Many actresses reach a point in their careers at which they go from playing a bright-eyed ingenue to portraying a mom. Like some of her contemporaries, Taraji P. Henson reached that moment, and it happened when she got cast as Janine’s irresponsible mom, Vanetta, on Abbott Elementary. While fans were excited to see Henson join Abbott, the actress herself surprisingly wasn’t into the idea of playing the mother role at first. However, the Empire star had an epiphany after scoring the gig, and she humorously recalled how it hit her.
Vanetta Teague isn't the first character the Oscar-nominated actress has played that just happens to be a mother. She's played a mom in several projects, including Baby Boy and Empire. So on the surface, she'd be the perfect fit for the role of Janine’s wayward mama. Henson had been angling to be on the Emmy-winning sitcom for some time, as she explained ahead of her debut. However, Vanetta isn't the role she imagined for herself, as she believed she could play Janine's sister. As the What Men Want star recalled to Hello Beautiful though, she checked herself quickly:
