We Are Family viewers showed concern when the game show’s usual host was missing from the finale, as he was in the emergency room a month ago.
Actor and comedian Anthony Anderson has hosted the game show since its Fox debut.
The multi-time Primetime Emmy nominee typically appears along with his mother, Doris Anderson, and they’ve been well-received as a duo.
Doris was there, but her son was noticeably absent from the big episode on Wednesday evening, as fellow actor, comedian, and host Joel McHale filled in.
The game show’s season finale was “Joel Control” ahead of the Season 2 premiere of his new comedy series, Animal Control, which arrives on Fox on March 6.
It was also another hosting gig for Joel, who previously filled in for Ken Jeong on Fox’s I Can See Your Voice.
McHale filled in as Anderson misses We Are Family
Joel McHale appeared earlier in the We Are Family season as the second celebrity guest. He returned to host the show’s two-hour finale, which included a contestant believing the show’s regular host was in the building.
During one part of the show, Joel asked for contestants’ guesses of who was in the Super Sphere. A contestant named Kamaka said “Anthony Anderson” was the mystery celebrity.
The guess had Anderson’s mother laughing out loud.
“I mean, it does explain where Anthony has been this whole time,” Joel said.
“That’s a good one,” Doris Anderson told Joel.
“Kamaka is calling it. He thinks it’s Anthony Anderson,” Joel said as Doris laughed some more.
However, Anderson didn’t become the celeb inside the Super Sphere. Throughout the two-hour finale, viewers saw a variety of celebrities participating in the game show.
Former UFC fighter Chuck Lidell, Sandra “Pepa” Denton, Melissa Joan Hart, and James Van Der Beek were among them. However, the mysterious celeb who stumped people the most was actor Dermot Mulrooney.
Fans showed concern over Anderson’s absence
Anderson’s absence had more than a few viewers worried as they expressed disappointment and concern over not seeing him as the We Are Family host.
“I’m a little late…where is @anthonyanderson,” a concerned viewer wrote on Twitter with the hashtag “#wearefamily.”
“What happened to Anthony Anderson? I see mama Doris is still there,” another commenter wrote.
Another concerned viewer asked why the regular host was missing and said, “this dude not bringing the energy,” which seemed to criticize Joel as host.
Where was Anthony Anderson, and is We Are Family done?
Anderson appeared as host last week, but it was reported by The U.S. Sun ahead of that appearance that he’d miss the Wednesday, February 28 episode. However, there wasn’t a reason given for his absence.
Anderson also shared an Instagram post mentioning he would miss the finale and that Joel would fill in for him, but didn’t mention the reason for his absence.
Earlier this month, Anderson posted on his Instagram that he’d spent a night in the emergency room after a “movie set fight gone wrong” while filming for an undisclosed movie.
The actor and comedian didn’t sustain any major injuries but indicated he had a deep contusion in his back. He geotagged the IG post with Cape Town, Western Cape.
Meanwhile, a Twitter user shared a photo from last night’s Los Angeles Lakers versus Los Angeles Clippers basketball game and spotted a familiar face behind the Lakers’ bench.
“Is that @anthonyanderson?” they asked with their tweet.
It definitely had a strong resemblance to the actor and comedian, who appeared to be enjoying LeBron and company’s thrilling win against their Los Angeles rivals.
Anderson took over as host of We Are Family for his friend and colleague Jamie Foxx due to Foxx’s ongoing recovery from last year’s health scare. The first season ended with Wednesday night’s two-hour finale.
There has not been any report that the game show will be canceled or renewed for a second season. However, TV Series Finale speculated that Fox will likely announce a second season.
Many viewers hope to see We Are Family return for another season and more of the entertaining team of Anderson and Mama Doris.
We Are Family episodes are available to watch live on Hulu.
Maybe your 2 dinettes gotta a little to real for him.