As if Oprah’s star power wasn’t enough, soul diva Patti LaBelle is now joining the cast of Greenleaf for its third season.
LaBelle will be playing a recurring role as Maxine Patterson, the owner of a self-help empire and a famous motivational Christian speaker, according to Deadline. She’s also goes back years with Lady Mae (Lynn Whitfield). As Mae looks to gather more power, she’ll look to her college homegirl for advice. The official Greenleaf Twitter account tweeted about the news, writing, “Calvary will never be the same.”
Welcome to the #GREENLEAF family, Ms. Patti LaBelle! In the upcoming Season 3 Patti will play the role of Maxine Patterson, long-time friend of Lady Mae. Calvary will never be the same. pic.twitter.com/mk0jDQclkG
— Greenleaf OWN (@GreenleafOWN) February 26, 2018
New Attitude Paying Off
Meanwhile LaBelle is showing no signs of slowing down. She’s in her second season of Patti LaBelle’s Place on The Cooking Channel, coming off the success of her Patti LaBelle Sweet Potato Pies and is also in the midst of taping another recurring role on FOX’s Star. She also released her first jazz album Bel Hommage last May.
No word on how LaBelle’s character will interact with the cast, but speculation could ride high among fans who have made the show a network hit and a Netflix binge watching favorite. As many as 1.4 million people tuned in to its season finale in September, according to TV Ratings Guide.
Greenleaf, which follows the story of a family and their Memphis megachurch, and stars a veteran Black ensemble including Whitfield, Keith David, Merle Dandridge, Desiree Ross and Lamman Rucker, was the No. 1 series premiere in the history of the OWN Network when it debuted in 2016. It was renewed for a third season last August.