Take the good, the great, and the A-list, and you've got yourself... the live cast of Facts of Life! Jimmy Kimmel and famed sitcom creator Norman Lear are bringing back their live re-creations of classic TV episodes on Tuesday, Dec. 7 on ABC, featuring episodes of the oh-so-'80s comedies Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life.
#LiveInFrontOfAStudioAudience returns tonight with this unbelievable cast (and some surprises too) LIVE at 8pm on ABC! #TheFactsOfLife #DiffrentStrokes#JenniferAniston #AnnDowd #KathrynHahn @KevinHart4real @JohnLithgow @JonStewart @Allison_Tolman @ItsGabrielleU #DamonWayans pic.twitter.com/wuj1uG6v3U
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) December 7, 2021
For those who don't know or remember, here's a fun fact: The Facts of Life was a spinoff of Diff'rent Strokes, the legendary comedy about two Black brothers from Harlem (originally played by Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges) raised by Mr. Drummond (Conrad Bain), an affluent, white Upper East Side widower, over the course of nine seasons. The character of Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae), who worked as the Drummonds' maid before moving on to a new position as a house mother at the fictitious Eastland School for Girls, where The Facts of Life was initially based, was the connecting thread between the two series.
The Facts of Life, on the other hand, outlasted its predecessor Diff'rent Strokes by one season while turning its lead actresses into teen icons: Lisa Whelchel, who played spoiled snob Blair Warner; Nancy McKeon, who played tomboy Jo; Mindy Cohn, who played Natalie; and Kim Fields, who played the beloved and adorable "Tootie" on the show.
So, who's playing the characters from The Facts of Life this time, and what do they think of their one-night-only roles? For tonight's live special, Kimmel and Lear have assembled an A-list ensemble, so keep reading to find out who's in the cast of The Facts of Life: Live in Front of a Studio Audience.
In The Facts of Life Live, who plays Blair?
Hold on to your hats, because it's none other than Jennifer Aniston, the Hollywood megastar! This is ironic, given that Aniston rose to fame as Rachel Green, another spoiled princess, on the show Friends.
Aniston confessed to Jimmy Kimmel on Dec. 6 that she went to witness a Facts of Life filming in L.A. when she was a youngster, and that it was one of the episodes featuring a recurrent character, gorgeous handyman George Burnett, portrayed by the still-hunky George Clooney.
"The reason I wanted to be a part of this was that, yeah, just two words: Norman Lear," Aniston said in a separate interview. Everything dad did influence me as a child." She also confessed that the prospect of going back to her comedy roots—this time with her performance being aired live across the country—"makes me uncomfortable, and I want to feel nervous."
In The Facts of Life Live, who plays Mrs. Garrett?
Ann Dowd, who earned an Emmy for portraying the evil Aunt Lydia in Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, will play Mrs. G, who is notorious for being everything but maternal. Dowd is really participating in both live re-creations of the character Mrs. Garrett, who appeared on both Facts of Life and Diff'rent Strokes. Fans will be astounded to see how much Dowd resembles Rae from back in the day (complete with bouffant red hair! ), according to Kimmel.
In The Facts of Life Live, who plays Jo?
Why not here, too? Kathryn Hahn has been everywhere lately—winning an Emmy for WandaVision, starring with Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell in Apple TV's The Shrink Next Door, and joining the cast of the upcoming Knives Out 2—so why not here? In fact, Aniston told Kimmel that the only issue with Hahn's casting is that she can't stop giggling in rehearsals whenever she and Hahn make eye contact.
In The Facts of Life Live, who plays Tootie?
Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey will be played by Gabrielle Union, who will be rocking the character's signature bowl-cut 'do for her performance.
In The Facts of Life Live, who plays Natalie?
Allison Tolman may be the least well-known member of the live cast of Facts of Life, but you're probably familiar with her from the first season of Fargo when she played Molly and was nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe.
In The Facts of Life Live, who does Jon Stewart play?
Kimmel and his colleagues have hinted at a number of surprise guests who would emerge throughout the special; Aniston has said that "three unexpected visitors" will come during the Facts of Life episode alone.
We also know that former Daily Show host Stewart will appear on the Facts of Life—in fact, he did so during the cast's group appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on December 6—but the identity of his character has remained a mystery, despite Stewart's joking that his part is "old Jew masquerading as young Jew."
In fact, it was stated in the opening titles of the show that Stewart would be portraying "Carl." According to a fast internet search, "Carl" appears in The Facts of Life episode "Kids Can Be Cruel." Here's what the 1982 episode was about, according to IMDb:
"The girls are looking through an Eastland/Bates 'Slam Book,' in which individuals penning the remarks are identifiable by numbers rather than names, as they prepare for a box lunch charity auction." Mrs. Garrett is appalled by the savage remarks contained therein. When Blair tells one of the Bates guys that Natalie is number ten, Natalie retaliates by informing a Bates kid named Carl Price, whom the other boys ridicule for his bad acne, which of the box lunches goes to Blair."
In The Facts of Life: Live in Front of a Studio Audience, who are the special surprise guests?
Will Arnett and his former Arrested Development co-star Jason Bateman also made an appearance as two bro-y jocks who assist the girls in getting ready for their charity auction and then bid on their supper boxes.
#LiveInFrontOfAStudioAudience Ann Dowd and Jennifer Anniston are making this so much fun and Will Arnett is among the unannounced early guest stars (with Jason Bateman) pic.twitter.com/9Dzp0eL3gm
— erik walker (@erikmwalker) December 8, 2021