Janelle James may now be pulling a $200,000-per-episode salary on Abbott Elementary, but before fame the four-time Emmy-nominated comedian and actress did “every hustle in the book” to stay afloat.
From waitressing tables to giving sewing lessons, planning parties, working as a personal chef, and even distributing cigars at a strip club, James tried it all before scoring her breakout role as Ava Coleman.
At the time, she said on the Conan O’Brien podcast, she was constantly thinking: “What skills do I have that I can turn into money.”
But even now that she’s making an estimated $4.4 million just on season four of Abbott Elementary, she added: “I’m always on the hustle.”
Janelle James learned how to hustle from a young age—but she wasn’t prepared for how money changes relationships
Growing up in the Virgin Islands, James’ ambition was instilled at a young age, thanks in part to assisting with her father’s restaurant on the beach. Alongside her siblings, one of her first moments hustling was selling drinks to visitors who were on vacation. In previous interviews, she described how she was “broke as hell” growing up.
While hustling from a young age taught James the value of money, it didn’t quite prepare her for navigating wealth as an adult.
In a previous interview with IndieWire, she admitted she wasn’t prepared for how making millions would impact her relationships—like suddenly being expected to get the check every time she goes out with people.
“I am the first person in my family to have this level of income, and that is something to navigate around, not only in my family, but in my friend group,” James said.
Before becoming a hit TV star, she never considered performing
Despite becoming such a success in the TV industry now, James didn’t spend her entire childhood yearning for the day she made it in Hollywood. In fact, she never considered it as a lucrative path to success in general.
“I never did stage plays, nothing performance-wise,” she continued on Conan O’Brien’s podcast. “Performing never crossed my mind.”
The idea came after moving to the Midwest from New York. While navigating motherhood, her ex-husband suggested it would be a talent worth exploring.
“I’d be running my mouth as I do, and he would say you’re hilarious,” she said. “He’s the first person I remember being like, ‘oh you should do something with that’… It never crossed my mind”
From there, she began her career in 2009 at an open mic in Illinois, where her open-mic style was just basic smack talking. By 2016, James’ work was recognized by Just for Laughs, and Brooklyn Magazine.
In 2017, she toured with comedy legend Chris Rock’s 2017 Total Blackout tour. Following that, the actress had several TV writing and acting credits on Netflix before landing her breakout role on ABC’s Abbott Elementary—where she commands the attention of 3.3 million viewers a week.
