Posted in: ABC, NBC, TV | Tagged: kim fields, Lisa Whelchel, Live in Front of a Studio Audience, mindy cohn, Nancy McKeon, The Facts of Life

The Facts of Life: Mindy Cohn on Unnamed Cast Member Killing Reboot

Mindy Cohn (Palm Royale) on why The Facts of Life reboot is dead, and reflects on the 2021's Live in Front of a Studio Audience special.

There's no shortage of demand for cast reunions, revivals, and reboots of classic beloved TV shows, but one you won't be seeing any time soon is The Facts of Life, according to Palm Royale star Mindy Cohn, who played Natalie Green on the NBC sitcom that ran from 1979-1988. While promoting the 11-time Emmy-nominated Apple TV+ series, Cohn appeared on SiriusXM's Jeff Lewis Live to discuss the stage recreation specials from the late Norman Lear and late-night host Jimmy Kimmel in ABC's Live in Front of a Studio Audience, which different actors would recreate episodes of favorite sitcoms. Paired with Diff'rent Strokes on the December 7th, 2021 finale, The Facts of Life episode featured was season three's "Kids Can Be Cruel."

Mindy Cohn on Why 'The Facts of Life' Reboot Is Dead

"They did one of 'Diff'rent Strokes' and 'Facts of Life,' and after that, Norman Lear, who is no longer with us, when he was still alive, he called all of us and said, 'I knew you guys were still popular, but holy hell. The response from the live.' And basically, there was this roundtable with Octavia Spencer, Amy Poehler, and Jennifer Aniston where they all said, 'Yeah, our parents grew up with 'All in the Family,' but we grew up with 'Facts of Life.' That's the Norman Lear sitcom that we love,'" Cohn recalled. "And I think Norman didn't really clock that. So when he did, he said, 'Are you guys interested?' And we had all never really talked about it, but we all started to consider it a little bit."

With the core cast, the late Charlotte Rae's role of Edna Garrett went to Ann Dowd, the Lisa Whelchel role of Blair Warner was Jennifer Aniston, the Kim Fields role of Tootie Ramsey was Gabrielle Union, playing Cohn's role was Allison Tolman, and playing Nancy McKeon's role of Jo Polniaczek was Kathyn Hahn. Rounding out the cast were Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Noah Lapook, and Jon Stewart. Whelchel (who performed the self-titled theme), Fields, and Cohn made cameos.

The Facts of Life was created by Dick Clair, Howard Leeds, and Jerry Mayer that focused on Rae's Mrs. Garrett, housemother at the Eastland School, as she teaches a group of teenage girls to solve problems and navigate life. Other notable past cast members include Mackenzie Astin, Cloris Leachman, Felice Schachter, Julie Piekarski, Julie Anne Haddock, George Clooney, Sherrié Austin, Molly Ringwald, Geri Jewell, Alex Rocco, and Pamela Adlon.

When Lewis asked about what happened following the special, "What happened was not cute," Cohn said. "There was drama," claiming one of her former castmates "went behind our backs" and tried to make a separate deal for a spinoff "just for herself. I'm just saying it was for a 40-year friendship and sisterhood; there was a tidal wave of emotion around it." The actress admitted tensions have cooled, but the damage was already done.

"A couple of people can't move past it, don't want to move past it. We are not as united. Let me put it that way," Cohn said. "We were united for 40 years over not talking about each other, not doing dirty, not, you know, all for one, one for all. And this kind of wrecked that, which is sad. Really sad." Rather than dragging it out any further, "I will not deny or confirm," Cohn concluded on the potential identity of the saboteur. "What it is is really sad. But what we were talking about before, you know, during coffee, is that some people are so desperate for either money or fame that it causes them to do things that to me, I guess, I'm still not that jaded. It shocks me. It always just kind of shocks me. You're gonna do that over money, or that over becoming famous? It always just kind of freaks me out that people will do that. Throw friendships, deep true friendships, under the bus for a dollar."

Fields, McKeon, and Whelchel haven't responded to the inquiry from  The Hollywood Reporter. For more, you can check out the video.

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