'80s Sitcom Moms Who Are Unrecognizable Today

In between making mixtapes, perming our hair, and playing "Pac Man," the '80s found us gathered around the family television for our 30-minute weekly appointment with the Keatons, the Seavers, the Huxtables ... you get the point. The only television trend bigger than MTV in the '80s was the family sitcom, and it had never been more diverse — especially when it came to the '80s sitcom mom. These women worked outside the home, some were single parents, and one hired a hunky housekeeper to keep things running smoothly while she climbed the corporate ladder. In short, these moms were a reflection of the times, which were changing. 

Like many of our favorite things about the decade, the 80s sitcom fell by the way of Rubik's Cubes and boom boxes. And today, thanks to modern streaming services, the sitcom has taken a hit in general. Families no longer plan their evenings around a weekly "Must See TV" schedule. But while these sitcoms may not have stood the test of time, the women at the heart of them did. In fact, some of them aged better than the shows that made them stars. Many of these beloved '80s sitcom moms went on to enjoy decades of success both in front of and behind the cameras, while others chose to live fulfilling lives out of the spotlight. These lovely ladies have come so far from the characters they played in their prime that they are almost unrecognizable today, but their talent and beauty still shine through.

Meredith Baxter became America's mom when she played the liberal Elyse Keaton on the hit sitcom "Family Ties." As the matriarch of the Keaton clan, Baxter inspired viewers with the way she communicated with her children, specifically her politically conservative, type A son Alex, played by Michael J. Fox. "People would come up to me all the time ... they would say, 'Boy, I wish you were my mom. I wish he was my dad' ... because we were an intact family that talked," Baxter told Fox News. "We discussed things. We had difference of opinions, and we still loved each other. That doesn't really happen in a lot of families today."

It certainly didn't happen in her own family. Baxter, a mom of five, was divorced three times. In her book "Untitled" (via ABC News), the star revealed that her second husband, the late actor David Birney, was both mentally and physically abusive (a charge he denied). Baxter admitted she turned to alcohol to cope. "I started drinking early into our marriage to dull the pain," said Baxter while speaking at a Domestic Violence Crisis Center (DVCC) luncheon (via The Hour). "I was drunk all the time." Baxter finally found the courage to leave her marriage and get sober. A few years later, the actor made headlines when she revealed she was a lesbian. Today, she is happily married to longtime girlfriend  Nancy Locke. In an interview with People, Baxter confessed, "I feel like I'm being honest for the first time." 

"Kate & Allie" was a groundbreaking show in that it featured two recently divorced best friends who decide to move in and raise their children together. It was a definition of family that hadn't been explored on television up to that point, and viewers loved it. In real life, Saint James and her co-star Jane Curtin were friends before the show ever aired. "The schedule was great," she told Closer Weekly. "Jane [Curtin] and I had been friends before, so that was fun. I always tell people we both went to Catholic girls school, so we were unbelievably disciplined." They were also as spunky and independent as the characters they played. Early in the show's successful run, the two friends sued the network over producer credits. "At the start of the second year, Jane and I didn't show up for work, we didn't come on the first day," Saint James told Page Six. The women's agents convinced them to go back, but the issue was never resolved. 

After "Kate & Allie," Saint James stepped away from acting to focus on her marriage to NBC Universal Sports and NBC Olympics Chairman Dick Ebersol, with whom she shared three of her five children. The couple's youngest son, Teddy, was killed in a plane crash that seriously injured Ebersol and another son, Charlie.  The Ebersol family spent years healing from the pain of that loss and today, Saint James divides her time between the family's homes in Connecticut and Hawaii. As she told Closer Weekly, life is "relaxing and nice." 

Judith Light shone bright when she played single mom Angela Bower on the hit "Who's the Boss?" and her glow hasn't dimmed yet. Like other sitcoms of the decade, "Who's the Boss?" challenged the perception of a conventional family, this time by showcasing a male in the role of a housekeeper for a successful woman. Oh, and not just any male. It was hunky Tony Danza of "Taxi" fame. But this isn't about what Tony Danza is up to today. This is about how Light took her sitcom success and parlayed it into a decades-spanning career that shows no signs of slowing down. The two-time Tony Award winner was an integral part of the "Ugly Betty" cast, playing Claire Meade before going on to star in a string of hit television shows and movies, including the award-winning "Transparent" and the creepy thriller "Before," in which she played the dead wife of Billy Crystal's character. 

It wasn't always easy, though. Light recalled some years after "Who's the Boss?" and before "Ugly Betty," when work was scarce. "My friend said to me, 'This is like Gandhi's wilderness years,' she told The New Yorker. "I said, "Oh, honey, I am so not Gandhi. I need a job." Today, in what some would consider her third act, Light may be bigger than ever. She is still a working actor and has been married to her husband Robert Desiderio since the mid-'80s. Her longevity in such a fickle industry is proof that Light has been her own boss all along. 

Former dancer Joanna Kerns bounced from small parts on big hits throughout her early career to the career-changing role of Maggie Seaver on the hit show "Growing Pains." The show was panned by critics but loved by audiences until it ran its course, thanks largely to Kirk Cameron, who played eldest son Mike Seaver. Cameron was one of those actors who refused to do kissing scenes unless they were with his wife, Chelsea Noble, and things went downhill from there. "We would have loved to do 'Growing Pains' longer, but it died," Kerns told For Women First. "We had our writer/producers leave because of it."

After the show's demise, Kerns had some growing pains of her own. She appeared in guest spots on other shows, but her true love was directing, something she fought hard for the opportunity to do while on "Growing Pains. "My producer said yes, and the director said, 'Over my dead body,'" she recalled. "So I had to wait until he was gone the last year, and then I had new producers and finally got my episode." That episode was enough for the spunky blonde to know that directing was her passion, and she eventually made the switch from acting to full-time directing in the mid-'90s. Despite the tragic details of the "Growing Pains" cast, the Seavers reunited for two movies. And in a case of life coming full circle, Kerns served as director for the second one. Maggie Seaver would be proud! 

Before joining the '80s hit show "Kate & Allie," Jane Curtin (who played the somewhat stuffy ex-suburban wife Allie Lowell) was one of the stars who left "Saturday Night Live." Curtin's run with that show had cemented her as a top-notch comedian, but she was ready for more. "Kate & Allie" was the answer. "'Kate & Allie' was the perfect antidote to 'SNL,'" Curtin told Berkshire Magazine. "On 'SNL,'" people saw me as incredibly cool. I would walk down the street and people avoided me, but I didn't want to live my life that way. I wanted people to see me as accessible. Allie was extremely accessible — a perfectly flawed character who grew into her own person. My interactions with people in the city changed dramatically after 'Kate & Allie' — they wanted to protect me, and they wanted to protect Allie."

Playing the uptight Allie to Susan Saint James' free-spirited Kate was a natural fit for Curtin, who won two consecutive Emmys for the role. She had established herself as the "straight" actor in skits in which her co-stars were bouncing off the walls. "It's a role I play very well," she said. "Bonnie Turner from 'SNL,' 'The Coneheads,' and 'Third Rock,' explained that I'm a backboard — a strong comedic partner can bounce off me. Without that role, there's no reason for conflict. I love doing that." Today, Curtin is still performing, doing theater in her home state of Massachusetts. "I'm a working actress, and I'm so proud to be one at my age," she said. "I can't think of anything I'd rather do."

Ilene Graff played the busy working mom Marsha Owens on the '80s hit show "Mr. Belvedere." "That role was a perfect fit for me, personality-wise," Graff told Closer Weekly. "I was also a young mom. And I got to know my TV kids so well that it gave me a little insight into what was to come with my own family." Graff cut her teeth on Broadway before making her way to the small screen as one of America's favorite '80s sitcom moms. Longtime fans may remember her as Sandy in the original Broadway production of "Grease." 

Today, Graff is actively involved in charity work, specifically with Doors for Change, an organization that helps homeless youth, and the Entertainment Community Fund. The actor credited her mom for her passion for helping others. "Yes, my mom was an activist," Graff explained. "I think you have to find something that you believe in and be a part of it." Now a widow, Graff was married to her husband, the composer Ben Lanzarone, for more than 45 years, and she is learning to navigate her new life. But she admitted to Closer Weekly that being older means some of the pressure is off. "I can relax a little bit," she explained. "This is who I am. I also know that I have things to share — I don't know if I'd call it wisdom — but I feel like I can be helpful to others at this point in my life."