A reboot of a beloved sitcom that starred two former “Dancing With the Stars” contestants is dead in the water—because someone allegedly got “greedy.”
In a July 2024 interview on “Jeff Lewis Live,” actress Mindy Cohn revealed that serious talks were underway for a reboot of the classic sitcom “The Facts of Life.” Cohn starred in the hit 1980s comedy alongside Lisa Whelchel, Kim Fields (DWTS season 22), and Nancy McKeon (DWTS 27).
“The Facts of Life” was about a group of four friends at a private all-girls school in Peekskill, New York. It aired for nine seasons, from 1979 to 1988, on NBC.
On Lewis’ podcast, Cohn, 58, said one of her co-stars—whom she long considered to be a “sister” to her—tried to backstab the rest of the group during negotiations for a revival a few years ago.
Mindy Cohn Said There Is No Chance For a ‘Facts of Life’ Reboot With the Original Cast
Getty(L-R front) Kim Fields, MacKenzie Astin, Cloris Leachman. (L-R rear) Lisa Welchel, Nancy McKeon and Mindy Cohn.
While speaking with Lewis, Cohn confirmed that fans will never get to see whatever happened to her character, Natalie Green, nearly 40 years after “The Facts of Life” ended its run.
Cohn said the idea for a revival was pitched by legendary TV producer Norman Lear a few years before his death in 2023. Lear’s idea was spawned from the positive reaction to ABC’s “Live in Front of a Studio Audience” special in 2021, when a classic episode of “The Facts of Life” was recreated by Jennifer Aniston, Gabrielle Union, and more.
“He said, ‘Are you guys interested [in a revival], and we had all never really talked about it,” Cohn told Lewis. “But we all started to consider it a little bit and we got into talks, and we hired a writer, and the four of us got together on Zooms–this was during Covid. And we had meetings with Norman.”
After Lewis asked what happened, Cohn paused for a long time. She then said, “What happened was not cute. There was drama from who one of [the actors]. One of the girls was difficult. [She] went behind our backs and tried to make a separate deal for a spin-off just for herself and devastated the rest of us.”
“It was a 40-year friendship and sisterhood. There was there was a tidal wave of emotion around it,” Cohn said, adding, “She was a greedy [expletive].”
Cohn added that there was a period of time when none of the other cast mates talked to the co-star who sabotaged the deal. “We didn’t for a while and now we do-ish,” she said. “But it was definitely an ouch. [There’s] no desire to ever work together [again]. A couple of people can’t move past it, don’t want to move past it.”
“It’s dead,” Cohn reiterated of the potential reboot project. “It’s very dead. We are not as united, let me put it that way. We were united for 40 years over not talking about each other, not doing dirty, we were all for one, one for all, and this kind of wrecked that which is sad.”
Cohn refused to confirm which castmate wrecked the deal but teased it would be easy to figure out based on her social media activity.
Fans Aren’t Sure Who the ‘Greedy’ ‘Facts of Life’ Star Is
ABC/GMAStars from “The Facts of Life” on “Good Morning America.”
Cohn’s co-stars were united when Kim Fields competed on DWTS with pro dancer Sasha Farber in season 22. When McKeon competed on DWTS with Val Chmerkovskiy in 2018, her three co-stars Facetimed “Good Morning America” to show support.
‘They’re amazing, they’re my sisters for a long, long time,” McKeon said at the time.
But in 2022, Whelchel was missing from a photo taken at Lear’s 100th birthday party. At the time, Cohn posted a photo after posing with just Fields and McKeon at the event.
“Celebrating @thenormanlear 100th birthday with these brilliant, gorgeous women whom i proudly call my family. #iloveus,” Cohn captioned the photo taken two years after the reboot drama.
YouTube/Drew Barrymore ShowLisa Whelchel, Nancy McKeon and Mindy Cohn in 2024.
But in 2024, Fields was missing when the other three stars made a cameo on “The Drew Barrymore Show.”
Cohn, Whelchel, and McKeon all seemed friendly during the surprise guest spot for the TV host’s birthday.
Lisa Whelchel & Kim Fields Talked About a ‘Facts of Life Reboot’ In the Past
GettyPhoto of Facts of Life Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Fields, who played Tootie Ramsey on “The Facts of Life,” addressed the idea of a reboot in multiple interviews. In 2021, she told Entertainment Tonight that “The Facts of Life” is “always at the forefront” of reboot talk. “But reboots, you’ve got to be careful,” she noted. “You can’t just throw everybody together and be like, ‘Well, where would they be now?’ and that sort of thing. Because these characters are so beloved. Their trajectory, their journeys are so loved. If you get it wrong, forget about it.”
She made a similar statement the following year. Speaking with TODAY, Fields said, ”There’s always talk about doing reboots. That’s just a very popular trend right now.”
“And while I respect it …I think you have to be really careful with reboots. Because if you don’t get it right, you are messing with people’s beloved characters,” she added.
In 2022, Whelchel, who played Blair Warner on “The Facts of Life,” told Daily Blast Live the cast was in “negotiations” for a revival. “We are in the middle of some negotiations and conversations right now so you know we’re keeping our fingers crossed. Nothing is a done deal until it’s done.”
She also spoke to Fox News Digital about the potential revival project. “We’ve been talking about a reimagining of ‘Facts of Life’ and bringing it back again,” she said in 2022. “Nothing is set yet, but it’s been really fun to talk about it. ”
“What I have brought to the table for those conversations is I would love to see a little bit more acceptance of what reality looks like for a midlife woman. …If we were to do a re-imagining of the show, I would really like my character to address the realities that we face when we get to a certain age.”
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