A star-studded cast — including Jennifer Hudson,Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx — captivated viewers last week by remaking Norman Lear’s iconic sitcoms The Jeffersons and All in the Family for a live special on ABC.
Foxx reflected on the unique production with a number of tributes he penned on Instagram, but none of them hit quite like the nod he gave to legendary actress Marla Gibbs, who famously played outspoken maid Florence Johnston in The Jeffersons.
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s All in the Family and The Jeffersons aired last Wednesday (May 22) on ABC and featured Gibbs reprising her role as Johnston. Foxx, who played George Jefferson in the remake, spoke extremely highly of Gibbs.
“As I write this caption, tears are welling up in my eyes…thinking about when she walked into that apartment and delivered those iconic lines, it was reminiscent of how she walked into all of our lives over 40 years ago and changed us forever,” he wrote on Instagram. “With her quick wit and sharp tongue, she challenged George and us as a society every day.”
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He continued, “She took a character of service and turned it into a character of strength and honor…she made us laugh…she made us cry… with confidence and ease… and she made us rush to that TV with the knobs on it and tune into her soul. And now to be in her presence, I am humbled… don’t know how GOD blessed me so much, but I’ll take it… @marlagibbs4real at 88 years young you still take our breath away.”
Gibbs returned the kind words of the Oscar Award-winning actor in her own post.
“Jamie you are so sweet and talented and I am truly moved by your kind words! I love you, my family loves you…and the world Loves you!! I’m a fan of yours too and I too appreciate your contribution as an extraordinary artist and human being. Keep it up honey and let’s work together again soon,” she wrote.
Foxx summed up his experience working on the Norman Lear special with a video of the cast singing the iconic Jeffersons’ theme song and a lengthy caption.
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“The way you feel after an EPIC night with ICONIC people!!” he wrote. “It was transcendent to step on to the original legendary set of ‘All in the Family’ and the ‘The Jeffersons’… it’s nothing short of a miracle wrapped in a blessing.”
Stream the Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s All in the Family and The Jeffersons special on ABC or Hulu.
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