Greg In Hollywood chats with out actress and commediane Geri Jewell of “The Facts of Life” fame

If you are a fan of The Facts of Life then you certainly remember Blair’s cousin Geri.

The character had Cerebral Palsey as does the actress who played her: Geri Jewell.

What we did not know until recently is that Geri is a lesbian. She tells her story in a new memoir, I’m Walking As Straight As I Can, out April 1.

Geri, who returned to series television from 2004-06 on HBO’s Deadwood, will make her debut as an out comic on Sunday night at Laugh Out Loud 5 benefiting the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center’s LifeWorks Mentoring program. (More information HERE).

“It is my first time performing and not just attending [an LGBT event] and I’m very, very nervous,” she said when we spoke recently. “I’m really changing my whole act. It’s not going to be all gay material because it’s a gay event. But I will add some gay material, tailoring your act to your audience.”

Geri, now 54, said she still meets Facts fans all the time who still fondly recall the show which ended its nine-year run more than 20 years ago.

“It’s a compliment that I can be remembered for something I did so, so long ago,” she said. “I was the first person with a visible disability to ever be cast in a prime time series. I will always be a pioneer in that way. The comedic aspect of it was also new on the horizon. Prior to that, disability was something was dramatic. Then I come around and say, ‘This is cool, this is funny. I challenged society to have a lighter attitude general.”

The role was not much of a stretch she admits.

“It was me all the way around,” she said. “The first episode was tailored for me and what a lot of people didn’t understand back then was I started doing stand up comedy in 1978.  My first episode aired Christmas Eve in 1980. So the episode was tailored for me as a stand -up comic.

In all, she was in 12 episodes of the series which ran from 1979 through 1988. After it left the air, she did some TV guest spots but faded from view throughout the 90s.

She was unable to capitalize on the exposure the series gave her: “I was new to the industry. I was just living one day at a time, not thinking long-term. That was kind of my pitfall too. A lot of people think I’m the same age as the girls, that I was a teenager. I had even gone to college for three years before going into standup. I was actually the oldest girl. Well, Charlotte Rae was older. Even though I was 23, emotionally I was probably the same age as the girls if not a little younger. Emotionally, I did not match my chronological age. Nobody quite knew how to relate to me.”

This is one of the reasons why she wanted to write the book.

“I’ve been so misunderstood over the years,” Geri said. “Now at 54, I think it’s time to share my journey, the whole journey. There was so much to what I was doing. I think there’s a lot of mes out there. I think my story hopefully will help people to not give up hope to keep the dream alive. You are able to keep going and not give up.”

TOMORROW: Geri talks about coming to terms with her sexuality and about her former co-stars including one-time roommate Lisa Welchel.