Breaking Down How That Bradley Cooper 'Abbott Elementary' Cameo Happened

Quinta Brunson broke down what went into making that Bradley Cooper cameo happen on season 3 of Abbott Elementary.

“Bradley was actually incredible. He had a hectic schedule, of course, but was as eager to make it work as we were,” Brunson, 34, who stars and executive produces the show, told Variety on Monday, March 11. “We talked about the best creative way to have him join us for a cold open. Since he’s a local [to Philly] it was easy to imagine he was visiting his favorite deli.”

She continued: “Besides that, he was lovely on set. Super kind and cool to the cast, crew and kids. He walked down to meet the crew before it was even time for him to film. It was awesome, and it was a joy to act with him.”

Abbott Elementary pushed back the premiere date for the newest episode to air after the Oscars on Sunday, March 10. During the episode, Abbott Elementary is declared a historical landmark but not every teacher at the school is thrilled with the news. Cooper, 49, makes a surprise appearance at the beginning of the episode when a student brought him in for show and tell.

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“Whenever I’m in Philly, you know the deli across the street? That’s my first stop,” Cooper said in the episode. “My dad used to always take me there. They have the best hoagies in the city.” His second grade friend retorts, “Everybody wanted to take a picture with him, so I figured he was famous.”

Multiple celebrities have made appearances on Abbott Elementary since the show became critically acclaimed following its 2021 debut. Brunson previously opened up about getting celebrities to guest star on the show.

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“I think it’s so nice when people look at it as an opportunity to be in something that their kids can watch also,” Brunson told Entertainment Tonight in February. “Because a lot of actors who are part of more dramatic projects or things that are little PG-13 to rated R, Abbott is something that their kids can see them in.”

According to executive producers Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker, Brunson gets contacted “a thousand times more than she lets on” about potential cameos.

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“Justin and I only hear of a small fraction of the celebrities and very, very famous people wanting to be on the show,” Schumacker told The Hollywood Reporter that same month. “But I think all of us are in agreement, and this comes down from Quinta, that if it can’t make sense in the context of what we’re treating as a real documentary about a real school in Philadelphia, then 95 percent of the people who want to be on the show and play themselves, like their real-life counterpart essentially, it doesn’t really make a ton of sense. We don’t want to break that sort of precious truth that we’re trying to seek out with the show. That said, sometimes it’s very hard to resist.”

Abbott Elementary airs on ABC Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET and is available to stream on Hulu the next day.