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Jhené Aiko & Meghan Trainor Join ‘Hey A.J.!,' New Disney Jr. Animated Series Inspired by a Super Bowl Champ
Jhené Aiko has joined the cast of Hey A.J.!, the upcoming Disney Jr. animated show based on a children's books series written by retired NFL star Martellus Bennett, while Meghan Trainor will have a recurring role.
The music-filled family comedy series will follow a young girl named A.J., voiced by Amari McCoy (Marvel's Spidey and His Amazing Friends), who 'along with her stuffed bunny sidekick, uses her big imagination to make ordinary life moments extraordinary,' according to the Disney Jr. announcement.
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Grammy-nominated artist Aiko will voice A.J.'s mom Siggi, while Super Bowl champion-turned-children's author Bennett will voice A.J.'s dad Marty. Also joining the cast: Juliet Donenfeld (Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures) as A.J.'s best friend Jessie, Innocent Ekakitie (Bunk'd) as Jazz, and David Mitchell (Phineas and Ferb) as A.J.'s bunny sidekick Theo. Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Trainor will have a recurring role playing Jessie's mom.
The casting news was announced Friday morning (Aug. 8) at the 'Disney Jr. Let's Play!' fan celebration, taking place throughout the weekend at Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim, California.
Other Disney Jr. news coming out of Friday's fan event: The new series Cars: Lightning Racers, inspired by the Disney and Pixar Cars film series, will see Owen Wilson and Larry the Cable Guy reprising their roles as Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater, respectively; Marvel's Avengers: Mightiest Friends will debt as the first preschool Avengers series, following Spidey and Iron Man-specific shows; and two new Mickey & Minnie's Holiday Songs musical specials will arrive this year timed to Halloween and Christmas.
'Our shows are often a child's very first connection to the world of Disney, sparking the songs they sing, the characters they adore, and the adventures they want to live again and again,' Ayo Davis, president of Disney Branded Television, said at Friday's event. 'Today's announcements build on that leadership, expanding the worlds kids already love and introducing new multiplatform stories that will capture the hearts of the next generation.'
As fellow moms of two, Aiko and Trainor are surely no strangers to children's television. Aiko is mom to 16-year-old Namiko (whom she shares with her R&B singer ex O'Ryan) and 2-year-old son Noah (with her rapper boyfriend Big Sean), while Trainor has 4-year-old son Riley and 2-year-old son Barry with actor husband Daryl Sabara.
Hey A.J. — produced by Surfing Giant Studios, with Bennett, Jeff 'Swampy' Marsh and Michael Hodges serving as executive producers — will debut in 2026 on Disney Jr., followed by a Disney+ release.
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