Whatever Happened To The Facts Of Life Cast? Here's Where They Are Now

"The Facts of Life" was one of the most memorable sitcoms of the 1980s. A spinoff of the show "Different Strokes," "The Facts of Life" revolved around a group of girls from different walks of life and with vastly different personalities, all living together at a girl's boarding school. Former housekeeper turned matriarch Edna Garrett served as a mother figure and point of guidance for the young girls, often also serving as their employer while they worked to earn their room and board. The series tackled difficult issues like drug use, suicide, racial inequality, and underage drinking — so many common struggles that can happen with a group of teenagers coming of age. The show also introduced the world to superstars like George Clooney and Molly Ringwald.

Many changes were made between the show's first and second seasons. By season two, the number of girls under Mrs. Garrett's care was cut from seven to four. Along with Mrs. Garrett, the four girls would remain the show's focus for the remainder of its run. First was beautiful Blair, a rich socialite who was her own biggest fan. Next was Natalie, a smart and sometimes nerdy journalist in the making. Natalie's best friend was Tootie who gossiped nonstop and dreamed of being an actress. The second season of the show introduced Jo, a tough, no-nonsense greaser from Brooklyn who softens during her time at school. The show ended more than 30 years ago but still strikes a chord with audiences of all ages, and the show's main cast has continued to act in exciting roles since the series ended.

Actor Lisa Welchel shot to stardom during her time on "The Facts of Life." After the show ended in 1988, there was even an attempt to have Welchel's character at the helm of a spinoff series. Unfortunately, the spinoff was never picked up to series, and many have wondered in the years that followed — what happened to the actress who played Blair Warner? The truth is Welchel took a break from acting when "The Facts of Life" came to an end to focus on raising her family. "I left show business after I had three children within three years to be a stay-at-home wife and mother," Welchel wrote on her website. "I loved acting and I'm grateful for all the opportunities I had but nothing came close to the joy of being a mother." She even turned down the chance to play Rachel on "Friends."

In 2012, Welchel returned to the public eye by appearing as a contestant on "Survivor." While she did not win the competition, she did win $100,000 after being voted fan favorite of the season. Welchel revealed during an interview with "The Mungle Show" that her appearance on Survivor caught director-actor Tyler Perry's eye and led to her landing a role in "A Madea Christmas." She also reunited with her "The Facts of Life" co-star Kim Fields for the Hallmark movie "For Better or Worse." Since 2019, Welchel has been the host of "Collector's Call" on MeTV where she visits dedicated collectors of pop culture memorabilia to detail and appraise their collections with the possibility of trading a new item to add to their treasures.

Mindy Cohn was the only cast member of "The Facts of Life" who did not have experience as an actor before appearing on the show. In fact, Cohn was discovered by the show's star, Charlotte Rae, when the show was first in development. Producers visited the private school that Cohn was attending to get a realistic look at what life at school was like for young girls, and Rae was impressed with Cohn. "It seemed that Charlotte Rae had fallen madly in love with me, in part because I reminded her of her best childhood friend Natalie — and I was irrepressible, charming, and hilarious," Cohn remembered in a contribution to The Huffington Post. "So she asked the producers to create a part for me in the show."

After "The Facts of Life" came to an end, Cohn continued to work as an actor. She appeared in several movies and had guest spots on countless television shows including "The Middle" and "Palm Royale." In 2012, Cohn had a recurring role on "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" as Dylan's mom. She was a celebrity contestant on the ninth season of "Worst Cooks in America." Most notably, Cohn spent more than a decade as the voice of Velma in the Scooby-Doo franchise.

Kim Fields was the youngest actress to star in all nine seasons of "The Facts of Life." In fact, she has since spent most of her life on television. She continued to star in sitcoms after "The Facts of Life." From 1993 to 1998, Fields starred alongside Queen Latifah in "Living Single" before leaving the show in its final season. She then tried her hand at directing, and went on to direct more than 25 episodes of "Kenan and Kel." She later directed 60 episodes of "Meet the Browns" and more than 40 episodes of "House of Payne" and she still regularly finds time to direct. Fields has also made guest appearances on a number of shows including "The Comeback," "Living the Dream," and "Insecure."

In 2015, Fields joined the cast of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." She only remained on the show for one year. She competed on Season 22 of "Dancing with the Stars" in 2016 and her partner was Sasha Farber. Fields also stars in the Netflix series "The Upshaws" which began in 2021. She has been married to Christopher Morgan since 2007 and the couple share two sons together.

Nancy McKeon joined the cast of "The Facts of Life" during the show's second season premiere. Her character was a stark contrast to the rest of the cast and brought new life to the series with exciting character dynamics that would remain for the rest of the show's run. McKeon made her name on television and continued to appear on TV when "The Facts of Life" came to an end. She has done a large number of TV movies and has made regular appearances on various shows.

Some of her most notable roles following "The Facts of Life" include her starring role in the Lifetime series "The Division" which aired from 2001 to 2004. She later starred as mother to Demi Lovato's character on the Disney Channel series "Sonny with a Chance." McKeon competed on "Dancing with the Stars" during the show's 27th season where she was partnered with Val Chmerkovskiy. She also played a recurring character on the 2021 Amazon Prime series "Panic." In December 2024, McKeon made her off-Broadway debut in the play "Pen Pals." She has been married to Marc Andrus since 2003 and the couple have two daughters together.

Charlotte Rae played the main character Edna Garrett on "The Facts of Life" before leaving the series during its eighth season, but she continued to work regularly on screen and in the theater. She lent her voice to several animated projects and went on to guest star on hit shows like "ER" and even "Pretty Little Liars." Most notably, she starred alongside Meryl Streep in the 2015 film "Ricki and the Flash."

Rae published a memoir in 2015 that she co-wrote with her son, Larry Strauss, called "The Facts of My Life." She reprised her role of Mrs. Garrett for "The Facts of Life Reunion" film in 2001 (alongside Welchel, Cohn, and Fields). She also reunited with the cast at the 2011 "TV Land Awards" where "The Facts of Life" cast was honored with the Pop Culture Award. Unfortunately, Rae suffered from several health problems during the last decades of her life. She passed away in 2018 at 92 years old.