Who Is The Coach In The Mean Girls Wal-Mart Commercial?

With Halloween already behind us, retail chains are setting their sights on one of the biggest sale days of the year, Black Friday. Walmart is one of the first big boxers to drop an ad celebrating the deals to come, with the retail giant reuniting members of the "Mean Girls" cast for the occasion. They include primary players Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried, and Lacey Chabert, with "Mean Girls" scene stealers Daniel Franzese and Rajiv Surendra turning up for cameos. While those faces will be familiar to fans, many will surely also recognize the woman standing in as the North Shore High coach, as she's played by none other than Missy Elliott.

Elliott is, of course, not an actor by trade, with the star instead making a name for herself on the hip-hop and R&B scenes of the 1990s and 2000s. After penning hits for Aaliyah and MC Lyte, Elliott charted a path to solo stardom, and with ear-wormy hits like "The Rain," "One Minute Man," and "Get Your Freak On," Elliott became one of the biggest hip-hop acts of the era.

She was not, however, a member of the original "Mean Girls" cast, which begs the question of how Elliott fits into the equation here. The answer is pretty simple in that Elliott's 2003 hit "Pass That Dutch" was featured prominently on the "Mean Girls" soundtrack. So even if Elliott wasn't in "Mean Girls," she still sort of was. And yes, that track can be heard backing the ad here too.

If you've yet to see the "Mean Girls" inspired Walmart ad, it essentially acts as a sequel to the 2004 film, with Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried, and Lacey Chabert reprising their iconic roles as adults while their daughters attend high school. The approach is as inspired as it is heartfelt, genuinely funny, and, as the comments section of its YouTube page reflect, fans of the original film think the ad is totally fetch, indeed.

That's apparent even from the first few entries into the comments section, with @minajli2228 declaring, "Seeing Gretchen as a mom is everything I needed," and @aleyahprice6982 chiming in to declare that every Walmart employee involved in the ad should get a promotion for making it happen. Elsewhere, @Waiting_For_You_Lia heaps praise on the ad for capturing the spirit of the original more than even the upcoming musical reboot, posting, "How come a 2 minute Walmart commercial managed to look more 'Mean Girls' than the upcoming musical version?"

Dozens of comments praise the Black Friday ad as a first rate nostalgia trip as well. There are, however, some that just can't deal with the glaring absence of Rachel McAdams and her queen bee mean girl Regina George. And most of those no doubt concur with @GabyNS's post declaring, "We all agree that we need a sequel that includes Rachel too, right? something like 'mean moms.'" Even still, there are plenty willing to overlook McAdams' absence in lieu of Missy Elliott's appearance, with @LeaveAhNah commenting, "I can forget Regina not being there because Missy Elliot was." So if a "Mean Moms" sequel starring the original cast ever does happen, it's clear producers should block out a spot in the cast for Elliott.