( CNN ) -- A little good , a little bad and a whole lot of nostalgia were in play at the Paley Center 's `` Facts of Life '' reunion in Beverly Hills , California , on Monday . It 's been 35 years since the '80s sitcom , about four boarding school girls and their house mother , debuted as a spinoff from `` Diff'rent Strokes . '' Although `` Facts of Life '' has been in reruns since 1988 , an upcoming DVD release brought the series ' stars together again . Nancy McKeon , who played Jo , joined Lisa Whelchel ( Blair ) , Mindy Cohn ( Natalie ) and Charlotte Rae ( Mrs. Garrett ) at the reunion event . Kim Fields , who 'll always be known as Tootie to some , made an appearance via video . The sitcom still has plenty of fans ( and the theme song can still get stuck in your head after one listen ) , but the stars of the series do n't think `` Facts of Life '' would work on the air today . During the panel , Cohn said the networks would probably pass on a show with a lesson in every episode , while Rae thinks it could be updated . And the religious Whelchel , who says she would n't let her character lose her virginity on the show , is pretty sure `` Facts of Life '' could happen today ... if it were handled very differently . Maybe `` if we were all naked , '' Whelchel joked . The cast was just as wholesome off-set as they were in front of the camera . In fact , there was just one cast member who affected life on set with an addiction problem : Rae . The older actress ' smoking habit apparently drove the cast crazy . `` The girls did n't want me to smoke , '' Rae said . `` I used to smoke five cigarettes a day , and they 'd pull them out of my mouth . '' But Rae , who let some profanity slip while on stage during the reunion , reminded the crowd that she 's not Mrs. Garrett . Geri Jewell , who played Geri Tyler on the show , also made an appearance with the cast . Jewell , who has cerebral palsy , was the first person with a disability to be featured on a TV series , and she credits the show with changing her life . `` That first episode was so special to me , '' she said . `` It was a dream come true . '' Jewell was n't the only actor to get a break on `` Facts of Life . '' The show had a long list of notable guest stars , and the list of unknown actors who later achieved success is just as impressive . It includes Helen Hunt , David Spade , Dennis Haysbert , Juliette Lewis , Seth Green , Mayim Bialik , Larry Wilmore and some other guy who has done OK for himself , George Clooney . The cast said Clooney has come a long way since the days when he and McKeon sported similar mullets . But he may not have left much of an impression , as Whelchel said she has to refer to YouTube to recall an onscreen kiss she and Clooney shared . `` I am all for repressed memories , '' Whelchel joked , `` but why I repressed that one , I do n't know ! ''
Most of the cast of `` Facts of Life '' reunited on Monday . The show was taped in Los Angeles and aired last week at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. The stars discussed whether the series could work on TV today . Lisa Whelchel thought it could only if it were more risque .