Patti LaBelle will guest star in ABC’s The Wonder Years as Bill Williams’ (Dulé Hill) mother, Shirley Williams, in a two-episode arc in the upcoming second season, which will premiere midseason and has yet to announce a release date.
Shirley is also the church choir director. Known affectionately as “Mother Williams,” she is “as sweet as she can be but has another side to her when choir members don’t quite hit the right notes,” per her character description.
A reimagined version of the ’80s Emmy-winning original series of the same name, The Wonder Years is a coming-of-age comedy that tells the story of the Black middle-class Williams family during the late 1960s in Montgomery, Alabama — all through the point of view of creative 12-year-old Dean. The Peabody Award-winning show stars Don Cheadle, narrating the series as adult Dean Williams, Elisha “EJ” Williams as Dean Williams, Saycon Sengbloh as Lillian Williams, Laura Kariuki as Kim Williams, Julian Lerner as Brad Hitman, Amari O’Neil as Cory Long and Milan Ray as Keisa Clemmons.
Referred to as the Godmother of Soul, LaBelle is a multi-Grammy nominated and winning artists known for hit songs like “On My Own” and “Lady Marmalade,” the latter of which she released as the frontwoman of the vocal group Labelle (also known as Patti LaBelle and The Bluebelles). Outside of recording and touring, LaBelle is also the author of six books, which include a memoir and recipe collections.
She is also twice Emmy nominated and has guest-starred in shows like “The Nanny,” “Empire” and “The Kominsky Method” as herself. She has also appeared in “American Horror Story” and “A Different World.” In 1992, she also led the NBC sitcom “Out All Night,” about a singer that owns an L.A. nightclub and that was set in the same universe as “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” LaBelle has also been on “Dancing with the Stars” and “The Masked Singer,” as well as featured in Broadway productions like “After Midnight.” Outside of her professional career, she’s a noteworthy humanitarian and a spokesperson for the American Diabetes Association.
