When Abbott Elementary premiered in 2021, if you would have told me that I’d someday see Quinta Brunson’s Janine Teagues call someone a “total fucking cunt,” I’d have called you a liar. But never underestimate the power of Sweet Dee. Part 2 of the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia crossover with Abbott Elementary aired on the 2025 TV schedule, and as fans like myself freaked out over Janine’s shocking moment, Charlie Day explained why that joke was the “perfect test.”
Janine Has Fans Clutching Their Pearls Over Her Cussing On Always Sunny
Janine was real mad about Kaitlin Olson’s character trying to steal her man, but I think it’s safe to say that literally no one predicted the second-grade teacher uttering the C-word in front of the faux film crew. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Season 17 premiere “The Gang F***s Up Abbott Elementary” adopted Abbott’s mockumentary style for the second half of the crossover with the ABC sitcom, and fans were just not ready. One X user said:
Janine cursing sent me so hard and the way Gregory was being supportive 😭🤣 #AbbottElementary #ItsAlwaysSunny pic.twitter.com/lSRfxMlYcVJuly 10, 2025
Gregory’s reaction was everything, looking as shocked as all of us when he said, “I thought you was gonna call her a bitch.” This fan was floored by Janine’s response, quoting the character in her post:
‘Bitch can be a very fine dog, that is not what this woman is.’ Oh give her another Emmy…..
I wouldn’t be against that. This viewer even admitted to clutching their pearls when the elementary schoolteacher dropped the C-bomb, writing:
I love the gag of a character who never curses saying the most aggressive and hateful curse words when they finally do curse, got me clutching my pearls like I wouldn’t say the same shit.
Quinta Brunson really did a number on fans, because the above social media user was not the only pearl-clutcher in the audience. Other reactions included:
- Holy shit. Janine got me over here clutching my pearls. I wasn’t ready to hear her say that. – ejaybugboy3
- I screamed 😭 thought she’s going to say bitch too – ladyevarina
- LMFAOOOOOOO I’M JAW DROPPED 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 – aliensgroove
- 😂😂 When ‘tell me how you really feel’ becomes ‘damn not that real.’ – stuful
This was a huge moment, because it was when we really knew that Quinta Brunson and the Abbott Elementary crew came to play.
Charlie Day Calls The Joke ‘The Perfect Test’
It was a brilliant idea for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia to shock fans straight out of the gate (and condolences to anyone who didn’t heed Kaitlin Olson’s advice on the NSFW series). Charlie Day recalled how that instant classic TV moment came to be and how he used it to see just how far Quinta Brunson was willing to go. He told Variety:
I remember writing that joke and being like, ‘I don’t know if she’s going to go for this.’ When we sent it over, honestly, it was sort of the perfect test as to whether or not it was going to work. I think in order for the crossover to truly work, we needed them to play in the same sandbox that we play in and willing and so game to do it. And don’t forget, Quinta had a long career in comedy well before. It was great!
The Abbott Elementary bunch definitely seemed game to drop their network TV constraints for an episode — even Sheryl Lee Ralph’s swear swap was A+ — and it was both a great way to kick off It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s 17th season and a satisfying conclusion to its unlikely Abbott crossover.
The first half of the crossover — Abbott Elementary’s “Volunteers” — aired on ABC in January, showing The Gang doing court-ordered community service at the elementary school. Both series can be streamed with a Hulu subscription, and new episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia air at 9 p.m. ET Wednesdays on FXX. Abbott will return to ABC this fall for its fifth season.