When Nancy McKeon was first introduced to the world, she was likely overlooked and inspired little more than a small rise in Hallmark card sales. That’s where the future The Facts of Life star started, a commercial actress. These commercials shouldn’t be taken lightly as it was these that sported her ability to cry on cue and overall landed her the role as Jo Polniaczek.
The world remembers Nancy McKeon today as Jo Polniaczek, the tomboy figure who popped up on the second season of The Facts of Life. Nancy was given the role solely to create more friction between the characters. Jo would often butt heads with Blair and overall move the show towards more edgy themes like fake IDs, drugs and alcohol. It’s through the Jo character that the audience learned a lot of valuable life lessons. Although the character of Jo would evolve and go through some huge changes by the shows end.
As Nancy McKeon grew from a child misfit to a beautiful woman, the tomboy theme kind of wore out it’s welcome and Jo was given a feminine touch up. The character even got married before the show ended. After nearly ten years on The Facts of Life, Nancy hit the auditioned to start the next chapter of her career. It wouldn’t run as smoothly as the first half, but would come with its fair share of rewards and honors.
Today we know Mikel as the woman with the widest waist in the world. That’s her claim to fame. Her waist has measured three feet and four inches wide. With that she was inducted into the World Record Academy in 2013. The forty four year old isn’t just a record hold, she is also a motivational speaker and a plus sized model. She’s a living example to women and girls all around the world that no matter how wide your waist is you can still be beautiful.
After The Facts of Life came to an end, it took awhile for Nancy McKeon to get her feet back on solid ground. She was considered for a lot of big hits, but they all turned out to be near misses. Immediately upon the shows ending, Nancy was considered for the lead part in the television adaption of Working Girl. Sadly, the part was given to Sandra Bullock. In the 1990’s she was a big consideration for the role of Monica on friends, but it eventually went to Courtney Cox instead. It was a role that would have surely taken her career to new heights.
