'Beverly Hills 90210' star, Jennie Garth, opened up about the impact of her fame from the show, the trauma she faced from the divorce with her first husband and miscarriages from her second marriage.
Jennie Garth is an American actress, best known for playing the role of 'Kelly Taylor' throughout the Beverly Hills 90210 franchise. While this was back in the '90s, when Jennie was reportedly 18 years old, the actress recently, at the age of 54, sat down for an interview with People, where she opened up about her iconic line from the show, "I choose me," and how she relates to it today.
It was back in May of 1995 that Jennie Garth's character, 'Kelly Taylor,' faced a conundrum. For those unaware, she had to choose between 'Dylan McKay' (Luke Perry) and 'Brandon Walsh' (Jason Priestley), who were the hottest guys at West Beverly Hills High. She decided to walk away from both of them at the time, simply saying, "I choose me." Recalling the feminist statement today, during an April 8, 2026, interview with People, she said that "At that age, I didn't really get it."
However, at the age of 56, Jennie Garth finally gets it. It is worth noting that in the years after Beverly Hills 90210 ended, Jennie has endured a lot, from a painful divorce and miscarriages to mental health struggles. The actress said that after she turned 50, “the phrase just came back to me and it started to really resonate.” Since then, Jennie has found both sobriety and confidence. In fact, she has also leaned into the “I Choose Me” movement with a podcast and a new memoir titled I Choose Me: Chasing Joy, Finding Purpose, and Embracing Reinvention. The book is all set to be released in a few days, on April 14, 2026, from Park Row, an imprint of Harper Collins.
Jennie said that even though it took a while, she's finally at a place where she is comfortable choosing herself. Well, it might come as a surprise to those who have watched Jennie as ‘Kelly Taylor' that a person like her can also struggle with self-worth and imposter syndrome. On the topic, Jennie said that unlike her character, she did not grow up anywhere near Beverly Hills. She also never thought that there would come a day when she would become one of the most famous teens in the world after being cast on 90210. She said:
“It was like being in The Beatles. There was no preparation for it. It was scary and unknown for all of us, and it was like sink or swim, just survive and figure it out as you go. It was a major on-the-job training.”
Apparently, due to the constant exposure she faced at the time, Jennie suffered from intense anxiety. This led her to do everything she could in an effort to protect her privacy. Claiming that she did a good job at it, Jennie recalled that she used to walk around, not making eye contact with people. The urge not to let anyone know anything about her life also led her to an isolated existence.
Jennie recounted how hard she was on herself after her marriage to actor, Peter Facinelli fell apart in 2012. During their 17 years of marriage, the duo had welcomed three children together. She said that when she was at her lowest, she took pills after drinking one night, to the point that she had to get her stomach pumped. Although she went to rehab to learn how to stop self-medicating in harmful ways, it did not stop the pain she felt after her divorce. Jennie said:
“I noticed my light really dimming. I wasn’t putting off good vibes. I could see it in the mirror. I could look at the negative impact that that kind of grief and anger was having on me. And there was a weird switch where one day I just said, ‘I don’t want to carry this anymore. It’s impacting my relationships and how I feel about myself. I’ve got to let it go. I’ve got to forgive him.’"
At present, Jennie and her ex-husband are friendly co-parents. She is living a sober and harmonious life with her new husband, Dave Abrams, although the two also went through a rough patch. Reportedly, the duo separated for close to a year owing to the pressures of IVF and miscarriages. Dave even filed for divorce, a fact that Jennie learned from TMZ in 2018. They reconciled a year later in 2019. Recalling the time she said:
“I really wanted to give Dave a baby because he was young and all his friends were having kids and I just thought that's what he needed.”
What are your thoughts on Jennie Garth's revelations?
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