Janelle James said her clothes were “dusty” when she went on tour with the “SNL” alum.

Chris Rock secretly gave *Abbott Elementary *star Pretty Woman-style makeover: ‘My clothes were ratty’

Janelle James said her clothes were "dusty" when she went on tour with the "SNL" alum.

By Daysia Tolentino

Daysia Tolentino

Daysia Tolentino is a writer at *. *She has written for * *since 2025. Her work has appeared in NBC News, Vulture, GQ, and InStyle.

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January 1, 2026 9:00 p.m. ET

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Chris Rock; Janelle James. Credit:

Matthew Stockman/Getty; JC Olivera/Variety via Getty

Janelle James got the fairy tale when she went on tour with Chris Rock.

The *Abbott Elementary *actress shared that she was poor when she supported the *Saturday Night Live* alum on his Total Blackout tour in 2017. When the shows began, James said her boots were "dusty" and her cardigan that she "wore to threads."

"My clothes were ratty," she told Vulture's *Good One* podcast.

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James said she was "used to looking bad" to attract less unwanted attention as a female comedian, adding that wearing mini skirts early in her career got her certain "remarks." For a while, she said she "forgot who I was."

During the first leg of the tour in the South, the *One of Them Days* actress said she noticed Rock staring at her worn-out boots. She received an invitation from Rock's assistant to fly to Los Angeles to get "glammed up" soon after.

"I didn't take it any kind of way," she said. "I was like, 'This is amazing.' Like *Pretty Woman *or whatever."

Chris Rock speaks onstage during the Global Citizen Festival in New York City on Sept. 23, 2023.

ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty

And like the 1990 rom-com, James was presented with racks of luxury clothing to choose from, noting that she had "never even seen things that expensive" before. She felt proud showing her new look to Rock, but was grateful when he didn't mention the generous gesture to her directly.

"He didn't say anything, which I appreciate," she said. "He wasn't like, 'See what I've done for you?' He just looked at me. He said, 'You're doing well for yourself.' That's what he said. And then we continued on with the tour."

Janelle James on 'The Standups' in 2021.

Clifton Prescod/ Netflix

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James went on to do even better for herself, landing the role of fan-favorite Principal Ava Coleman on *Abbott Elementary *in 2021*. *While she previously told ** that she didn't set out to be an actress, the comedian knows that she was meant to play Ava.

"When people say, 'I can't imagine someone else playing Ava'...that's the goal," James said. "They're going to have to kill me off."

Listen to the full episode of *Good One* with Janelle James below.

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