Black-ish Cast and EPs Talk Season 8 Guest Stars and Why It Wasn’t Difficult to Get Michelle Obama on the Show
The farewell season of Black-ish has already gotten off to a strong start, and the season isn’t holding back one bit when it comes to special guest stars.
Black-ish Season 8 Episode 1, “That’s What Friends are For,” kicked things off with a visit from Michelle Obama, and ABC announced several other exciting guest stars this week.
Special guest stars include Andrew Bachelor (KingBach), Kent Bazemore, Simone Biles, Jeanie Buss, Daveed Diggs, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, Vivica A. Fox, Montrezl Harrell, Dwight Howard, Magic Johnson, DeAndre Jordan, Malik Monk, Isaiah Mustafa, Kendrick Nunn, Rajon Rondo, Reid Scott, and Stephen A. Smith, among others.
ANTHONY ANDERSON, TRACEE ELLIS ROSS
Michelle Obama:
During the show’s Television Critics Association virtual press conference this week with panelists Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kenya Barris, and Courtney Lilly, the group discussed having such an impressive list of guest stars for the final season.
“Michelle Obama was easy because Tracee and Michelle are friends — Mrs. Obama. So, literally, it was something we wanted to do for a long time. The opportunity presented itself, and it’s been it came down to just, “‘Hey, will you send a text to your friend and see if she’s interested?'” Courtney Lilly said.
“Courtney, let’s backtrack. You came up with a great idea that I thought was very worthy of bringing to Michelle,” Tracee Ellis Ross interjected.
“That’s true,” Lilly noted. “But I’m sure there’s also a lot of TV writers that would love to come up with a great idea [to call] on Mrs. Obama, and they don’t have the in.”
MICHELLE OBAMA
Magic Johnson:
Lilly continued to say “it’s just how this stuff works,” then noting that a similar connection brought Magic Johnson to the series.
“Anthony was our hookup for that; getting us into the practice facility and getting us and knowing everybody. Tracee and Anthony, essentially, know everybody,” Lilly said.
Though Lilly also made it clear that the show’s reputation is, of course, a major factor when it comes to getting those guests. “It’s a show that people, you know, they watch with their families. And they’re proud to be able to sit there and be, like, “Hey, I’m on Black-ish.'”
“So, you know, people leapt at the opportunity because of the work we’ve done,” Lilly continued. “[But] Anthony and Tracee are our ins.”
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Black-ish airs Tuesdays at 9:30/8:30c on ABC.
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Ashley Bissette Sumerel
Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.