March 11, 2024
Gilles Mingasson/Disney
In the latest episode of 'Abbott Elementary,' Bradley Cooper makes a cameo. The show came on immediately after the Academy Awards concluded. Cooper has been nominated for 12 Oscars in his career, but never won.
Bradley Cooper made a surprise appearance on "Abbott Elementary" in a special episode that aired after the Oscars on Sunday night.
Minutes after the Academy Awards wrapped up, Cooper popped up in the cold open of the Philly-set sitcom. In the segment, Cooper — playing himself — is brought in by a second grader for show-and-tell. The teachers and students of the fictional public school simultaneously express their Cooper fandom while poking fun at the Jenkintown native.
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In the episode — which follows ensuing controversy after Abbott Elementary is deemed a Philadelphia historic landmark — a student in the class taught by Melissa Schemmenti (Lisa Ann Walter) sees people asking Cooper for photos near the school and "figured he was famous." So, he asks him to come speak with his class.
"Why are you Bradley Cooper," Schemmenti asks in shock after Cooper casually strolls in. "I mean, why are you here?"
"Well whenever I'm in Philly, you know the deli across the street? That's my first stop," Cooper replies. "My dad used to always take me there. They have the best hoagies in the city."
He notes that the student, Khalil, asked him to stop by and he had a minute to spare. Melissa quickly begins texting her teacher friends about the big news, assuring Cooper that she's not alerting "the paps."
One student asks Cooper if he's in "Spider-Man," to which Cooper replies that he's in a different superhero movie, "Guardians of the Galaxy." The students express disbelief, before Cooper shows off his Rocket Raccoon voice. "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" was nominated for best visual effects at the 2024 Oscars.
Other teachers also begin shouting out some of their favorite movies involving Cooper, although not all of them are accurate.
'I just loved you in 'The Holdovers,'" Barbara Howard exclaims. "It was just so heartwarming.”
"It's 'The Hangover' and no, it's not," Gregory Eddie correct her.
“Guys, he's literally in a critically acclaimed film right now," Janine Teagues chimes in, referring to "Maestro."
Schemmenti confidently guesses "Oppenheimer" — which won seven Oscars, including best picture — to which Cooper says, "I'm not in Oppenheimer."
"Are you sure?" Principal Ava Coleman responds. "Everybody’s in 'Oppenheimer.'"
After fielding blunt questions — one student asks "Shouldn't your teeth be whiter?" — and taking a photo with the school staff, Cooper says he has to pick up his hoagie. But, not before saying to Janine, "You work at the school district? Oh, you know that these schools are criminally underfunded."
"Yeah, I'm working on it," she replies. "Let's just take the picture."
Bradley Cooper fields questions from 'Abbott Elementary' students and staff members during a cameo in the latest episode.
Dressed in sweatpants, Cooper's "Abbott" fit was decidedly more casual than the black Louis Vuitton suit he wore to the Oscars, where he was accompanied by his mother Gloria Campano. His choice in date drew quips from Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel, who asked, "It's very sweet, but I guess the question is ― how many times can one bring his mom as his date before he is actually dating his mom?"
Cooper was nominated for best actor for playing legendary composer Leonard Bernstein in "Maestro," a film that he also wrote, directed and produced. The movie, which can be streamed on Netflix, also received nods for best picture, best actress, original screenplay, makeup and hairstyling, cinematography and sound. But neither Cooper nor the film took home any awards. With 12 Academy Awards nominations throughout his career, Cooper is now among the most-nominated people without an Oscar.
Though "Abbott Elementary" isn't filmed in Philadelphia — besides a trip to the Franklin Institute last season — Cooper does keep a close connection to his hometown area, having reportedly purchased a 33-acre farm estate in New Hope. In November, he joined his Germantown Academy classmates for a 30th anniversary reunion at Chestnut Hill Brewing Co.
Cooper also regularly appears in the owner's box at Eagles games with Jeffrey Lurie and recently told Howard Stern he'd rather see the Eagles win a Super Bowl than win an Oscar. While neither of those things came to fruition this year, a cameo on "Abbott Elementary" isn't such a bad consolation prize.
Cooper is the latest celebrity with ties to Philly to appear on Quinta Brunson's Emmy-winning sitcom. The hour-long Season 3 premiere, which aired last month, featured a Zoom call with Eagles players Jalen Hurts, Jason Kelce and Brandon Graham. Fans have been enjoying the star-studded episodes this season, based on social media reactions to Cooper's cameo.
BRADLEY COOPER???!! IN ABBOTT ELEMENTARY??? DAMN THE BUDGET IS SKY HIGH THIS SEASON #abbottelementary pic.twitter.com/5Idlv6bIr6
— ♡ (@laacolee) March 11, 2024
ABBOTT GOT BRADLEY COOPER MONEY!!!! #AbbottElementary pic.twitter.com/jUPZRLHZt4
— Topher Jordan (@TopherJordan) March 11, 2024
bradley cooper might've lost at the oscars but he's in the latest episode of #AbbottElementary and that's a win in my book! pic.twitter.com/7x7T7TcvBO
— Silam (@silamsiva) March 11, 2024
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