“Facts of Life” star Nancy McKeon is opening up about the scrutiny she and her castmates experienced over their weight.
McKeon told the New York Post in a recent interview “there was a lot” of talk about the weight of the cast, including Lisa Whelchel, Kim Fields and Mindy Cohn.
She didn’t specify what was said but told the outlet, “Each one of us had to deal with things in our own way.”
The 58-year-old added that it was strange for the cast’s weight to be “made a thing” because the show was famous for dealing with teen issues, including eating disorders.
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“When you think about the fact you’re recording somebody’s puberty from 14 to their early 20s, that period, there’s so much development, there’s so many things that you’re going through, it’s quite curious looking back, how would you not go through all the things that everybody in life has gone through?”
While she didn’t appreciate it, McKeon acknowledged it’s an unfortunate part of the entertainment industry.
“That’s why it’s called show business, it’s a business, and they wanted what they wanted. But we’re also human beings and the fact is everybody comes in all shapes and sizes and everybody needs to be represented.”
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She added, “There is no one ideal [body]. There should be an embrace of every body.”
McKeon’s co-star, Lisa Whelchel, also spoke about the pressures she faced playing the pretty, wealthy but a bit snobby Blair on the series.
In 2023, Whelchel told People Magazine she was sent to a “fat farm” during filming breaks after she gained weight.
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“Obviously, we’re in a different time,” she told the outlet. “We’ve learned a lot. We’re a lot more body positive right now, which I’m grateful for. I mean, it’s still an issue.”
“But certainly as a teenager, [that] was a lot,” she continued.
And like McKeon, she’s accepted it was a regrettable part of the line of work she chose.
“Though even back then, I understood it’s a business. They hired me to play a certain character that looked a certain way,” she said. “And it was also really, really hard because I was going through puberty and my parents were going through a divorce, and I was living in California and they were in Texas, so there was emotional eating involved. All the things that are not atypical of teenage girls.”
“But I think everybody was doing the best they could back then. And as Maya Angelou said: ‘When you know better, you do better,'” Whelchel told the outlet.
