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Buzz Feed
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
26 Iconic TV Women Who Sparked Sexual Awakenings
Recently, we asked the queer members of our BuzzFeed Community to share which TV characters made them realize that they're attracted to women. Here are some of their responses: "I'm Gen-X, so obviously it was Jo from Facts of Life. I know I'm not alone in this." —Anonymous, 50, US "To be honest, Gadget from Rescue Rangers should have been the first tip off." —Anonymous, 45, Michigan "I think we can all agree on Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer." —tellyourfeetajoke"The first time she came onscreen, she had me questioning everything I thought I knew about myself as a young teen. There was just something about this cool, confident, complicated (and of course, attractive) girl that had me looking and feeling things I had not associated with girls before. For this reason, she will forever hold a special place in my heart."—Anonymous, 40, Nevada "Quinn Fabray from Glee, easily. A criminally underrated and underused singing voice and killer looks (especially when she was a Cheerio). I also shipped her and Rachel so hard in my youth." —raymaariforever "Sara Bellum from Powerpuff Girls. Though it took 20 to 25 more years before I came out to myself." —ymxb "Xena and Gabrielle from Xena: Warrior Princess. The scene in the hot spring. I was probably too young to see that, but from the glimpse of what I did see, it forever changed me." —pinkcomet428 "Monica Keena as Abby Morgan on Dawson's Creek and Rachel Lindquist on Undeclared. I referred to them as my 'girl crushes.' It would only take a couple more decades and a number of additional 'girl crushes' for me to realize I was queer (pan). But it started with them!" —sasstrid "Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender. She and Zuko both helped me realise I was bisexual. And, to this day, I stand by the fact they should've been together." —guacam011y "Tori and Jade from Victorious! They were talented and gorgeous, and they did things to my body I didn't understand." —alexandraisgay "Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune from Sailor Moon. They were the first queer couple I had ever seen on TV, and I was absolutely obsessed with them as a child before I understood my own sexuality. But honestly, throw a stone and pick literally any character from that anime, and they probably contributed to my gay awakening to some degree!" —Anonymous, 32, US"Cliche, but Sailor Moon. Just everything about Usagi made me want to date someone like her! Pretty, foodie, and obsessed with video games?!?!? Sign me uppppp."—Anonymous, 39, US "Hannah/Miley from Hannah Montana, but I didn't quite realize at the time that it was a crush." —nostalgiclegend284 "Well, this is embarrassing, but Jenny Shecter from the first season of The L Word. And then most of the cast made me realize that you can be super femme and be into girls." —lucyv4d65302ee "Leela from Futurama." —Anonymous, 19, US "Alison and Emily from Pretty Little Liars. There's a scene in Season 2 where Emily is imagining lying in Alison's lap while she strokes her hair, and it ends with Alison leaning in to kiss her. When I tell you that rewired my brain chemistry PERMANENTLY..." —audreyschockett "Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) from Charmed. It was undeniable after watching just one episode." —Anonymous, 39, Oregon "For me, it was Venus McFlytrap from Monster High! I thought she was so beautiful and cool-looking. She has a sort of punk aesthetic, and I was totally enamored by her." —elleenchanted "Carmilla Carmine from Hazbin Hotel. She's gorgeous and, when she lets her hair down, UGH, YES QUEEN!" —esadre "Camille Belcourt from Shadowhunters. If I wasn't already beginning to suspect I liked women, then she CERTAINLY shaped my specific taste in women. I eventually lost interest in the show bc she stopped appearing (honorable mention goes to Izzy tho)." —audreyschockett "Lindsay Wagner in The Bionic Woman waaaaay back in the 1970s when I was a pre-teen. I just didn't have a name for it at the time. I had pictures of her pinned up on my wall, along with pictures of Charlie's Angels. If I were playing Six Million Dollar Man with my friends, I would volunteer to be Steve Austin because it meant I could marry Jaime Sommers." —irisg2 "JoAnna Cameron as Isis in The Secrets of Isis (1975-76). It was a Saturday morning live-action superhero show. I adored her, wanted to be her, and only realized as an adult that I was definitely queer." —leticiamb "Samantha Carter from Stargate SG-1 (I'm a nerd, I know). —Anonymous, 32, Michigan "Charlie from Supernatural. I watched the show in secret because I grew up in a strict Catholic household, but it was the first time I was ever exposed to queerness — and queerness being okay, not a sin." —Anonymous, 22, Texas "Maxine Baker from Ginny & Georgia." —Anonymous, 15, Pennsylvania "Serena Van der Woodsen from Gossip Girl! I've always been into Blake Lively, and it was first seeing her character in Gossip Girl that made me think, 'Hey, you know I might actually be into girls as well!' —Anonymous, 33, Canada "Gillian Anderson from The X-Files." —caelesto And finally, "Lizzie McGuire ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🩶🤍." —runningwithscissors2343 Which TV character was your queer awakening? Let us know in the comments! Looking for more LGBTQ+ or Pride content? Then check out all of BuzzFeed's posts celebrating Pride 2025.
New York Post
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
‘Facts of Life' star Geri Jewell reveals her closest co-star — and what remark shocked Norman Lear
Forty-five years later, Geri Jewell knows for a fact which episode was her favorite. The actress, 68, starred as Blair Warner's cousin, Geri Tyler, on the iconic 80s sitcom 'Facts of Life,' and she still looks back at her time on the show with the fondest of memories. 'Out of all the episodes I did, my favorite one was the first one,' Jewell exclusively told The Post during the Jonathan Foundation Fundraiser last Saturday. Advertisement 12 Geri Jewell attends the Jonathan Foundation's 11th annual Spring Fundraiser at Sheraton Universal Hotel on May 17, 2025 in Universal City, California. Getty Images 'The very first one that I did,' expressed the comedian, whose first episode was Season 2 Episode 5, titled 'Cousin Geri.' 'It was written for me. It was tailored for me.' Advertisement Jewell, who has cerebral palsy, a condition that affects movement and posture, brought awareness to those with disabilities by being the first disabled actress to have a recurring role on a primetime television show. The actress, who starred in the hit TV series alongside Lisa Whelchel, Mindy Cohn, Kim Fields, Nancy McKeon and Charlotte Rae, landed the role thanks to one of the show's executive producer's, Norman Lear. 12 Geri Jewell talks with Alexandra Bellusci of the New York Post at the Jonathan Foundation's 11th annual Spring Fundraiser. 12 Geri Jewell during The Jonathan Foundation's 11th Annual Spring Fundraiser. Getty Images Advertisement 'Norman Lear had seen me perform, and he came up to me after the show to introduce himself. In fact, Charlotte Rae was in the audience that night,' she recounted to The Post. 'And he introduced himself and said, 'You know, you're really funny, kid, but you're way before your time.' And I said, 'So? So wait a couple months!' He couldn't believe my response, and two months later, he asked me on 'Facts.'' She appeared on 'Facts of Life' for twelve episodes from 1980 until 1984. 'I have been blessed with so many people who have been there for me and guided me,' Jewell gushed. 'Norman Lear, David Milch. How lucky can you get?' 12 Geri Jewell during Season 3 of 'The Facts of Life.' ©Embassy Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection Advertisement 12 Geri Jewell on 'The Facts of Life' in 1982. NBCUniversal via Getty Images While her 'Facts of Life' days are behind her, she's still tight with one cast member. The stand-up comic revealed she's still in touch with Whelchel, 61, who played Blair Warner in the series, adding that they are 'very close.' 'I meet people all the time, and they say, 'I saw you on 'Facts of Life,' and you really changed my life,' Jewell recalled. 'I think I created a sensitivity about people with disabilities that wasn't quite there before — and humor. That was very rare back then. And now there are so many comedians with cerebral palsy!' Jewell has had to adjust how she takes care of her body, explaining she smoothes herself through 'pain management.' 12 Geri Jewell on 'The Facts of Life.' ©Embassy Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection 12 'The Sounds of Silence' – Season 4 of 'The Facts of Life.' ©Embassy Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection 'And I get two vials of Botox injected in my neck, shoulders and back every three months for chronic pain,' Jewell added. 'I've been on Botox since '99. I have the neck of a 12-year-old!' Advertisement Jewell has gotten candid in the past about her titanium neck, sharing on Steve Kmetko's 'Still Here Hollywood' podcast that she deals with the challenges by having 'a sense of humor.' 'It's challenging because now I have other issues with aging. Walking isn't as easy as it used to be,' Jewell detailed in March. 'I've had a certain gait, but my balance is not near as good. My hearing is impaired even more, and I get very, very frustrated.' 12 Norman Lear introduces Geri Jewell and 'The Mitch O'Farrell Leadership Award.' Getty Images 12 Donelle Dadigan, Norman Lear, Geri Jewell and Mitch O'Farrell. Getty Images Advertisement She broke her neck in 1999, which required emergency surgery. 'My neck is now 45% titanium, and it's pretty strong. But this cerebral palsy still wants to move my head all over the place,' the trailblazer confessed, 'and my neck is going, 'No. I can't do that.'' 'I have dystonia, which I always had, but I never realized it,' Jewell said about the muscle disorder — which creates involuntary contractions. It also causes her 'neck [to be] pulled to one side.' Advertisement 'I have a titanium neck. I know when the Botox is wearing off because it's pulling even farther,' said Jewell. 'So I have a lot of issues, but so does everybody else when they age.' 12 Steven Williams, Geri Jewell in '21 Jump Street.' Stephen J. Cannell Productions / Courtesy: Everett Collection Despite the hurdles, the Hollywood vet noted: 'I'm very blessed.' 'All the challenges that I've had — that everybody has in life — it's a sense of humor that's gonna get us through it,' she continued. 'Because if I couldn't laugh once a while I'd be in a loony bin. I have to laugh. You have to.' Advertisement 'Facts of Life' followed a group of girls at the prestigious Eastland School for Young Women and was one of NBC's highest-rated shows in the 1980s. Despite rumors of a reboot swirling in the decades since, Cohn, 59, alleged last year that any plans they had fell through due to a 'greedy bitch.' 'We were all very, very disappointed that it didn't work,' Whelchel confessed to Closer Weekly in April. 12 Geri Jewell, Robby Benson in 'Two of a kind' in 1982. ©Lorimar Film Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection Although the person in question has remained unnamed, the 'Collector's Call' alum added, 'We'd been trying to find a way to work together in some capacity for probably the last 10 years.' 'So, when it looked like this was going to happen, we were all really excited. The contracts were signed and then the writers' strike happened, the actors' strike happened, and then, unfortunately, Pa [Charlotte Rae] and Norman Lear passed. After that, it just kind of dissolved.' Whelchel pressed, 'We were all quite disappointed.' Rae, who starred as housemother Mrs. Garrett, died at age 92 in 2018, five years before Lear passed away in 2023 at 101. In 2001, the actresses came together in 'The Facts of Life Reunion,' which saw their characters reunite in Peekskill, New York for Thanksgiving with Mrs. Garrett. 12 'The Facts of Life.' NBCUniversal via Getty Images Even though a reboot might never come to fruition, the actors still manage to stay close in real life. Last summer, Jewell and Whelchel posed together for a sweet shot on social media. 'We aren't technically family but since we played one on TV (Cousin Geri) and we've known each other for almost a half a century, it sure feels like it!' Whelchel captioned the Instagram photo. 'So good to catch up with the funny and wise and deep and talented, Geri Jewell!'
Fox News
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
‘Facts of Life' actress sets record straight about reboot after co-star claims 'greedy b----' sabotaged it
Lisa Whelchel wants to get the facts straight on what really happened to the "Facts of Life" reboot. The actress spoke to Closer Weekly a year after co-star Mindy Cohn claimed plans fell apart thanks to an unnamed "greedy b----." "We were all very, very disappointed that it didn't work," the 61-year-old, who played Blair Warner, told the outlet. "We'd been trying to find a way to work together in some capacity for probably the last 10 years," Whelchel explained. "So, when it looked like this was going to happen, we were all really excited. The contracts were signed and then the writers' strike happened, the actors' strike happened, and then, unfortunately, Pa [Charlotte Rae] and Norman Lear passed. After that, it just kind of dissolved." "We were all quite disappointed," Whelchel stressed. Rae, who played a wise and patient housemother to a brood of teenage girls, died in 2018 at age 92. Lear passed away in 2023 at age 101. A year later, Cohn was on Sirius XM's "Jeff Lewis Live," where she revealed a "greedy b----" was to blame for reboot plans being shelved. Cohn explained that after the success of an ABC special, "Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff'rent Strokes," in 2021, which featured an all-star recreation of episodes of both shows, including Jennifer Aniston in Whelchel's role, Lear reached out to the cast. "He said, 'Are you guys interested?' And we had all never really talked about it, but we all started to consider it a little bit, and we got into talks. And we hired a writer, and the four of us got together on Zooms. This was during COVID, and we had meetings with Norman about it," Cohn said. Asked what happened, Cohn replied, "What happened was not cute. Yeah… There was drama." "More than that," Cohn said. "[She] went behind our backs and tried to make a separate deal for a spinoff just for herself and devastated the rest of us. … I had booked 'Palm Royale;' another girl is working. I'm just saying it was for a 40-year friendship and sisterhood. There was a tidal wave of emotion around it." "She was a greedy b----, I'll say it," she added. The 58-year-old said the actresses didn't talk "for a while and now we do-ish, but there's definitely, it was an ouch." She added that there is "no desire to ever work together" and the reboot is "dead. It's very dead." "A couple of people can't move past it, don't want to move past it. We are not as united. Let me put it that way. We were united for 40 years over not talking about each other, not doing dirty, not, you know, all for one, one for all, and this kind of wrecked that, which is sad. Really sad," Cohn said. The "Palm Royale" star was asked who the "greedy b----" was among her co-stars — Whelchel, Kim Fields or Nancy McKeon. Cohn refused to say but hinted that her Instagram contained the answer, noting who she spends time with and who she doesn't is clear. The hosts continued to attempt to guess, but they said Cohn wouldn't budge. WATCH: FACTS OF LIFE STAR LISA WHELCHEL EXPLAINS WHY SHE DIDN'T RELEASE MORE MUSIC AFTER HER '80S SOLO ALBUM At the end of the show, a caller suggested it was Whelchel, based on combing through Cohn's Instagram. Cohn joked it was George Clooney, who appeared on the show early in his career. At the time, Cohn shared birthday messages to Fields and McKeon but not Whelchel on her Instagram. Representatives for Whelchel, McKeon, Fields and Cohn didn't respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. A few days after Cohn's interview, Whelchel posted a promo for her MeTV show, "Collector's Call." Some fans chimed in with their support for her amid speculation about who caused the reboot to fall apart. "FYI I am Team Lisa," one person wrote. "You/Blair have been my favorite since I was a little kid…I really admire the class you've always shown including now. Lots of fans sending you support!" another person wrote. Whelchel liked both comments. On "Jeff Lewis Live," Cohn said she accepts that the revival didn't get off the ground. "No one wants to see us now," she said. "You know what's cute? They want to see where you are now. They don't want a show about it. Be honest." "It should stay where it is," Cohn shared. "… I think it's so good where it is... This thing should stay wrapped." In 2022, Whelchel spoke to Fox News Digital about a possible reboot. "It's a wonderful trip down memory lane," she said at the time. "… We've been talking about a reimagining of 'Facts of Life' and bringing it back again. Nothing is set yet, but it's been really fun to talk about it. What I have brought to the table for those conversations is [that] I would love to see a little bit more acceptance of what reality looks like for a midlife woman." "… I'm about 15 pounds heavier than I was on 'Facts of Life,'" she shared. "If we were to do a re-imagining of the show, I would really like my character to address the realities that we face when we get to a certain age." Whelchel noted she wanted to give a realistic portrayal of her character navigating life today. "You just get fluffier, and it's really hard to lose weight, no matter what you do," she said. "Unless you want to devote your life to working out four hours a day and eating celery sticks, you're going to look like a middle-aged woman. And I don't want to hide from that. I don't want to feel less than." "Actors and actresses on television and movies have personal trainers and personal chefs," she continued. "They devote their lives to looking a certain way. I'd like to look a bit more realistic. And I'm proud of my journey." WATCH: FACTS OF LIFE STAR LISA WHELCHEL SHARES HER FAVORITE MEMORIES FROM THE SET, NEW LIFE WITH 'COLLECTORS CALL' "The Facts of Life" aired from 1979 to 1988 on NBC, spinning off from the series "Diff'rent Strokes," both created by Lear. The sitcom has remained popular and beloved over the years, running in syndication for years on multiple networks. In 2001, most of the cast reunited for "The Facts of Life Reunion" TV movie on ABC. The only missing member was McKeon, who had scheduling conflicts with her work on the Lifetime TV series "The Division."
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
George Clooney Ages in Reverse with Dramatic Broadway Hair Transformation That Nods to His '90s Style
George Clooney and his hair are making waves on the Great White Way. On Thursday, April 3, fans and celebrities alike gathered at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City for the two-time Oscar winner's Broadway debut in Good Night, and Good Luck. In the stage adaptation of the 2005 movie, Clooney, 63, plays CBS news journalist Edward R. Murrow, a role for which he bid farewell to his famous silver fox locks in exchange for a darker brunette hairstyle. In March, Clooney was photographed with light brown hair in preparation for his debut in the Big Apple's theater district. However, it wasn't until opening night of the show on Thursday that Clooney's dramatic change was seen in full onstage and when he stepped out to sign autographs for fans after his performance. Throughout the evening, Clooney wore his dark hair in a gelled-back hairstyle along with a clean-shaven face. Related: George Clooney Is Almost Unrecognizable Without His Signature Silver Hair — See His Brunet Transformation! While the star's new look was in service of his role as Murrow, the style was also similar to the darker hue he sported in the '80s and '90s. During his days on the Facts of Life, Clooney became known for his luscious dark brown waves. Further in his career though, around the mid-90s, he ended up cutting his shoulder-length mane into a cropped cut for ER, similar to the style he has now. Related: George Clooney Transforms Into Edward R. Murrow in First Look at Broadway's Good Night, and Good Luck (Exclusive) In addition to Clooney's major hair change, his megawatt star power contributed to the electrifying energy of the affair. A-listers in attendance for his debut included Jennifer Lopez and her teen Emme, Clooney's Casamigos business partner Rande Gerber alongside his wife Cindy Crawford and their daughter Kaia, Monica Lewinsky and Pierce Brosnan with his wife Keely Shaye Smith. Clooney's wife, Amal, wasn't there, but for a very relatable reason. On the carpet, Clooney told reporters that his wife was missing out because "she's with the kids." The couple shares 7-year-old twins, Alexander and Ella. The actor's foray into Broadway was much anticipated, however it did come with some challenges. During an appearance on the March 23 episode of 60 Minutes to discuss portraying Murrow, Clooney cited having to smoke so many prop cigarettes as a major hurdle for him to overcome in rehearsals, noting that many of his family members have died of lung cancer over the years. Clooney previously directed the film version of Good Night, and Good Luck, which starred David Strathairn as Murrow. In that movie, Clooney portrayed Murrow's news producer Fred W. Friendly. Read the original article on People
