Is change in the air on Abbott Elementary? According to Sheryl Lee Ralph, something major is happening to her beloved character — and fans will want to pay attention.
The ABC sitcom is in the middle of airing season 4 episodes every Wednesday night, and folks have come to expect Sheryl's character Barbara Howard to be a voice or reason for the teachers working at Abbott Elementary. But that doesn't mean Barbara can't switch things up every once in a while ... right?
As Sheryl revealed when speaking to Entertainment Weekly and People on the red carpet of the 2025 SAG Awards, Barbara will change her usual modest aesthetic in the new episode airing tonight, Wednesday, February 26. What's more, she's warning folks how Barbara's upcoming look may come as quite a surprise to longtime viewers.
"The episode that is coming up next week, Barbara Howard gets a brand new look," she shared in a video posted on People's TikTok on February 23. "I cannot even tease it, because you will be shocked when you see it."
When folks learned that something big was in the works for Barbara, they immediately took to the comments with their guesses about what kind of transformation Sheryl meant.
"I hope she goes blonde or red 😂," one person wrote. "If she retires 😭 this season … I will riot 🤣 not yet! We’re not ready!" another declared. "I hope it's Ava who gives her a makeover," a different follower added, referencing Barbara's boss Principal Ava Coleman (Janelle James).
While we will need to catch the upcoming Abbott Elementary episode to see what Sheryl had in mind, she is crediting one special person for helping her curate Barbara's iconic look. Thanking show costume designer Hachy Mendez for her character's elegant and tasteful ensembles, Sheryl had to give Hachy her flowers where they are most definitely due.
"[Hachy]'s done such an incredible job of elevating the style of Barbara Howard," Sheryl added. "Just a bit, not too much, but just a bit."
Consider us totally intrigued!
As the entertainment and news associate editor for Good Housekeeping, Adrianna (she/her) writes about everything TV, movies, music and pop culture. She graduated from Yeshiva University with a B.A. in journalism and a minor in business management. She covers shows like The Rookie, 9-1-1 and Grey's Anatomy, though when she’s not watching the latest show on Netflix, she’s taking martial arts or drinking way too much coffee.
