Janet Jackson joined the hit sitcom Good Times in its fifth season (1977–1979) when she was just 10 years old. She played Penny Gordon Woods, a quiet and sweet girl who becomes the adopted daughter of Willona Woods, one of the show’s main characters (played by Ja’net DuBois). Penny’s storyline was powerful and emotional—it tackled child abuse, a rare and serious topic for sitcoms at the time. Penny’s mother, played by Chip Fields, was physically abusive, and her arc focused on the difficult but