Disney Announces First Female Genie for Aladdin in Historic Casting Move

Published Sep 9, 2026, 1:55 PM EDT Matthew Thomas is a celebrity entertainment and trending news journalist. Passionate about the media. He developed a love for storytelling that he loves to share with others through his writing. Matthew has been able to cover a variety of subjects he is very passionate about, including movies, TV shows, comics, and wrestling. Experience:Matthew brings more than a decade of experience writing about pop culture, movies, TV shows, wrestling, comic books, true crime, weather conditions, safety tips, taxes, wildlife, archaeology, music, and trending news. He is also an experienced interviewer with a strong track record of speaking with high-profile talent and subject-matter experts. He has conducted high-profile interviews with major actors, including Matt Damon, Matthew McConaughey, Jason Sudeikis, Jon Hamm, Alan Ritchson, Rob McElhenney, Danny Trejo, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Joshua Jackson, Damon Wayans, and John C. McGinley. He has also interviewed several prominent TV personalities, including Howie Mandel, Ted Lasso star Phil Dunster, Happy’s Place star Rex Linn, the cast of Stuart Saves the Universe, and acclaimed series creators Bill Lawrence and Chuck Lorre. As a versatile entertainment journalist, he has also interviewed notable musicians such as Travis Barker and Nick Jonas. Additionally, Matthew has interviewed reality show contestants from hit series like Survivor, Big Brother, and The Traitors. To round out his extensive portfolio, he has interviewed subject-matter experts on taxes, public safety, and winter weather conditions. Disney has just confirmed that a woman has been cast as the Genie from Aladdin for the first time ever. Since Disney's animated masterpiece Aladdin premiered in 1992, the Genie has been one of the company's most beloved characters. Robin Williams' voice performance has continued to be so iconic that audiences still care about what happened to the Genie. Because of how invested viewers are in the magical being from their childhood, the news that a female actor has been cast as the Genie for the first time is a big deal. Via Entertainment Weekly, Disney announced that Sherri Shepherd has been cast as the Genie for an upcoming run of the Broadway musical. After the news broke, she would be the first woman to take on the role, as that has never happened onscreen or in any of the 11 stage adaptations. Shepherd's run is set to begin in October. In a press release, the actor expressed how immensely excited she is to have landed the legendary role. Check out her comments below: "Joining Aladdin on Broadway is an absolute dream come true — and an incredible honor. The Genie is such an iconic character, and I’m beyond excited to bring my own energy, humor, heart, and a little bit of magic to this role. I’m ready to rub the lamp, unleash some magic, and have the time of my life on Broadway." Shepherd is best known for co-hosting The View for the Disney-owned network ABC from 2007 until 2014. While her talk show tenure is highly memorable, she has landed many acting roles throughout her career. Most memorably, she portrayed 30 Rock's Angie Jordan. She also appeared in several episodes of many other shows, including Less Than Perfect, Trial & Error, Man with a Plan, Kym, K.C. Undercover, and more. While it is very likely that the Genie will always be most closely associated with Williams' original version of the character, several other actors have taken over the role. Will Smith memorably brought the character to life in the 2019 live-action version of Aladdin that got good reviews. Additionally, in 2014, James Monroe Iglehart won a Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical thanks to his starring role in the Broadway staging. Smith could still return to the role if the reports about a potential live-action Aladdin sequel come to fruition. In the meantime, it will be fascinating to see how Broadway audiences will react to Shepherd's take on the character. Given that she has portrayed larger-than-life people in the past, including in her 30 Rock role, it is easy to see why she could have the potential to be great as the Genie. Additionally, her remarks about what she intends to bring to the part make it seem like she has a perfect understanding of what the role requires. Still, there is no denying that anyone who is cast as Aladdin's Genie has massive shoes to fill. TV Show(s) Disney's Aladdin Video Game(s) Disney's Aladdin, Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King First Film Aladdin First TV Show Disney's Aladdin Cast Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin, Jonathan Freeman, Frank Welker, Gilbert Gottfried, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Will Smith Created by Ron Clements, John Musker