Jennifer Garner Reflects on 50th Birthday Celebration Inspired by Lifelong Friendships

Jennifer Garner is looking back on the memorable celebration she hosted for her 50th birthday, saying it brought together friends from every stage of her life.

Speaking on Open Book with Jenna Bush Hager while promoting her new Peacock series The Five-Star Weekend, Garner said her April 2022 birthday coincided with Easter, creating a three-day weekend that allowed her to gather friends for a special reunion.

"I kind of threw myself a wedding," Garner joked, describing the event as a weekend filled with meaningful moments, including a girls-only evening. She said it was especially rewarding to reunite friends from different chapters of her life, including former Alias castmates and colleagues she rarely sees outside of work.

Garner previously told Town & Country that the celebration also supported a good cause. Guests assembled 5,000 backpacks filled with food for families through the nonprofit Blessings in a Backpack before celebrating together.

Her birthday festivities also included a surprise visit from singer Donny Osmond, who presented her with a cake referencing her film 13 Going on 30. Garner later thanked him on Instagram, calling the experience unforgettable.

Garner currently stars in The Five-Star Weekend, based on Elin Hilderbrand's novel. The Peacock miniseries follows a food influencer who invites four friends from different periods of her life to Nantucket as she copes with the loss of her husband. The cast includes Gemma Chan, Chloë Sevigny, Timothy Olyphant, Regina Hall, Josh Hamilton and D'Arcy Carden. The series is now streaming on Peacock.