ABC’s most recent iteration of Live in Front of a Studio Audience debuted on Tuesday, bringing a wild new take on the iconic shows The Facts of Life and Diff’rent Strokes. The live event featured a number of A-list celebrities — and it looks like one of them has already taken the Internet by storm. The cast included WandaVision and Agatha: House of Harkness star Kathryn Hahn, who portrayed Jo (originally played by Nancy McKeon) across the special. Between Jo’s existing role as a fan-favorite of The Facts of Life — and Hahn’s status as a pop culture icon — her performance in the special quickly captured fans’ attention.
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The special also included Jennifer Aniston as Blair (originally played by Lisa Welchel), Gabrielle Union as Tootie (originally played by Kim Fields), Allison Tolman as Natalie (originally played by Mindy Cohn). The cast for Diff’rent Strokes includes John Lithgow playing Mr. Drummond, Kevin hart playing Arnold, Damon Wayans playing Willis, and Dowd playing Mrs. Garret (the character originated on Diff’rent Strokes before moving to The Facts of Life). The upcoming special is the third installment of Live in Front of a Studio Audience and will reunite executive producers Norman Lear, Jimmy Kimmel, Brent Miller, Kerry Washington, Will Ferrel, Justin Theroux, and Jim Burrows.
“I cannot imagine a better group than Jennifer Anniston, Allison Tolman, Gabrielle Union, Kathryn Hahn, and Ann Dowd, and I can’t wait to do their hair,” Kimmel said on his show late last month.
“Other than with my family, there’s no place I’d rather be in my 100th year than on a soundstage at Sony with these glorious actors reliving what our company had produced all those years ago and sharing it with the millions of viewers who could use a little laughter,” Norman Lear said in a statement when the special event was announced.
Here are just a few reactions to Kathryn Hahn’s take on The Facts of Life‘s Jo in Live in Front of a Studio Audience.
