Why wasn’t Rachel McAdams in the Mean Girls reunion?
Rachel McAdams and Walmart have not issued a statement or explanation as to why she isn’t included in the Black Friday commercials. When news broke out that the cast had reunited for a secret project in October 2023, Rachel McAdams was not seen on set.
After the ad came out, an insider told Page Six, “Rachel McAdams didn’t want to do it.” The source continued, “They were all offered it. But the three of them loved being together for their reunion. They had a great time talking about being moms, and it was definitely a loss not having Rachel there.”
Though she wasn’t seen in the ad, McAdams has been vocal about returning with her fellow Mean Girls cast and even making a cameo in the new Mean Girls movie based on the hit Broadway Musical. “I don’t see a way to shoehorn us in,” McAdams told Bustle in an interview about the movie musical hitting Paramount+, but she added, “If Tina can figure it out, I’m there, for sure.”
Previous reports from Page Six cited that the production company did not want to pay the girls for reunion. “Paramount Pictures doesn’t want to pay the girls what they are worth,” said a highly placed production source. “All four girls were willing to come back, but Paramount has not been respectful of what they are worth.”
As for passing the torch of Regina George to Renée Rapp, McAdams told Entertainment Tonight, “I don’t think she can do any wrong. She is amazing. She’s already got me beat with that voice, so I’m just excited to see her incarnation,” she told the outlet. “It’s such a great character. It’s so much fun to play, so I hope she has a great time with it. And I can’t wait to see it.”
The OG Mean Girls cast was overjoyed to reunite for the Walmart advertisements. New commercials will debut every Wednesday leading up to Black Friday. “It was so nice being back together after all these years. It was great catching up with everyone,” Lohan told People. While Chabert shared the same sentiment, “It was wonderful to spend the day with Amanda and Lindsay and it was so much fun getting to reminisce and be together again,” adds Chabert.
Daniel Franzese expressed excitement about the new commercials. “It was great working with old friends again for this new Walmart commercial. Being reunited around this campaign feels really special,” he said. “What better time to get together than right before the holidays. I know we are excited for everyone to see what we’ve all been up to. Walmart made it so special by allowing us to have fun together while getting to do a new project that spreads excitement. There’s something here for everyone (except for Gretchen Wieners).”
