We’re talking about Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff’rent Strokes, the latest such special from Jimmy Kimmel and Norman Lear, which aired Tuesday, Dec. 7 from 8-9:30 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. “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,” the 99-year-old Lear said in a statement. But who will be playing brothers Arnold and Willis—famously portrayed during the series’ original eight-season run by Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges, respectively—plus their father figure, Mr. Drummond (originally played by Conrad Bain)? Here’s everything we know about the cast of the Diff’rent Strokes live episode.
Who’s playing Arnold in Diff’rent Strokes Live?
A-lister Kevin Hart will play the lead role of Arnold Jackson, but he’s joked that he’s not looking forward to it. As he deadpanned during a cast interview on the Dec. 6 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, “My career is over after this.”
Who’s playing Willis in Diff’rent Strokes Live?
Damon Wayans is taking on the role of Arnold’s older brother—and no offense to Wayans, but when we say older, uh, we mean it! While the two characters were not quite yet teenagers during Diff’rent Strokes’ first season in 1978, Wayans is 61 years old. Why not cast age-appropriate actors? “It started with Jimmy [Kimmel] and his desire to have Kevin Hart play Arnold Jackson, the Gary Coleman role,” producer BrentMiller explained to TVLine. “At the time, I didn’t know: Is he going to want to cast everybody old, or is he just going to have the joke be Kevin? But as we started talking through it, it made sense to be consistent with that conceit of having older people play kids.”
Who’s playing Mr. Drummond on Diff’rent StrokesLive?
Two-time Oscar nominee (and 3rd Rock From the Sun Emmy winner) John Lithgow has the honor of playing the multimillionaire widower who lives in a Park Avenue penthouse. Lithgow claimed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that he’s so ready for the performance, he even plans on picking Hart up off his feet at some point during the episode.
Who’s playing Mrs. Garrett on Diff’rent Strokes Live?
Handmaid’s Tale Emmy winner Ann Dowd will play “Mrs. G” in both Diff’rent Strokes and The Facts of Life. As any ‘80s TV fanatic surely remembers, the character of Mrs. Garrett (played on both series by Charlotte Rae) left her job as the Drummonds’ housekeeper to work at Eastland School for Girls, which is how the Facts of Life spinoff was born.
Is Todd Bridges in Diff’rent Strokes Live?
The Live in Front of a Studio Audience production has teased that several surprise mystery cast members will be revealed, and so far, they’ve done a good job keeping those names under wraps—though many have suspected that Bridges, the only surviving Diff’rent Strokes cast member, would appear. As it turns out, Bridges introduced the Diff’rent Strokes episode in a humorous and heartfelt mini-monologue.
Who are the surprise guests in Diff’rent Strokes Live?
Speaking of keeping mystery guests under wraps, Snoop Dogg (!!) showed up early in the episode as a friend of older brother Willis.
Who is playing Kimberly Drummond on Diff’rentStrokes Live?
Casting for the character of the teenage Kimberly, Mr. Drummond’s only child, had not been revealed prior to the live broadcast. (Actress Dana Plato, who played Kimberly on the series, died of a fatal drug overdose in 1999.) As it turned out, the character of Kimberly did not appear in the episode that was recreated for Live in Front of a Studio Audience. Next, Because True Love Lasts a Lifetime, Find Out Where the Cast of Love Actually Is Now
