EXCLUSIVE: Tony and Emmy winner Kristin Chenoweth has joined the cast of Stumble, Jeff Astrof and Liz Astrof’s single-camera cheerleading comedy pilot for NBC. Set to recur should the pilot go to series, she joins series regulars Jenn Lyon, Taran Killam, Jarrett Austin Brown and Georgie Murphy, Ryan Pinkston, Anissa Borrego, Arianna Davis and Taylor Dunbar.
Written by the Astrof siblings, Stumble is a mockumentary about the ridiculously high stakes competitive world of junior college cheer. It centers on Courteney Potter (Jenn Lyon), a top junior college cheer coach who is pushed out over a controversial video and forced to take a job at a little know school.
Chenoweth will play Tammy Istiny. Her last name is pronounced “Isstinny,” but everyone thinks it’s “Is Tiny” (which does not sound farfetched given Chenoweth’s 4’11” frame.) Courteney’s longtime assistant coach, once a star flyer herself, Tammy lives and dresses in her heyday, circa 1989, still sporting a high pony, cheer makeup and a Cherry Coke slushie. When Courteney is fired, Tammy “reluctantly” takes over as head coach.
Liz Astrof and Jeff Astrof executive produce alongside cheerleading coach Monica Aldama, known for her appearance on the Netflix docuseries Cheer, and producer Dana Honor through her Defining Eve Productions. Jeff Blitz directs and executive produces the pilot only. Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, is the studio.
Chenoweth is a five-time Emmy nominee, winning for ABC’s Pushing Daisies, and a three-time Tony nominee, winning for You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. (One of the Tony noms was for Wicked.)
She has in the works a musical based on the 2012 documentary The Queen of Versailles and the life of beauty queen, socialite, and TV personality Jacqueline “Jackie” Siegel. Chenoweth is starring in and producing the show through her production banner, Diva Worldwide Entertainment. The musical, which has reunited her with Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz, made its world premiere at Boston’s Emerson Colonial Theatre last year and will make its Broadway debut in the 2025-26 season.
Chenoweth was recently seen in the Netflix holiday movie Our Little Secret and sang the closing credit song “Live Like That” in the animated theatrical feature The King of Kings. She is repped by UTA, JTMC Entertainment and Schreck Rose Dapello Adams.
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