expressed. She did five more shows on the tour and returned home to New York before preparing to go back on the road with Rock.
In between that time, she said, “I got an email from his assistant that said, ‘Chris Rock would like to fly you to LA to get glam.’ And I didn’t take it any kind of way. I was like, ‘This is amazing.’ Like ‘Pretty Woman’ or, you know, whatever.”
In the 1990 film, “Pretty Woman,” a wealthy businessman (Richard Gere) spends days with a woman of the night (Julia Roberts). Their relationship begins as a transactional arrangement in which Roberts’ character uses his money to buy luxurious clothes, before the two eventually fall in love.
James said she didn’t take Rock’s gesture the wrong way, explaining, “I was so used to looking bad.” She later added that she would intentionally downplay her appearance, saying she began to “unfeminize” herself and dress “dusty” to avoid the kinds of remarks she regularly received — particularly while onstage.
“Chris Rock flew me to L.A., put me in a hotel, had his stylist come to me with a rack of clothes, had a makeup artist come and all these things that I knew, I just didn’t have money. He just thought I didn’t know how to dress. He just assumed that I just looked like sh-t and gave me like a full wardrobe.”
“And then I met him back on the road. And I remember I got on the elevator. I was all glammed up like [a] proud daughter,” James continued. “But I didn’t say anything. And he didn’t say anything, which I appreciate. He wasn’t like, “See what I did? What I’ve done for you?’ He just looked at me. He said, ‘You’re doing well for yourself.’ That’s what he said. And then we continued on with the tour.”
Fans responded with praise on The Jasmine Brand’s page, writing, “That was very sweet of him,” and “Paying it Forward!! Love this.”
Someone else wrote a similar comment saying, “That’s dope of Chris.”
James had been doing stand-up for five years before she met Rock. He cold-called her the day after Christmas around 2016, introduced himself and asked her to join him on tour.
Rock’s benevolent act didn’t stop there. He also got James on as a writer for Robin Thede’s show “The Rundown with Robin Thede.” From there, she released her comedy album “Black and Mild” in 2017 and, years later, became a writer on the series “Black Monday.”
She’s also made appearances in series like “Star Trek: Lower Decks” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” as well as movies such as Issa Rae’s “One of Them Days.”
By 2021, James was Principal Ava Coleman on “Abbott Elementary.” In season 4, her role was written out after Ava took the blame for the teachers’ blackmail scheme against a golf course for school supplies, leading to her dismissal as principal. Quinta Brunson and other teachers rallied to get her reinstated, and she was successfully brought back by the end of the season, marking a significant character arc. But she’s not gone forever.
As fans await new episodes, executive Producer Patrick Schumacker assured fans that, “The story is not over… you will see Janelle in subsequent episodes.”
“Abbott Elementary” returns from its winter hiatus with new season 5 episodes on Wednesday nights on ABC, starting January 7, 2026.
