Jamie Foxx’s Flub & More Must-See Moments From ‘All in the Family’ & ‘Jeffersons’ Live
ABC went back in time on Wednesday night as the network brought the Bunkers and Jeffersons to TV screens for a special live event.
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s All in the Family and The Jeffersons brought the laughs with a star-studded cast and a few surprises along the way. From a flub on air to special cameos, the event was didn’t run short on nostalgia or entertainment.
Below, we’re rounding up the best of the night’s most-talked-about moments and if you missed the airing of the event, be sure to catch the special On Demand, ABC.com or through Hulu.
Jamie Foxx’s On-Air Flub
We said anything could happen! #LiveInFrontOfAStudioAudience #TheJeffersons #AllintheFamily pic.twitter.com/d8lNCjUzD3
— ABC (@ABCNetwork) May 23, 2019
Live TV carries a lot of pressure and it appears that pressure got to Jamie Foxx, who stepped into George Jefferson’s shoes for the night. In a scene with Anthony Anderson — who played Henry Jefferson — Foxx started to jumble his words, and then exclaimed, “It’s live! Everyone sittin’ at home just think their TV messed up.”
Jennifer Hudson’s Jeffersons Performance
.@IAMJHUD brought the house down! #TheJeffersons #LiveInFrontOfAStudioAudience pic.twitter.com/6Bxz8cJYjQ
— ABC (@ABCNetwork) May 23, 2019
Jennifer Hudson appeared in the second half of the special to preform The Jeffersons theme song “Movin’ On Up.” The rendition brought the house down and surely did the same for viewers at home as the singer danced through the apartment set.
Marla Gibbs’ Surprise Appearance
An icon for an iconic night! #LiveInFrontOfAStudio #TheJeffersons #MarlaGibbs pic.twitter.com/gDcfzYMzj7
— ABC (@ABCNetwork) May 23, 2019
The Jeffersons original star Marla Gibbs — who played Florence Johnston — made a special appearance to reprise her role. Justina Machado was billed as Florence, but Gibbs surprised viewers with her cameo.
Marisa Tomei and Woody Harrelson at the Piano
This is what we call classic! Tune in RIGHT NOW for #LiveInFrontOfAStudioAudience to watch the star-studded event on ABC! #AllintheFamily #TheJeffersons @WoodyHarrelson @MarisaTomei pic.twitter.com/8GlCjVBpS1
— ABC (@ABCNetwork) May 23, 2019
As with the original All in the Family, Marisa Tomei and Woody Harrelson took to the piano as Edith and Archie Bunker to offer their own rendition of the show’s theme. Their off-tune performance is definitely worth watching, if not for the nostalgia, at least for the laughs.
The Bleep Heard Round the Country
(Credit: ABC/Eric McCandless)
The scripts for the episodes that aired were original to the time, and during The Jeffersons portion of the evening, a comment made by Foxx’s George about Helen (Kerry Washington) and Tom Willis (Will Ferrell) made some viewers wonder what was said when a long bleep was played over the dialogue. Upon further investigation, fans deduced that the bleeped word was a derogatory racial slur that George says Tom would hurl at Helen if they ever fought.
Fran Bennett Fills in as Mother Jefferson
(Credit: ABC/Eric McCandless)
Veteran actress Fran Bennett filled the shoes of Mother Jefferson, who was previously played by Zara Cully. When she showed up, Bennett was met with loud applause as she comically played up her annoying mother-in-law role towards Wanda Sykes‘ Louise Jefferson.
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