50 Fun Facts About The Fosters

Which singer signed on to executive-produce The Fosters partly in tribute to her late gay aunt, Marisa?

Jennifer Lopez backed the series through her company Nuyorican Productions, which was looking to branch out into scripted television when the creators pitched it.

In which California city do Stef and Lena raise their children in The Fosters, in a Craftsman-style house?

San Diego is home to the Adams Foster family, who live in the quiet suburb of Mission Bay, close to Anchor Beach Community Charter School.

What is Stef Adams Foster's job in The Fosters, a career she shares with her ex-husband Mike?

Police officer Stef rides with Mike as her work partner, which keeps Brandon's divorced parents side by side long after their marriage ended.

Which Australian actress, also the lead of Disney's Teen Beach Movie, plays foster teen Callie in The Fosters?

Maia Mitchell moved to Los Angeles at 18 and landed a recurring part on Disney Channel's Jessie before the family drama made her a lead.

Which future star of Netflix's To All the Boys films took over the role of Jesus in The Fosters?

Noah Centineo first appeared as Jesus in the season three episode Lucky, after the original actor left at the end of season two.

Which spin-off follows Callie and Mariana from The Fosters into a communal apartment building in Los Angeles?

Good Trouble moves the sisters into a building called The Coterie, and it ran for five seasons, matching its parent show.

In The Fosters, Jude's kiss with which classmate is believed to be the youngest same-sex kiss on US television?

Connor and Jude kissed in the season two episode Now Hear This. When YouTube age-restricted the clip, a fan campaign got the limit removed in under a day.

Fed up with household secrets in season four of The Fosters, Stef punishes the kids by taking away what?

The doors come off in the episode Cruel and Unusual, the same hour that brings Jesus home from hospital.

Which actress, Pam in the Meet the Parents films, plays Stef Adams Foster in The Fosters?

Teri Polo also played Helen Santos in The West Wing, and she kept returning as Stef in guest appearances after the series ended.

Which comedian and former daytime talk show host plays group home leader Rita Hendricks in The Fosters?

Rosie O'Donnell joined in 2014 as Rita, the tough but compassionate head of Girls United who becomes a mentor to Callie.

When The Fosters begins, what job does Lena hold at Anchor Beach, the charter school her children attend?

Vice principal Lena later interviews for a promotion while pregnant, and the panel openly questions whether she can balance work and home.

Where has Callie just been released from when Lena takes her in during the pilot of The Fosters?

Juvenile detention followed Callie damaging her abusive foster father's property, and she soon goes back to that house to get Jude out.

The Fosters premiered on ABC Family; what new name did the channel adopt midway through the third season?

Freeform replaced the old name in January 2016, so the back half of season three was the first run of episodes to air under the new brand.

Which Wizards of Waverly Place actor originally played Jesus in The Fosters before leaving after two seasons?

Jake T. Austin announced his exit in March 2015, calling the drama groundbreaking, and the part was recast three months later.

Which instrument is Brandon's great talent in The Fosters, a gift threatened when a beating damages his hand?

Piano is Brandon's route into a distinguished music program, a place he misses after the attack leaves him without sensation in his hand.

Which prestigious institution accepts Brandon in The Fosters, then drops him after he sat another student's SAT?

The Juilliard School was Brandon's top choice, and he had flown to New York to audition before his academic fraud came to light.

Which celebration does Mariana have in season one of The Fosters, where she asks to dance with Mike?

A quinceañera is the party in question, and Mariana's wish to dance with Mike rather than with her moms takes Stef and Lena by surprise.

At which family event in season one of The Fosters does Jude catch Callie and Brandon kissing?

Stef and Lena's wedding fills the episode I Do, and Jude's fury over what he saw sends Callie packing her bags in the middle of the night.

What happens to Stef in season one of The Fosters while she searches a house for a missing Jesus?

She is shot by the boyfriend of the twins' birth mother, and the next episode, Vigil, uses flashbacks to show how the family was formed.

Which condition does Jesus take medication for in The Fosters, pills Mariana sells at school to raise money?

ADHD medication's side effects are why Jesus takes up a school sport on Mike's advice. The pills Mariana sold were funding the twins' birth mother.

Which school sport does Jesus take up in The Fosters on Mike's advice, later earning a boarding-school place?

Wrestling ends for Jesus at Anchor Beach once he admits taking steroids while away at the boarding school, and his moms pull him off the team.

Which tool does Jesus accidentally fire into his forehead in The Fosters while working on the garage?

A nail gun does the damage while Jesus covers for his birth dad Gabe, who has not turned up for work. Emma agrees to be his girlfriend again at the hospital.

What colour does Mariana dye her hair in season two of The Fosters to fit in with the dance team?

Blonde hair does not buy acceptance: Mariana overhears the other girls saying she only made the team because she is Latina.

Which sport does Mariana secretly train for in season five of The Fosters after forging Lena's signature?

Roller derby takes over much of the final season: Jesus becomes the team's manager and the Anchor Beach prom is moved to the rink.

From which university do Mariana and Emma return for the family reunion that opens the finale of The Fosters?

MIT suits Mariana, long the family's coding and mathematics whizz, and the reunion comes after nearly five years apart.

Which island destination hosts Brandon's marriage to Eliza Hunter in the three-part finale of The Fosters?

Turks and Caicos hosts a rocky few days: the family is at odds with the Hunters, and Mike has to tell Brandon to stand up for himself.

Which Ghostbusters and Designing Women actress plays Stef's mother, Sharon Elkin, in The Fosters?

Annie Potts, also the voice of Bo Peep in Toy Story, plays a grandmother who gets engaged to a partner she met on the road.

Which actor, Fabrizio in the film Titanic, plays Stef's ex-husband Mike in The Fosters?

Danny Nucci also stepped behind the camera to direct an episode of the final season, and his films include Crimson Tide, The Rock and Eraser.

Which actress, a veteran of the soaps Sunset Beach and One Life to Live, plays Lena in The Fosters?

Sherri Saum was announced as one of the two leads in September 2012, months before the rest of the main cast was named.

Which Dawson's Creek actor plays Robert Quinn, the man revealed as Callie's biological father, in The Fosters?

Kerr Smith played Jack McPhee on the teen drama. His character here first fights for custody of Callie, then gives up his parental rights.

Which Queer as Folk actor created The Fosters together with writing partner Bradley Bredeweg?

Peter Paige played Emmett Honeycutt on that drama, and he went on to direct episodes of the family series he co-created.

What is the title of the opening theme of The Fosters, written and sung by Kari Kimmel?

Where You Belong brought its composer an ASCAP Screen Music Award in 2017, and an instrumental version plays over the closing credits.

Which conservative group urged a boycott of The Fosters more than seven months before the series premiered?

One Million Moms, a division of the American Family Association, objected to the premise before a single episode had aired; the network stood by the show.

Which organisation gave The Fosters an Outstanding Drama Series prize and its producer a Vanguard Award?

GLAAD honoured the first season in 2014, and the drama was nominated for the same series prize in each of the next two years.

Which fan-voted ceremony named The Fosters its breakout TV show during the drama's first summer on air?

Teen Choice Awards voters made it Choice TV Breakout Show in 2013, its one win there despite nominations in most of the years that followed.

To which country does Lexi, Mariana's best friend and Jesus's girlfriend, move during season one of The Fosters?

Honduras looks permanent at first, but Lexi comes back once her family get their visas, only to find Jesus has started dating Emma.

Which illness does Brandon's girlfriend Grace, a hospital volunteer, face in the final season of The Fosters?

Leukemia treatment fails Grace despite chemotherapy and gene therapy, and she dies on the day Brandon is due to graduate.

Where does Ximena shelter from immigration agents in season five of The Fosters, with Callie and AJ beside her?

A church gives Ximena sanctuary after ICE agents turn up at the Anchor Beach prom, and she later wins a stay on her deportation.

Which struggle does Mike face in The Fosters, attending the meetings where he meets girlfriend Dani?

Alcoholism is something Mike manages in recovery, and Brandon confronts his dad about his drinking during the first season.

Which pregnancy complication does Lena develop in season two of The Fosters, leading to the loss of her baby?

Pre-eclampsia ends the pregnancy Lena began with a co-worker as donor, and Jude delivers a eulogy for the baby in the episode Mother.

What does Jude do for a stretch of season two of The Fosters before finally opening up to Callie?

He stops speaking in the episode Say Something, a spell of selective mutism, a condition usually tied to anxiety in which a person cannot speak in certain settings.

What does Jesus do for a dance-team girlfriend in The Fosters that his parents later make him reverse?

Jesus tattoos her name on the side of his chest before the pair break up, and once his parents find out they have him laser it off.

Which boyfriend of Mariana sends Anchor Beach into lockdown in the season four premiere of The Fosters?

Nick arrives armed after seeing Mariana kiss her ex, then evades the search and corners her in her own bedroom, where she talks him down.

Which of Callie's love interests in The Fosters tells her he is transgender while they work to clear Kyle?

Aaron, played by Elliot Fletcher, meets Callie in season four, takes her for a ride on his motorcycle and becomes her boyfriend in season five.

Which character in The Fosters, Stef's disapproving father, is found dead days after their falling-out?

Frank Cooper was uneasy about his daughter's sexuality, and Stef comes to regret missing the chance to ease the tension between them.

Which subject does Callie switch her major to late in The Fosters after appearing on a panel about Ximena?

Law overtakes art as Callie's passion after that panel, and at graduation Lena announces that she has won a place to study it.

At which music program does Brandon compete in The Fosters for the chance to perform at Disney Hall?

Idyllwild pays off for Brandon when he takes a huge risk at the final performance, playing his own composition instead of a safer piece.

Which actress, the villain Vee in Orange Is the New Black, plays Lena's mother Dana in The Fosters?

Lorraine Toussaint won a Critics' Choice Television Award for that Netflix villain, and also played Amelia Boynton Robinson in the film Selma.

How did Callie and Jude's mother die before The Fosters begins, in an incident that led to Donald's arrest?

A drunk-driving crash killed her instantly with Donald at the wheel, and his arrest is what sent both children into the foster care system.

Which former child star of Bridge to Terabithia plays Callie's half-sister Sophia Quinn in The Fosters?

Bailee Madison joined in 2014 as Sophia, who clings to her new sister and tears up the paperwork that would have cleared the way for the adoption.