Surprising Stories from the Set of The Facts of Life

Mindy Cohn later revealed in a Huffington Post article that being on The Facts of Life cost her a major film opportunity. In 1985, she wanted to audition for St. Elmo’s Fire, but NBC refused to release her from her contract.

At the time, network contracts were extremely restrictive, especially for television actors. Cohn had no choice but to pass. The experience highlighted how limiting sitcom success could be, even for popular cast members, and how tightly networks controlled actors’ careers during that era.