10 Easter eggs and references you probably missed in Freakier Friday

Freakier Friday (2025) is a fantasy comedy film directed by Nisha Ganatra and produced by Jordan Weiss.

The movie is the 2003 Freaky Friday sequel and the seventh installment of the series. Julia Butters and Sophia Hammons make their film debuts, while Manny Jacinto joins Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan, and the rest of the original cast in the movie.

22 years since their own body-swap, Anna Coleman is a music producer living with her teenage daughter Harper and her mom Tess. When Anna becomes engaged to Eric, classmate of Lily, teenager Harper's father, tensions between the girls rise.

A trip to a fortune teller and an unexpected earthquake cause another body switch, and all four have to exchange lives as they try to find something in common before the wedding.

From returning props and cameos to playful callbacks and inside jokes, here are 10 Easter eggs and references viewers probably missed in Freakier Friday that reward fans with nostalgia and clever connections to the original movie.

Disclaimer: The following list is ranked in no particular order, and the opinions expressed belong solely to the author.

10 Easter eggs and references viewers probably missed in Freakier Friday

1) Britney Spears’ …Baby One More Time returns in Freakier Friday

…Baby One More Time returns in Freakier Friday (Image via YouTube/@Disney)

Freakier Friday revives a fan-favorite moment from the original when Britney Spears’ …Baby One More Time plays during a body-swap scheme to reunite Anna and Jake (Chad Michael Murray). The callback mirrors the first movie, where the song soundtracked Anna and Jake’s bond.

The sequel adds a comedic twist when Anna (in Harper’s body) visits Jake’s record shop, while Tess (in Lily’s body) hides behind vinyl covers, ending with a Britney record.

2) Elaine Hendrix brings The Parent Trap energy

Elaine Hendrix (Image via Instagram/@elaine4animals)

Freakier Friday delivers another nod to Lindsay Lohan’s movie history with a cameo from Elaine Hendrix, best known as the scheming Meredith Blake in The Parent Trap.

In the sequel, Hendrix appears as a photographer during a photo shoot for Ella, the pop star Anna manages, a subtle callback to her role as Lohan’s would-be stepmother.

Hendrix’s cameo, including her character name Blake, serves as a layered tribute that nods to Lohan’s earlier work.

3) October 3rd and a wake-up call

The movie Mean Girls, starring Lindsay Lohan (Image via Apple TV+)

Freakier Friday slips in a fun coincidence for Lindsay Lohan fans as Anna’s wedding date falls on October 3rd, a day famously recognized by movie lovers as “Mean Girls Day.”

The moment comes when Anna checks her phone’s calendar, showing the date alongside her wedding plans, adding a playful reference to another beloved Lohan movie. The movie also opens with a scene that revisits the original Freaky Friday.

In a morning montage, Anna tries to wake her daughter, Harper (Julia Butters), for school. Unlike Tess’s ankle-grabbing tactic from the first movie, Anna takes a gentler approach, knocking on the door repeatedly. Harper’s door, decorated with posters, carries the same teenage vibe as Anna’s own room years earlier.

4) MUNA rocks out in Freakier Friday

In a full-circle moment, indie pop band MUNA appears in Freakier Friday as the backing band for pop star Ella, played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan.

The group had previously dressed as members of the fictional band Pink Slip during a Halloween show, even covering their hit Take Me Away at The Wiltern, the same venue where they perform in the movie. Their inclusion adds to the sequel’s lineup of memorable cameos.

Like the original Freaky Friday, the sequel features a pivotal concert scene where Take Me Away takes center stage. In both films, the song is performed by Pink Slip, the band Anna once fronted.

Though no longer a member in the 2025 movie, Anna reunites with the group to perform the iconic track, recreating the vibrant finale that made the first movie unforgettable.

5) Jake’s look-alike date in Freakier Friday

Chad Michael Murray as Jake (Image via Getty)

In the final wedding scene of Freakier Friday, Jake (Chad Michael Murray) shows up as a guest with a plus-one who looks strikingly like Tess from the original movie, right down to the printed dress and short pixie cut.

The visual callback instantly stands out to fans familiar with Jamie Lee Curtis’s look in the 2003 classic. Jake even remarks that there is just “something about her,” though he can’t quite explain it, adding a playful wink to his history with Tess.

It is a lighthearted moment that rewards fans and nods to Jake and Tess’s chemistry in the first movie.

6) Anna’s red guitar returns in Freakier Friday

The iconic red electric guitar returns in the 2025 movie (Image via YouTube/@Disney)

The iconic red electric guitar from the original movie makes a nostalgic return in Freakier Friday, appearing in the dreamlike opening sequence as Anna channels her musical roots and rebellious spirit.

The red guitar links the sequel to the original, serving as a visual reminder of Anna’s passion and growth, while its role in the climactic performance brings her journey full circle and cements it as a lasting symbol of creativity in the franchise.

7) The wedding time bomb

A still from the movie (Image via YouTube/@Disney)

One of the biggest callbacks in Freakier Friday recreates the central conflict of the original. This time, Anna, Tess, Harper, and Lily must race to switch back into their rightful bodies before Anna’s wedding to Eric.

It is a direct repeat of Freaky Friday, where Anna and Tess were desperate to undo their swap before Tess’s wedding to Ryan.

8) Jake’s crush on Tess

A still from the 2025 movie (Image via YouTube/@Disney)

Freaky Friday's body-swapping mayhem leads Jake to think he is in love with Tess, as the real Anna in the guise of her mother holds onto him.

Freakier Friday pokes fun at this in several scenes, from Jake asking Tess (all dressed up as Lily) if Ryan's alive, to him appearing at Anna's rehearsal dinner solely because Tess asked him to.

9) Harry’s atomic wedgie

Anna's younger brother Harry also reappears in a cameo role in the sequel, showing up at the rehearsal dinner to toast his sister.

He downplays this by commenting that he still loves her in spite of the numerous atomic wedgies over the years, a reference to the running joke from the original film where one such wedgie glued his boxers to his head.

10) Detention and Mr. Bates

The sequel reintroduces Anna's nemesis, Mr. Elton Bates (Image via Getty)

The sequel also reintroduces Anna's arch-nemesis, Mr. Elton Bates, the instructor who had sentenced her to detention for rejecting him as a prom date.

In Freakier Friday, Anna and Tess, now in Harper's and Lily's bodies, are once more in detention, this time on the orders of none other than Bates.

Disney’s Freakier Friday debuted in theaters on Friday, August 8.

About the author

With a background in Political Science, which may seem unconventional for an entertainment writer, Moakala T Aier’s academic journey was marked by extensive involvement in editorial roles. Beginning as a member of the campus editorial team and later as the editor for the student union led her to pursue a career as a Digital Content Creator.

Currently working as a Listicle writer at Sportskeeda, Moakala has previously contributed to various publications like The Shillong Times and Eastern Mirror, where she covered a diverse range of topics from education and human interest stories to lifestyle pieces, event coverage, and book reviews. With a portfolio that includes interviews with various personalities such as MMA fighters, local musicians, and activists, Moakala’s approach to journalism is rooted in accuracy and reliability. She employs meticulous research and cross-referencing to ensure error-free content.

Beyond writing, Moakala enjoys listening to podcasts every morning, watching indie films, cooking new dishes, taking daily photo dumps, reading books, and journaling her thoughts. While she admires Emma Chamberlain, Sophia Chang, Michelle Choi, and others for their creative attention to detail, Moakala would love to be a part of the classic 1998 film The Parent Trap, longing to live in the same fictional world that feels uncomplicated and meaningful.

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Edited by Moakala T Aier