"I feel like Mother Teresa," says the actress of the gratifying fan reaction to her principal, Ava Coleman, being fired on the ABC sitcom. "I love the people who didn't like me first season and now they're crying.

Janelle James became an instant fan-favorite when “Abbott Elementary” debuted in 2021. She was relatively new to the acting game when she joined the sitcom, having previously focused mainly on stand-up.

Note: This story contains spoilers from "Abbott Elementary" Season 4, Episode 19. Even though Ava's life got turned upside down after being fired as principal on "Abbott Elementary," the last thing you would find Ava (Janelle James) doing is wallowing.

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn't yet watched Abbott Elementary's latest episode on ABC or streaming with a Hulu subscription. Here, we thought the major character change in store for Season 4 would be Barbara announcing her retirement.