Although all of Abbott ElementaryThe supporting characters are funny, a look back at Mr. Johnson’s best quotes proves just how much the school’s custodian steals the show. Abbott ElementaryThe entire cast of characters is hilarious. Whether it’s Jacob jumping from desk to desk and killing a fad in the process, or Barbara constantly mistaking black celebrities for white ones, some of Abbott ElementaryThe funniest moments come from its supporting stars. However, there is one figure that everyone can agree is the show’s breakout character, even among a cast crowded with iconic characters like Melissa and Principal Ava.
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William Stanford Davis’ Mr. Johnson slowly became the show’s funniest character as the series offered viewers more glimpses into the mercurial janitor’s strange inner world. Whether he’s teaching the kids elaborate conspiracy theories while he substitutes or warning Jacob about a ghostly custodian haunting the school’s hallowed halls, Mr. Johnson is an utterly unpredictable comic goldmine. Viewers may want to know what happens with the show’s romance or see if Janine gets the latest round of funding she applied for, but a pivotal part of Abbott ElementaryHis appeal will always come from working out what his janitor will do next.
10
“I’ll make the basketball disappear – ta-da!”
Mr. Johnson’s basketball “trick” delighted students and viewers
In season 1, episode 9, “Step Class,” Janine foolishly relies on Ava to help her run a step class for the students. Janine is hurt when the kids embrace Ava’s looser, more fun style over her stiff, prescriptive teaching, but she really struggles when Ava fails to show up on the day of the class’s big performance. It turns out that Ava is caring for her elderly grandmother, whose severe dementia has left Ava as one of the few family members she recognizes. It’s a poignant, unexpectedly sad storyline, and one that needs big laughs to break the tension.
|
Abbott Elementary Actor |
Character name |
|---|---|
|
Quinta Branson |
Janine Tigues |
|
Taylor James Williams |
Gregory Eddy |
|
Lisa Ann Walter |
Melissa Schemmenti |
|
Sherrill Lee Ralph |
Barbara Howard |
|
Janel Jacob |
Major Ava |
|
William Stanford Davis |
Mr. Johnson |
|
Chris Perfetti |
James Hill |
luckily, Mr. Johnson appears when Janine asks him to distract the kids during the step class performance. In a hilarious non-sequel, Mr. Johnson announces that he will make a basketball disappear before throwing it in the trash with a triumphant “Ta-da!“Davis’ delivery makes the line hilarious, but the crowd’s reaction makes the scene iconic. It would be classic, predictable cringe comedy if the faculty and kids simply stared in silence, but the crowd instead went wild. It’s early proof That this is Mr. Johnson’s world and everyone else is just living in it.
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“I don’t believe in the moon.”
The Custodian’s conspiracy theories are particularly wild
In season 2, episode 8, “Egg Drop,” a staff conversation on the topic of ical in 8000 science. Jacob’s claim that “Gluten intolerance is just internalized white guilt“Hilarious, but it’s Mr. Johnson who takes the cake in this conversation. After Melissa admits that she thinks the moon landing can’t be real, The custodian ups the ante by blithely claiming the moon itself doesn’t exist. The line was never revised, which only makes the claim more absurdly strange.
8
“You see a cleaning genius, I see a cleaning genius.”
Mr. Johnson’s Goodwill hunting gag was a classic
In season 1, episode 6, “Gifted Program,” viewers get an early hint of Gregory and Janine. Abbott Elementary relationship when the couple spars over a new gifted and talented program. Debates rage over whether such programs leave some children behind or merely offer much-needed opportunities for others, but it is Mr. Johnson’s “Gifted Custodian Program” which gives the episode its best line. The janitor explains that, where teachers see a genius cleaning, Mr. Johnson may recognize a cleaning genius in what he dubs a “Reverse goodwill hunting.” It is difficult to argue with the results of the program.
7
“I did not give permission for my image.”
The janitor’s reaction to a student’s tribute was unexpected
It was already a big gig when one of Abbott Elementarys students dressed as Mr. Johnson for HalloweenBut what made this scene such a success is the janitor’s short answer. Far from flattering or patronizing, the custodian warned the child to advocate after informing him that he was not licensed to use his likeness. Ironically, Mr. Johnson went on to provide another classic laugh in the Halloween special when he stuck a piece of rubber to his forehead and said he was dressed as iconic rapper Lil Uzi, referencing the star’s infamous star diamond.
6
“Well, it looks like Ava switched the day from Ferris Bueller’s day off to The Breakfast Club.”
Mr. Johnson’s love of John Hughes movies shown by here
Most of season 1, episode 13, “Zoo Balloon,” centers on the school’s dramatic trip to the zoo. however, Mr. Johnson’s subplot styles reliably the show as he is left in charge of a few kids who did not join their classes on the school trip. After initially informing the camera crew that field trips were “Mr. Johnson’s Day Off, which is where I watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off“, the janitor has his plans when Ava leaves the kids in his care. Mysteriously his John Hughes ’80s teen classics, Mr. Johnson notes that “Life moves pretty fast“, before Ava cuts the iconic quote short.
Surrounded by well-behaved professionals like Janine and James, Mr. Johnson’s laidback anti-work ethos will always be a comic contrast.
5
“The emergency is, I don’t feel like it right now.”
Mr. Johnson’s refusal to do his job will never be funny
In season 2, episode 9, “Sick Day,” Ava is pressed to replace Janine and struggles to come up with a replacement on short notice. Eventually, she tries to register Mr. Johnson again, but the janitor is busy. It didn’t help that Ava was trading barbs with Mr. Johnson shortly before asking him for a favor, so it’s not a huge shock when Mr. Johnson informs the camera crew that the “Janitorial emergency” He is attending to is the fact that he does not feel like working. Between well-behaved professionals like Janine and Jacob, Mr. Johnson’s laidback anti-work ethos will always be a comic contrast.
4
“I am a pacifist. You have to deal with me, I’ll put a fist over your face.
Mr. Johnson’s iconic poem is eminently quotable
In season 2, episode 12, “Fight”, Janine struggles to keep two of her students from each other’s throats when a fight breaks out. While Lisa Ann Walter’s Abbott Elementary Heroine Melissa is predictably pro-fisticuffs as a way for children to explore their differences, Mr. Johnson surprises his coworkers by announcing his unexpectedly peaceful personal philosophy. Then he hits them with a classic pun that’s somehow just funny despite how famous the gag was long before it appeared in Abbott Elementary. With a familiar line like this, it takes Davis’s perfectly timed delivery to elevate the joke into something special.
3
“A dream can be a distraction just as easily as it can be a goal.”
Mr. Johnson provided shockingly wise life advice to Gregory
In season 1, episode 11, “Desking,” Abbott’s teachers struggle to keep their students from participating in the dangerous new trend of “desking.” Desking involves jumping from one desk to another, risking serious injury to make a viral video. Mr. Johnson, of course, was the first to find out about the trend and dreaded the day it would arrive at Abbott. When it did, He and Gregory stake out Janine’s classroom to find the culprit, and Gregory is shocked to learn that Mr. Johnson once worked as a private investigator Revelations of the day.
In the ensuing conversation, Mr. Johnson notes that he is also a pipe feeder and a “Delicious naked model“among other professions. When Gregory questions his inconsistent career path, Mr. Johnson explains that dreams are not always the guaranteed good they are seen as. The shockingly clever janitor points out that a dream can become an obsession that pulls someone away from their true calling. Gregory wonders if he really wants to be a principal and, indirectly, Mr. Johnson helps one of Abbott ElementaryThe best couples to realize that their perfect partner was under their nose all along.
2
“It’s trash.”
In season 1, episode 3, “Wishlist,” Jacob’s best-laid plans to turn a broken printer into a planter fall apart to Mr. Johnson’s chagrin. The idealistic but naive young teacher cannot accept that his master plan is doomed, while Mr. Johnson’s advice to give up his efforts is ignored. It is only at the end of the episode that Mr. Johnson finally convinces James that the broken printer is junk.Cue a catchphrase that had a hilarious comeback in the season finale. In this outing, Mr. Johnson dismisses the children’s letter before tossing it in the trash can turned out to be pitch-perfect. Breakfast Club nonsense
1
“For me, regrets have always been harder to live with than consequences.”
Mr. Johnson’s advice to Janine was really moving
Mr. Johnson’s advice to Gregory was surprisingly wise, but it was his conversation with Janine in the season 3 finale, “Party,” that cemented his status as the school’s secret saga. After he helps Janine save her party by fixing her apartment’s power, Mr. Johnson engages in a cryptic conversation with her as Janine alludes to some unspoken fear that troubles her. Without explicitly mentioning her attraction to Gregory, she says she wants to pursue something that could cost her her job and asks Mr. Johnson what he would do in her shoes. The reliable support star offers thoughtful advice.
Mr. Johnson’s claims that he always found regret harder to stomach than consequences explain exactly how the unassuming custodian lived such an extraordinary life. For all of his crude punchlines, Abbott ElementaryThe resident philosopher really has great advice to give for those who need it. At first, Janine doesn’t take a big risk but, luckily, both she and Gregory take Mr. Johnson’s advice later that night when they finally hook up. This scene is one of the show’s best moments, and it wouldn’t work without the intervention of Abbott ElementaryMr. Johnson.