The Facts of Life's Nancy McKeon Says the Show’s Young Stars All Faced Scrutiny About Their Weight

Mar. 15, 2025

Nancy McKeon, Kim Fields, Charlotte Rae, Mindy Cohn and Lisa Whelchel in ‘The Facts of Life’ in the 1980s.Photo:Frank Carroll/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Frank Carroll/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Nancy McKeonis opening up about the attention paid toThe Facts of Life’s cast’s weight during the beloved sitcom’s nine-season run.

According toPage Six, McKeon, 58, says she and her costars were subjected to behind-the-scenes discussions about their weight and diet.

“Each one of us had to deal with things in our own way, and things that were brought to us,” she told the outlet.

The cast of ‘The Facts of Life’ in the 1980s.Frank Carroll/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

The Facts of Life, which aired on NBC from 1979 to 1988, centered on the misadventures of a group of students at a fictional all-girls boarding school.McKeon joined the cast of the series, which already includedCharlotte Rae,Lisa Whelchel,Mindy CohnandKim Fields, as tomboy Jo Polniaczek for its second season in 1980. McKeon, Whelchel, Cohn and Fields were all in their early teens during the show’s first few seasons, a fact that McKeon noted in her interview withPage Six.

“When you think about the fact that you are recording somebody’s puberty, I mean from 14 to, you know, early 20s, that period, there’s so much development, there’s so many things that you’re going through,” she said. “I mean it’s quite curious looking back. How would you not go through all the changes that everybody in life has gone through.”

McKeon said she understood why the young cast’s weight was “made a thing.”

Nancy McKeon in ‘The Facts of Life’ in 1980 and in 2014.Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic

Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic

“It’s called showbusiness. It’s a business, and they wanted what they wanted,” she said. “But we’re also human beings, and the fact is, you know, everybody comes in all shapes and sizes and everybody needs to be represented. There is no one ideal, I don’t think.”

She added that she and her costars “had to navigate” those invasive discussions in the ’80s, but have since moved on.

“Hopefully that’s not going to be so much the focus for young actors to come,” she said.

Lisa Whelchel in 1979 and in 2022.NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty

NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty; Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty

“Certainly as a teenager [that] was a lot,” Whelchel admitted. “Though even back then I understood it’s a business. They hired me to play a certain character that looked a certain way. And it was also really, really hard because I was going through puberty and my parents were going through a divorce and I was living in California and they were in Texas, so there was emotional eating involved. All the things that are not atypical of teenage girls.”

Mindy Cohn in 1980 and in 2024.Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty;  Steven Simione/FilmMagic

Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty;  Steven Simione/FilmMagic

More recently,Cohn, 58, has also spokenabout how her body image has changed in recent years.

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“I wasn’t one of those girls that peaked in high school,” Cohn, whoseFacts of Lifecharacter Natalie Green was always proud of her fuller figure, toldVanity Fairlast year. “To be quite frank with you, I think I’m peaking now. I think I’m going to look the most adorable in my 60s. And I think girls like me, who have that life where you really aren’t your most attractive in your 20s and 30s [and] actually start to really kind of look good in your 50s and 60s, have it so much easier. I didn’t necessarily feel [as] protective over my physical self as people who are told they’re attractive.”

source: people.com