Joanna ‘Jo’ Polinaczek was played by actress Nancy McKeon from season 2 onwards on The Facts of Life. Nancy McKeon was able to win hearts in a quick succession of time, thanks to her wonderful acting. Jo was introduced into the show as a motorcycle riding student at the Eastland Academy.
Jo was introduced as a 15 year old girl and when her story in the season ended, she was 23. In the last and final season of Facts of Life, Jo married Rick Bonner, a musician, and asked Blair Warner to be her maid of honour. For the record, Blair and Jo had a cutthroat rivalry throughout the season. But at last, both ended things on a good note.
In the spinoff/follow up movie, Jo was shown as a police officer. She also had a daughter with Rick Bonner.
ABC recently conducted Live in front of a Studio Audience as a new segment. The new paradigm featured reenactments from shows such as The Facts of Life and Diff’rent Strokes. Jennifer Aniston, Kathryn Hahn, Kevin Hart and Jason Bateman were some of the cast members introduced this time around. Reunions also took place. Such as Mindy Cohn, Kim Fields, and Lisa Whelchel were reunited once again.
Hence, the fans suddenly felt the absence of Nancy McKeon, who played Jo on The Facts of Life. She was the missing piece of the puzzle during the reunion and the fans are curious to know where the actor is now.
What Happened To Jo From The Facts Of Life?
Fortunately, McKeon is still living the dream of acting and was most recently spotted in the Amazon Series, Panic. In that series, she portrayed the character of Jessica Mason’s mother. In addition, she also played the role of Connie Munroe in “Sonny With A Chance” and Inspector Jinny Exstead in “The Division”.
Nancy McKeon can also be visibly followed through her Instagram handle which has around 95.7k followers.
Why Was Jo Not On The Facts Of Life Reunion?
Jo’s absence from the reunion was not due to any issue or rift between the ex co-actors or producers but it was rather some personal issues. Lisa Whelchel stated the reason during an interview with “Extras”, as to why Nancy McKeon couldn’t attend the reunion. “We missed Nancy McKeon…it was sad not to have the four of us together, but it’s always fun.” said Whelchel.
“Nancy was home and they just recently moved and her kids just got into school, so it was difficult for her to make the trip out,” she continued.
A good news for all The Facts of Life fans out there, all ex co-stars still stay in touch with each other. Even Lisa Whelchel shedded some light on this. “We have a little group thread we call the ‘sisters thread,'” briefed Whelchel.
Who Played Jo On The Facts Of Life?
Nancy McKeon was born in Westbury, New York, on Monday, April 4th, 1966, to Don & Barbara McKeon. She began modeling baby clothes for the Sears & Roebuck catalog at the age of two and she and her brother did over sixty-five commercials in seven years. When her brother, Philip McKeon, won a role on the TV series, Alice (1976), the family then moved to Los Angeles.
What Episode Did Jo Get Married On The Facts Of Life?
Jo got married to musician Rick Bonner in episode 19 of season 9. The episode was titled “Till Marriage Do Us Part”. It was aired on February 27, 1988 and was written by Ross Brown.
