‘The Nanny’: Fran Drescher Had a Massive Crush On This ‘Really Cute’ Guest Star
The Nanny is a sitcom that, for many, not only defines the fashion of the ’90s, but provides a gold standard for all “fish out of water” stories that would follow. The series starred Fran Drescher and a host of other talented stars, and ran on television for seven years before ultimately going off the air.
The Nanny remains popular in syndication to this day, and it remains Drescher’s best-known work. Drescher has talked about her experience filming the show on a number of occasions, and in one 2017 interview, she opened up about some of the show’s most memorable guest stars, including one up-and-coming young comedian who Drescher found to be “really cute.”
What is ‘The Nanny’ about?
The Nanny premiered on television in 1993, running on the CBS network. The show featured comedian and actress Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, an outspoken Jewish woman from New York who becomes the nanny for an upper-class family. Not only does Fran Fine make an impression on the family, but she ends up falling in love with the widowed patriarch, Mr. Sheffield, ultimately becoming a mother figure for the three young Sheffield children.
The series was directly based on many of Drescher’s experiences as a young woman living and working in Queens, New York, and immediately made an impact with viewers of all ages. Fans gravitated to Drescher’s charm and comedic skills, and The Nanny quickly became a critical darling, scoring multiple award nominations.
Fran Drescher opened up about a ‘really cute’ guest star who appeared on ‘The Nanny’
The Nanny ran on television until 1999, when the series finale aired and the cast went on to pursue other ventures. Still, Drescher is still best known as Fran Fine, the stylish nanny from Queens, and the actress has lovingly embraced her legacy.
In a 2017 interview with SheKnows, Drescher talked about some of the show’s most influential guest stars — including one who went on to become a major star in his own right.
In a 1997 episode of The Nanny titled “Kissing Cousins,” Drescher worked closely with a young guest star named Jon Stewart. She admitted that she got along really well with Stewart and even though that the comic was “super cute,” but because Stewart was involved with someone else, she didn’t make any moves.
“You know, I would have gone for him in a New York minute, but I don’t go after anybody’s man — ’cause you have to narrow the pool somehow,” Drescher joked.
What is Jon Stewart best known for?
Stewart is best known to pop culture fans today as the longtime host of the political satire series The Daily Show, but for years before he made it big on Comedy Central, he worked as a standup comedian and actor.
Stewart, who was born in 1962, began performing stand-up in 1987, setting up his home base in New York City. Eventually, Stewart became a staple in the stand-up comedy scene in the city and started writing sketches and skits for various TV shows, including Caroline’s Comedy Hour.
By the early ’90s, Stewart had gained enough clout to start hosting his own series, an MTV talk show called The Jon Stewart Show. He supplemented his income by working as a guest performer in various television shows — and it was around this time that Stewart was cast in an episode of The Nanny, where he reportedly got on well with Drescher.
Stewart, who enjoys a high-powered entertainment career, prefers to keep things peaceful in his personal life — and since 2000, he has been married to his wife, Tracey Stewart. Presumably, the two were dating at the time of Stewart’s guest stint in The Nanny, which prevented Drescher from making a pass at the young comic.
