Cat's out of the bag—Tessa Thompson is playing Eartha Kitt on tonight's Drunk History

Though it’ll be a while before we can get our paws on a feature-length Eartha Kitt biopic, Drunk History is bringing the inimitable multi-hyphenate to the small screen tonight. The season-six episode, “Fame,” will center on a specific moment in Kitt’s lifelong activism—the time the erstwhile Catwoman
was invited to the White House to bandy about ideas for helping underprivileged youth. Kitt, ever the straight shooter, ended up shaking First Lady Lady Bird Johnson to her core with her commitment to the truth about the rising anti-Vietnam War sentiment in the country. Shockingly (not really), Kitt was not thanked for her honesty. Instead, she was smeared in the press, lost jobs, and was blacklisted by President Lyndon B. Johnson, a totally commensurate response to some meaningful criticism that was only offered upon invitation.

This is the moment that Derek Waters will explore with some help from Tessa Thompson, who’s been cast as Kitt. The Drunk History creator shared the news earlier today on Twitter, along with a photo Thompson dressed as Kitt in her Batman days.

This is purrfect casting, as far as we’re concerned. We’ll find out more when Drunk History airs tonight at 10 p.m. ET.