'Facts of Life' Live: Why Nancy McKeon Didn't Return for ABC Reunion Special

The Live in Front of a Studio Audience reenactment of '80s sitcoms Facts of Life and Diff'rent Strokes this week still has viewers talking. There were many special surprises, including fans being treated to appearances from original Facts of Life cast members Lisa Whelchel, Mindy Cohn, and Kim Fields. Whelchel even performed the show's classic theme song at the beginning of the episode and sounded great. But one person who was noticeably absent was Nancy McKeon, who played Jo Polniaczek on the series. In an interview with Extra's Billy Bush, Whelchel reflected on reuniting with her TV family and explained why McKeon couldn't make the reunion.

"Oh, always so good," Whelchel told Bush about getting back together with the crew. "We missed Nancy McKeon...it was sad not to have the four of us together, but it's always fun."

Whelchel said that it wasn't that McKeon didn't want to participate, it's simply that she couldn't due to her recent life circumstances. "Nancy was home and they just recently moved and her kids just got into school, so it was difficult for her to make the trip out," Whelchel said of McKeon's absence.

Luckily, she keeps in touch with her former co-stars. "We have a little group thread we call the 'sisters thread,'" she said. She even joked with Bush when he asked how much each star relates to their characters. Bush asked: "How much is Nancy like Jo?" Whelchel dished, "She is as much like Jo as I am like Blair, which is very little!"

Facts of Life is a spin-off of Diff'rent Strokes. The show originally aired on NBC from 1979 to 1988. It's one of the longest-running sitcoms of the 1980s. The show continues to run in syndication and is also available for streaming on Pluto TV. 

Since the show, McKeon has starred in several television films, many of which aired on Lifetime and Hallmark. She also portrayed Inspector Jinny Exstead on the Lifetime police drama The Division, as well as having a recurring role on Disney's Sonny with a Chance as the mother of Demi Lovato's title character. She reunited with her Facts of Life co-star Kim Fields in the 2019 television film You Light Up My Christmas.