‘Abbott Elementary’ Star Janelle James on Finding Out Ava Was Fired: ‘I Was Like, Do I Still Get Paid?’

variety.com:

Selome Hailu Janelle James became an instant fan-favorite when “Abbott Elementary” debuted in 2021. She was relatively new to the acting game when she joined the sitcom, having previously focused mainly on stand-up.

But stepping into the role of the glamorous, rule-breaking school principal, Ava Coleman, brought her blunt humor and wide-eyed gags to a larger audience, earning her Emmy nominations for three years in a row and constant praise from critics. (Take her recent appearance on Variety‘s list of the 100 best TV performances of the 21st century, for example.) In the beginning of the series, Ava came off as incompetent and uncaring, constantly causing problems for the Abbott Elementary teachers who liked to do things by the book.

But there’s always been more to Ava than meets the eye, and by Season 4, she had truly proven herself as an advocate for her students and teachers, even if her methods are rather unorthodox.

So it was a real shocker when, in the March 19 episode “Audit,” Ava got fired. The school district caught wind that Abbott was accepting bribes — in the form of school supplies and resources — from the local golf course in exchange for keeping quiet about the course’s use of non-union labor and said that any teacher involved would be suspended.