‘Facts of Life’ TV Special Featuring Jen Aniston & Gabrielle Union!

Jen Aniston hadn’t done a lot of TV since the end of Friends. That all changed in 2019, when she was cast in a main role on Apple TV+’s The Morning Show. That’s not exactly network TV, but her next project is. She’s been cast as Blair Warner in a reboot of the TV classic The Facts of Life. Fans of the original show might realize that this means Aniston at 52 is being cast in the role of a teenager. That seems to be a running theme though. As the special titled, Live In Front Of A Studio Audience: Facts Of Life, aims to serve as both a tribute to the original with quite a bit of satire mixed in. Which likely means we’ll get to see Jen’s comedic side shine once again.

Gabrielle Union, Kathryn Hahn, & Allison Tolman Will Also Be Featured On The Show

Aniston was not the only high profile celeb that got the nod to appear in the TV special. Deadline reports that Gabrielle Union is going to play Tootie who was originally played by Kim Fields. Kathryn Hahn will step into the role of Jo, and Allison Tolman is set to take on the role of Natalie. With Ann Dowd stepping in to be the girls’ housemother Mrs. Garrett.

The special is going to be tied in to the Diff’rent Strokes special that was already set to be produced. The Facts of Life was actually a spin-off series in the Diff’rent Strokes universe. In the Diff’rent Strokes special we’re going to get a chance to see Kevin Hart take on Gary Coleman’s iconic character Arnold.

Jimmy Kimmel and Norman Lear Are Set To Produce The Show

If the whole thing seems like it’s going to be very similar to those late night show sketches that make fun of actual TV shows, that’s because it pretty much is a 90 minute sketch! The idea was originally conceived by Jimmy Kimmel & Norman Lear who appear as both producers and hosts of the live show. This would actually mark the return of the Live In Front Of A Studio Audience specials. All in the Family, The Jefferson’s, and Good Times got their specials with celeb casts back in 2019. There were no specials produced in 2020. However, this time around Kimmel is hoping to make this holiday tradition stick!

 

When Is The Show Going to Air?

The live show is going to air on ABC December 7th starting at 8ET. The day after the live broadcast the show is going to be available for streaming on Hulu. Jennifer Aniston’s casting by the way seemed like a bit of a long shot. Seeing as how her ex-husband Justin Theroux is part of the production team alongside Kimmel, Lear, and Will Ferrell. Jen seems to have an amicable relationship with many of her exes. We’ve seen her and Brad get friendly in public a couple of times. It’s nice to see that issues of the past are keeping people from enjoying a good laugh with Jennifer Aniston.