Lisa Whelchel Stuns Fans In Rare Appearance On ‘Facts Of Life’ Special With Jennifer Aniston
The actress reunited with Mindy Cohn and Kim Fields as part of Jennifer Aniston’s ‘Live In Front of a Studio Audience’ special.
While it’s been over 30 years since the final episode of Facts of Life aired, Lisa Whelchel is still beloved by fans of the classic 80s sitcom. The actress appeared as part of the Live In Front of a Studio Audience special, which featured stars like Jennifer Aniston and Gabrielle Union recreating a classic episode of the sitcom, on Tuesday December 7. Fans who grew up with the sitcom were in awe of how Lisa looked the same as when she played Blair Warner on the sitcom all those years ago.
What an amazing performance from #theFactsOfLife cast tonight on #LiveInFrontOfAStudioAudience! ❤️ @jimmykimmel @MindyCohn @LisaWhelchel @KimVFields pic.twitter.com/ecnnFyDDPc
— ABC (@ABCNetwork) December 8, 2021
Lisa performed the show’s classic theme song at the top of the show, and she also appeared alongside her co-stars Kim Fields and Mindy Cohn for an interview with Jimmy Kimmel. When Jimmy asked what it was like for them to return to the show, Lisa said that waiting for her cue was the moment she was really struck. “For me, it was the walking through the door. It wasn’t even being on the set. It was a million times waiting backstage at the top of the stairs of the kitchen and walking in. That’s where it really hit me,” she said.
On Twitter, fans celebrated the surprise of seeing the 58-year-old actress and raved about how great she looks, as she hasn’t really done much acting since The Facts of Life ended in 1988. “If you grew up in the ‘80s, this will be insane to you. Lisa Whelchel from the “Facts of Life” looks the same as she did 40 years ago,” one fan tweeted with a video of her singing the theme. Another person suggested that she should’ve played Blair in the special. “Wow, @LisaWhelchel looks so amazing in the #factsoflife show, they should just let her play Blair again. Whatever she’s doing to stay young, it’s working,” they wrote.
Since The Facts of Life came to an end, Lisa acted in a few roles, but she said that she “left showbiz to be a stay-at-home wife and mother,” after her three children were born in the early 90s, according to her website’s bio. She’s also worked as a life coach and speaker, per her website. More recently, she was the host of the series Collector’s Call in 2020.