I read on the JUMPING THE SHARK website that Geri Jewell was roundly disliked by the cast, and that she was thrown off the set for telling Charlotte Rae to "kiss my crippled *ss." Is this true?

--Josho

For one, Geri was not cripled. She had Cerebal Palsy. So I don't believe she would say that. So no, I don't believe she said that. Sorry.

Prankster,

Actually, she is. "Crippled" (at least, according to the dictionaries I have in the house) all refer to a person or animal that is "disabled in a way that prevents normal motion of the limbs or body." CP certainly falls into this category of dysfunction, as do all other forms of palsy. The word is considered offensive but accurate.

But I'm sure it doesn't really matter whether the word fits. Let's say I have a disability and I feel that somebody is being patronizing to me, or otherwise unpleasant; I might well respond "kiss my crippled *ss" independent of whether or not *I* considered myself crippled, but rather on whether or not I feel that the OTHER PERSON considers me crippled. Similarly, if someone called me stupid, even if I don't think I'm stupid, I might reply, "Well, kiss my stupid *ss."

So I'm sure the question I posed originally has nothing to do with what people agree the textbook definition of "crippled" is, and is simply a matter of whether or not it actually happened.

--Josh

I'm not sure about the Geri and Charlotte thing. I don't think it's true. Geri made so many guest shots on the show that it just couldn't of possibly been true.

I've got to give my own little example here. On the tv series Batman, the 2nd Mr. Freeze (Otto Perriminger (sp?) was never invited back again. He gave everybody on the set hell, from what I've heard and read over the years. I guess all of the cast members demanded that he never come back. Either that, or the writers saw how he was acting.

You see what I'm getting at? I just don't think it's true.

Well I don't think it's true, but there is only one person on these boards that could tell us for sure and I haven't seen him lately...hmm...I wonder where he is?


D

Originally posted by Ags2000
Well I don't think it's true, but there is only one person on these boards that could tell us for sure and I haven't seen him lately...hmm...I wonder where he is?


D

Ags, what person are you talking about?

....no....

Originally posted by FOLrocks1
Ags, what person are you talking about?

TJ? Panman? Jacob ^^^? :confused:

Originally posted by Ags2000
Well I don't think it's true, but there is only one person on these boards that could tell us for sure and I haven't seen him lately...hmm...I wonder where he is?


D

Max? Brett Ferino?

Jenny,

On the other hand, the fact that she was dropped so SUDDENLY from the show -- and that they never even MENTIONED her character again, let alone had her back on the show -- certainly implies a falling-out of some sort.

--Josh

I don't think so, b/c she was on the E! True Hollywood story and they prolly would have mentioned it on there if it was true, they don't miss much on that show espicailly that kinda stuff

oh, pee. I dont think that Geri would say somethin like that. ive heard that they werent real close, but i dont think they would have insulted each other.

I don't believe it...

Originally posted by FOLrocks1
Ags, what person are you talking about?


His name is Dennis, and I haven't seen him here in awhile now. Wonder where he disappeared to?

D

Did you see the reunion???? They talked about her.

Originally posted by Nancy McKeon is my idol!!
I don't think so, b/c she was on the E! True Hollywood story and they prolly would have mentioned it on there if it was true, they don't miss much on that show espicailly that kinda stuff

Yeah, the E! stories like to dig up the dirt. Believe me, if something was going on, they def. would've mentioned it.

I know that Charlotte didn't really see eye to eye with Geri, she said somethign about how she probably reminded her of her autistic son, which the might of had a tiff and geri said that to her one day, but i know that they talked about them getting in tiff's on the e! true hollywood story, but i'm not quite sure if they got that bad, that'd be pretty dam funny! geri telling charlotte to kiss her ass, haha!!

Actually, it's Otto Preminger. Didn't he direct the movie Stalag 17?

Originally posted by Blair's My Cherry Pie
Actually, it's Otto Preminger. Didn't he direct the movie Stalag 17?

Thanks for the spelling. I'm awful with spelling some names. lol
I think Otto did do some directing. So he probably did Stalag 17.

I saw Stalag 17 some years ago, and it was a great movie. Hogan's Heroes was based on it, and I can't understand why people think Hogan's Heroes was a "bad" show--"you can't make Nazis funny!!":nonono: But it was more about spying and all that, and also, Werner Klemperer and John Banner (Col. Klink and Sgt. Schultz) were both Jewish. I loved Hogan's Heroes.

I know that Charlotte didn't really see eye to eye with Geri, she said somethign about how she probably reminded her of her autistic son, which the might of had a tiff and geri said that to her one day, but i know that they talked about them getting in tiff's on the e! true hollywood story, but i'm not quite sure if they got that bad, that'd be pretty dam funny! geri telling charlotte to kiss her ass, haha!!

Interesting...

This quote is from Wikipedia so who's to say if it's accurate or not but I just found it amusing how TV networks thought back then:

The Facts of Life was one of the first television shows to feature a person with cerebral palsy as a recurring character. Indeed, actress Geri Jewell was the first person with a disability to have a regular role on a prime time series. In an interview as part of an episode of E! True Hollywood Story, Jewell stated that she believed her character "cousin Geri" was going to continue as a recurring character on the show during the sixth season, but the producers offered her only one episode for the season because viewers would immediately assume that any episode with cousin Geri would be a "very special episode". Jewell stated that she stopped appearing on the show for that reason.

This quote is from Wikipedia so who's to say if it's accurate or not but I just found it amusing how TV networks thought back then:

The Facts of Life was one of the first television shows to feature a person with cerebral palsy as a recurring character. Indeed, actress Geri Jewell was the first person with a disability to have a regular role on a prime time series. In an interview as part of an episode of E! True Hollywood Story, Jewell stated that she believed her character "cousin Geri" was going to continue as a recurring character on the show during the sixth season, but the producers offered her only one episode for the season because viewers would immediately assume that any episode with cousin Geri would be a "very special episode". Jewell stated that she stopped appearing on the show for that reason.


Ironic, isn't it?

They put her on the show to show how normal she was and then took her off the show because she's not normal.

Geri Jewell has said that Charlotte Rae was uncomfortable around her, but wouldn't say why. I think Rae kept her distance from Jewell whenever she guested.

Rae never spoke publicly about the issue.

And most of the time when Cousin Geri was on the show, she had a regular role in the cast like everyone else. I don't remember each one being "a very special episode," with the exception of her first appearance, which explained her condition.

Geri Jewell has said that Charlotte Rae was uncomfortable around her, but wouldn't say why. I think Rae kept her distance from Jewell whenever she guested.

Rae never spoke publicly about the issue.

And most of the time when Cousin Geri was on the show, she had a regular role in the cast like everyone else. I don't remember each one being "a very special episode," with the exception of her first appearance, which explained her condition.

Geri actually says a lot more in her book, and blames Charlotte's assistant (I think her name was Angela) for the two butting heads. She said Charlotte's assistant twisted things she had said about Charlotte. Charlotte actually did say a couple of things, herself. One thing she said, in a TV interview, was that she never had a problem with Geri's condition, and if Geri thought that, she was wrong.

Geri said that Charlotte would alternately accept and reject her, and... I can kind of see that. Charlotte seemed to run hot and cold, and others have said that, as well. Geri wanted to be a regular performer on the series, but the producers didn't want that. Geri also said that when her character's last name went from Warner to Tyler, it felt like a rejection.

Geri also admits that she wasn't very mature at that time, as she had been pretty sheltered as a child, due to her disability. She said she went to Norman Lear with her concerns, which she realized later was a mistake; it made her look "difficult".

And Geri was in terror of anyone learning about her gay relationships. She couldn't accept her own sexuality, so that was quite upsetting for her. Through it all, though, she said Lisa Whelchel remained her friend, and even had her appear in the studio audience, with the hopes that the producers would see her and offer her to be back on the show.

That did not happen, and Geri appeared very infrequently on television between her 1984 departure from The Facts of Life and 2004, when she landed a semi-regular role on The Young and the Restless.

I remember reading about the Geri and Charlotte blowup in the supermarket tabloids at the time.

I remember reading about the Geri and Charlotte blowup in the supermarket tabloids at the time.

What did the tabloids say?

I just remember the documentary.

What did the tabloids say?

I just remember the documentary.

Basically what the original poster said. That Jeri was difficult to work with and she told Charlotte to kiss her (Geri's) crippled ass.

Basically what the original poster said. That Jeri was difficult to work with and she told Charlotte to kiss her (Geri's) crippled ass.

Okay. I actually don't see that claim made outside of this forum, so whatever tabloids made those claims are not online.

Geri does admit that she became difficult to work with because she was misled by Charlotte's assistant and two people she thought were her friends, named Jayme and Daria.

Of course, Charlotte and Geri did eventually make up, and Geri was asked to appear with Charlotte and the girls for the 2011 TV Land Awards.

Geri also went rogue in her last appearance on the Facts of Life when she created her own lines. For whatever reason, they kept that part in. Probably that Lisa/Blair had such a natural surprise on her face.

Geri also went rogue in her last appearance on the Facts of Life when she created her own lines. For whatever reason, they kept that part in. Probably that Lisa/Blair had such a natural surprise on her face.

It was a GREAT ad-lib.

She was probably getting some of her aggression toward the powers that be out of her system when she did that!

She was probably getting some of her aggression toward the powers that be out of her system when she did that!

I suspect so. Geri says that Charlotte told her point blank that the producers didn't want her on the show anymore, and Geri was frustrated by the smallness of her parts and the infrequency of her appearances.

I read on the JUMPING THE SHARK website that Geri Jewell was roundly disliked by the cast, and that she was thrown off the set for telling Charlotte Rae to "kiss my crippled *ss." Is this true?

--Josho

That particular rumor from the "Jumping the Shark" era has been largely debunked as an exaggerated "urban legend" of the early internet. While there was documented friction, it was rooted in professional misunderstandings and poor communication rather than a hostile blowout.

The truth behind the Geri Jewell and Charlotte Rae dynamic is much more nuanced, as detailed in Geri’s autobiography, I'm Walking as Straight as I Can.

The Reality of the Friction
The Assistant's Role: Geri has stated that a lot of the "bad blood" was stirred up by Charlotte Rae’s assistant, who reportedly fed both women misinformation. This created a cycle of paranoia where Geri felt rejected and Charlotte felt Geri was being ungrateful or "difficult."

Professional Growing Pains: Geri admits she lacked maturity at the time. Feeling sidelined by the producers, she went over their heads to Norman Lear, which is a "cardinal sin" in TV production. This labeled her as "difficult to work with" and led to her reduced role.

The "Cousin Geri" Label: The producers' refusal to make her a series regular—citing the fear that every appearance would be seen as a "Very Special Episode"—was the primary reason for her departure. They wanted to keep her as a "guest star" to maintain the show's status quo.

The Reconciliation: The "kiss my... ass" story is widely considered a fabrication or a massive misinterpretation of Geri’s frustration. Proof of their reconciliation came when Geri Jewell appeared with Charlotte Rae at the 2011 TV Land Awards, where the cast was honored. They were seen embracing and speaking warmly of each other.

The "Rogue" Moment
You correctly identified the Season 5 episode "All By Herself." Geri went off-script during a scene with Blair, and the look of genuine surprise on Lisa Whelchel's face was so perfect that the producers kept it in. It remains one of the most authentic moments in the series.
It’s interesting that Lisa Whelchel remained her staunchest ally behind the scenes, despite playing her "vain" cousin on screen. It really shows how different the real-life "facts" were from the tabloid rumors

I don’t know that that exact phrase was used, BUT - GJ and CR did NOT like each other at all. Read GJ’s “I’m Walking as Straight as I Can.”