Michelle Obama To Appear On Disney’s ‘Jessie’

By R. Thomas Umstead
published

First Lady Michelle Obama will guest star in a May 16 episode of Disney Channel’s hit series Jessie, the network said Monday.

The episode will focus on series star Jessie Prescott (Debbie Ryan) as she seeks to plan a birthday party for a child whose mother is a deployed member of the military. The episode is part of Disney's long legacy of support for the U.S. Armed Services and the White House's Joining Forces initiative.

A Public Service Announcement also featuring Mrs. Obama accompanies the episode. Disney added that Obama was a keynote speaker at Disney's Veterans Institute, an event which leveraged the success of Disney's Heroes Work Here commitment to hire veterans and encourage greater employment opportunities for military men and women transitioning into civilian life.

R. Thomas Umstead
R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.