Abbott Elementary's Sheryl Lee Ralph Says Janine and Gregory Will 'Need Therapy, Therapy, Therapy' to Make Things Work (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Sheryl Lee Ralph; Tyler James Williams and Quinta Brunson.Photo:Emma McIntyre/Getty; Disney/Gilles Mingasson

Emma McIntyre/Getty; Disney/Gilles Mingasson

Sheryl Lee Ralphthinks only therapy can help herAbbott Elementarycostars' characters.On Thursday, Sept. 12, the Emmy-winning actress, 67, attended the PEOPLE x IHG Hotel & Resorts Conversation withAbbott Elementaryat the Kimpton Everly Hotel in Los Angeles, where she dished on Janine Teagues (Quinta Brunson) and Gregory Eddie’s (Tyler James Williams) future.“They need therapy, therapy, therapy!” Ralph, who stars as Barbara Howard, said before discussing Janine and Gregory’s kiss in the season 3 finale.Sheryl Lee Ralph, September 2024.John Salangsang/ShutterstockRalph said she struggled to watch the scene being filmed, comparing it to a mother watching her children doing grown-up things.“I was just like, ‘I can’t watch it!I can’t watch it!’ I had to move away from the screen because it was like a mother looking at your grown children doing grown things," Ralph told PEOPLE. “And I can’t see it! I remember thinking they’re going to do the zambohoochies. It’s going to be something. And I just think about that and I’m just like, ‘Oh my God, my kids are growing up.’ It made me nervous.“Abbott Elementary cast.Pamela Littky/DisneyLisa Ann Walter, who stars as Melissa Schemmenti,Chris Perfetti, who portrays Jacob Hill, and William Stanford Davis, known as Mr. Johnson on the ABC sitcom, were also present for the kiss.“It was such a great moment. And they have such incredible chemistry,” Perfetti, 35, said of Brunson and Williams.“They’re such great actors that every single time they did it, it was different and it was profound in a new way. It was such a cool moment and now I feel like we should talk s— about them,” he quipped.Walter, 61, also weighed in on the evolution of Janine and Gregory’s love story.Quinta Brunson and Tyler James Williams on ‘Abbott Elementary’.Gilles Mingasson/Disney“Number one, I love that the trajectory of their romance, their relationship, in a way they’re not boyfriend girlfriend, they have partners, but that they are really truly good friends,” she said.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“And I think that’s what you see when you’re watching them on the show. They’re really there for each other. But I have a question, which is why were you on set watching them kiss?” Walter continued. “Personally, I left them alone all week because they had to go and do that scene.”Perfetti added that he was not “checking in” with Brunson, 34, or Williams, 31, during filming — which led Walter to joke that he was “watching secretly.”Season 4 ofAbbott Elementarypremieres on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 9:30 pm on ABC.

Sheryl Lee Ralphthinks only therapy can help herAbbott Elementarycostars' characters.

On Thursday, Sept. 12, the Emmy-winning actress, 67, attended the PEOPLE x IHG Hotel & Resorts Conversation withAbbott Elementaryat the Kimpton Everly Hotel in Los Angeles, where she dished on Janine Teagues (Quinta Brunson) and Gregory Eddie’s (Tyler James Williams) future.

“They need therapy, therapy, therapy!” Ralph, who stars as Barbara Howard, said before discussing Janine and Gregory’s kiss in the season 3 finale.

Sheryl Lee Ralph, September 2024.John Salangsang/Shutterstock

John Salangsang/Shutterstock

Ralph said she struggled to watch the scene being filmed, comparing it to a mother watching her children doing grown-up things.

“I was just like, ‘I can’t watch it!I can’t watch it!’ I had to move away from the screen because it was like a mother looking at your grown children doing grown things,” Ralph told PEOPLE. “And I can’t see it! I remember thinking they’re going to do the zambohoochies. It’s going to be something. And I just think about that and I’m just like, ‘Oh my God, my kids are growing up.’ It made me nervous.”

Abbott Elementary cast.Pamela Littky/Disney

Pamela Littky/Disney

Lisa Ann Walter, who stars as Melissa Schemmenti,Chris Perfetti, who portrays Jacob Hill, and William Stanford Davis, known as Mr. Johnson on the ABC sitcom, were also present for the kiss.

“It was such a great moment. And they have such incredible chemistry,” Perfetti, 35, said of Brunson and Williams.

“They’re such great actors that every single time they did it, it was different and it was profound in a new way. It was such a cool moment and now I feel like we should talk s— about them,” he quipped.

Walter, 61, also weighed in on the evolution of Janine and Gregory’s love story.

Quinta Brunson and Tyler James Williams on ‘Abbott Elementary’.Gilles Mingasson/Disney

Gilles Mingasson/Disney

“Number one, I love that the trajectory of their romance, their relationship, in a way they’re not boyfriend girlfriend, they have partners, but that they are really truly good friends,” she said.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“And I think that’s what you see when you’re watching them on the show. They’re really there for each other. But I have a question, which is why were you on set watching them kiss?” Walter continued. “Personally, I left them alone all week because they had to go and do that scene.”

Perfetti added that he was not “checking in” with Brunson, 34, or Williams, 31, during filming — which led Walter to joke that he was “watching secretly.”

Season 4 ofAbbott Elementarypremieres on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 9:30 pm on ABC.

source: people.com