The New Girl cast reunion took place on the purple carpet at the 2026 Chrysalis Butterfly Ball in Los Angeles, bringing together Jake Johnson, Zooey Deschanel, Hannah Simone, Lamorne Morris, Max Greenfield and Damon Wayans Jr.
The six actors posed for photographs at The Beehive on Saturday evening, marking their first red-carpet appearance together since the comedy series ended more than eight years ago. Greenfield hosted the event and served as an honorary co-chair, while the cast received the Rising Phoenix Award.
The Chrysalis Butterfly Ball raises funds to help people overcome barriers to meaningful employment.
The New Girl cast reunion was organised by Max Greenfield
Greenfield arranged the reunion after mentioning it during an appearance on Today with Jenna & Sheinelle. His reference to having “seen scripts” for a possible reunion led fans to believe the actors would be returning to the screen.
However, the show’s creator later made clear that no scripts existed and that an on-screen reunion was not being developed.
The misunderstanding became part of the evening’s speeches as the cast accepted its award. Deschanel thanked Greenfield, joking that he had made their lives “so very annoying” by announcing that an actual New Girl reunion was happening.
Greenfield apologised for the confusion, saying: “I probably should have just said there is a New Girl reunion and it’s happening on Oct. 10 in support of Chrysalis.”
He explained that he had become excited before deciding to turn the announcement into “a fun pivot”. Johnson later added: “He did such a bad job it was unbelievable.”
Speaking on stage, Greenfield said the group’s appearances attracted attention and thanked those who had attended the charity event. He also joked about the cast’s educational backgrounds, claiming that none of the six actors had graduated from college “except apparently Hannah”, while saying Johnson’s claim that he had graduated was not believed by the others.
