Chris Rock secretly gave “Abbott Elementary ”star “Pretty Woman”-style makeover: 'My clothes were ratty'
- - Chris Rock secretly gave “Abbott Elementary ”star “Pretty Woman”-style makeover: 'My clothes were ratty'
Daysia TolentinoJanuary 2, 2026 at 3:00 AM
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Matthew Stockman/Getty; JC Olivera/Variety via Getty
Chris Rock; Janelle James
Janelle James got the fairy tale when she went on tour with Chris Rock.
The Abbott Elementary actress shared that she was poor when she supported the Saturday Night Live alum on his Total Blackout tour in 2017. When the shows began, James said her boots were "dusty" and her cardigan that she "wore to threads."
"My clothes were ratty," she told Vulture's Good One podcast.
James said she was "used to looking bad" to attract less unwanted attention as a female comedian, adding that wearing mini skirts early in her career got her certain "remarks." For a while, she said she "forgot who I was."
During the first leg of the tour in the South, the One of Them Days actress said she noticed Rock staring at her worn-out boots. She received an invitation from Rock's assistant to fly to Los Angeles to get "glammed up" soon after.
"I didn't take it any kind of way," she said. "I was like, 'This is amazing.' Like Pretty Woman or whatever."
ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty
Chris Rock speaks onstage during the Global Citizen Festival in New York City on Sept. 23, 2023
And like the 1990 rom-com, James was presented with racks of luxury clothing to choose from, noting that she had "never even seen things that expensive" before. She felt proud showing her new look to Rock, but was grateful when he didn't mention the generous gesture to her directly.
"He didn't say anything, which I appreciate," she said. "He wasn't like, 'See 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."
Clifton Prescod/ Netflix
Janelle James on 'The Standups' in 2021
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James went on to do even better for herself, landing the role of fan-favorite Principal Ava Coleman on Abbott Elementary in 2021. While she previously told Entertainment Weekly that she didn't set out to be an actress, the comedian knows that she was meant to play Ava.
"When people say, 'I can't imagine someone else playing Ava'...that's the goal," James said. "They're going to have to kill me off."
Listen to the full episode of Good One with Janelle James below.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
