Nancy McKeon’s Terrifying Fan Encounter: Details Behind Her Real Life Scare

Dave Sundstrom November 8, 12:00 pm

THE FACTS OF LIFE, Nancy McKeon, (ca. early 1980s), 1979-1988, — Embassy Pictures/Courtesy: Everett Collection

What To Know

Nancy McKeon, best known for her role as Jo on The Facts of Life, experienced a frightening encounter with a fan at age 17 after filming the show.
After being approached in a studio parking lot, the fan demanded a kiss, then a hug, and tightly embraced her while making unsettling promises to return.
Nancy managed to escape the situation unharmed, and fortunately, the fan never followed through on his threat to come back.

Today, I am going to share a pretty darn scary story involving actress Nancy McKeon. But before I do that, let me just talk for a minute about Nancy’s career.

She’s best known for playing tomboy Jo on the classic TV sitcom, The Facts of Life. Now, anyone who has watched that sitcom knows that Jo wasn’t your average teenager. She was witty, independent, and always quick with a sarcastic remark. And Nancy perfectly captured Jo’s spirit, making her a fan favorite.

At just 17 years old, Nancy’s success allowed her to buy a house in the Hollywood Hills. Believe it or not, she invited her entire family to move in with her. Now, you’re probably thinking what I’m thinking: I’m not sure that that is what I would do if I bought a new house, even at that young age, but Nancy had always been very close to her family, especially, her older brother, Philip. According to People magazine, they “were close, with no hint of rivalry.”

Okay, enough beating around the bush, let’s talk about a truly scary fan encounter that Nancy described in vivid detail on the syndicated news program called PM Magazine way back in 1985.

THE FACTS OF LIFE, (clockwise from top left): George Clooney, Nancy McKeon, Mackenzie Astin, Lisa Whelchel, Kim Fields, Cloris Leachman, Mindy Cohn, (Season 8), 1979-1988

Embassy Pictures/Everett Collection

It happened one evening after Nancy had finished taping The Facts of Life. While walking out to the studio parking lot, a man came racing up to her, with a rather strange demand. He said he was leaving town and he wanted a kiss goodbye. When it became clear that that wasn’t going to fly with Nancy, he sheepishly told her that he’d settle for a hug. However, when Nancy reluctantly leaned in for a light embrace, he pulled her to him tightly and told her that when he returned, they were going to get together and go out on the town.

Now keep in mind, this was a total stranger. Fear surged through Nancy’s body. This wasn’t a friendly fan. She could tell this was something very different. The man’s words promising to return sent chills down her spine. She looked around to see if there was anyone else nearby, and unfortunately, there was no one around to help. Panic started to set in. Quite frankly, Nancy was scared out of her mind by this point.

Finally, Nancy sensed that the man’s grip was loosening just a bit and she was able to pull away from him and run as fast as she could to her car. Fumbling with her keys, the few seconds that it took to open her locked car door seemed like an eternity because she was so nervous.

Fortunately for Nancy, her mystery man never returned to fulfill his promise — or let’s be real folks, keep his threat.