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The Facts of Life alum Mindy Cohn has been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer.
“[I] have been off social media for awhile ‘cuz I had to go kick cancer’s ass,” Cohn, 59, wrote via Instagram on Sunday, April 19, sharing a photo from her hospital bed. “I did so with the extraordinary help of Providence Saint John’s hospital staff, especially my nurses Finja, Patty and Courtney and my hero, the phenomenal oncology surgeon @antonbilchik.”
She continued, “Thank you to my family especially my cherished @tarakarsian @johnwstewart @gregoryzarian, who have been my advocates and always on the ready to help me when it’s ‘my turn.’”
Cohn did not reveal further details about her diagnosis or treatment plan, though subtly hinted that she is currently recovering.
“[I am] recouping for another couple of weeks and then ready for my next adventure. Onwards,” she said. “F*** Cancer!”
Cohn received support from several of her famous friends.
“Sending love love your way,” Sarah Paulson replied in the comments section, while Parisa Fitz-Henley added, “Sending you so much love and best wishes for this journey. Prayers up for your healing, and for all those who are supporting it.”
Cohn previously battled breast cancer.
“I kept that secret for a long time,” the actress told People in 2017. “I’ve always been an optimist, but the cancer metastasized. It kept spreading and coming back. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, and then it would. And then I’d wait for another shoe to drop, and it would. I was frustrated and enraged. I couldn’t control any of this. I couldn’t fix it.”
Cohn kept her health scare private for five years, revealing her diagnosis after she went into remission.
“I’m feeling great,” she told the outlet. “And I’m so ready to get back to working. I think I’m a good actress, and I have a lot to offer. I’m excited to see what I get to do next.”
Cohn rose to fame playing Natalie on The Facts of Life, a sitcom set at the Eastland School for Young Women where caretaker Mrs. Garrett (Charlotte Rae) looked after Natalie and classmates Blair (Lisa Whelchel), Tootie (Kim Fields) and Jo (Nancy McKeon). The show ran from 1979 to 1988 and nearly spawned a spinoff.
“You know they were doing the live versions of Norman Lear’s sitcoms with all these big stars? They did one of Diff’rent Strokes and Facts of Life,” Cohn said on Jeff Lewis Live in 2024. “After that, Norman Lear … he called all of us and said, ‘I knew you guys were still popular, but holy hell. The response from the live [special].’”
Before Lear died in 2023, he had Cohn and her costars considering getting the band back together.
“We had all never really talked about it, but we all started to consider it a little bit,” she said. “We got into talks and we hired a writer. The four of us got together on a Zoom — this was during COVID — and we had meetings with Norman about it.”
According to Cohn, drama with one of the actress stalled negotiations.
“It wasn’t me, I’ll put it that way,” she stated. “One of the girls went behind our backs to try to make a separate deal for a spinoff deal just for herself and devastated the rest of us. I’m just saying, for a 40-year friendship and sisterhood, there was a tidal wave of emotion around it.”
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