Jenny Lewis, the indie darling who fronted Rilo Kiley, just threw the wildest birthday bash imaginable—she walked down the aisle with her pooch.
As she hit the big 5-0, Lewis stunned fans by staging a heartfelt (and hilarious) mock wedding to her best furry friend, a cockapoo named Bobby Rhubarb. If that name rings a bell, it’s probably because Bobby Rhubarb has already been immortalized by Lewis in her 2021 track, “Puppy and a Truck.”
Jenny Lewis performs at Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tenn., Saturday, June 17, 2023.
The quirky ceremony was splashed all over social media, dazzling followers with candid snaps and clips of the festivities. Lewis wasn’t just the star bride—she also rocked the mic, belting out “Such Great Heights” from The Postal Service in duet with Ben Gibbard, and getting everyone grooving to Phantom Planet’s “California” alongside Alex Greenwald. Other musical pals, including Morgan Nagler and Farmer Dave Scher, pitched in for the star-studded soundscape.
Dressed in a classic white gown, Lewis took to X—formerly Twitter—to joyfully announce: “i married my dog for my 50th birthday… BLESS!” Her fans could barely contain their excitement (and puns), with one cheeky commenter shouting, “Muzzle tov!” Another cracked, “Bad news: Dogs get the seven-year itch almost immediately. Good news: It can easily be cured with belly scratches.”
Lewis’s canine devotion isn’t just for laughs—from a 2023 chat with The Independent, she credits Bobby Rhubarb with lifting her spirits during life’s stormier moments. Reflecting on her earlier, moodier songwriting, she shrugged off her twenties as prime ‘emo’ years and admitted that fighting off gloom often requires some effort—exercise, and importantly, a dog’s companionship.
Jenny Lewis performs at Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tenn., Saturday, June 17, 2023.
Long before she broke hearts with indie hits, Lewis was a child star, appearing in film favorites like “Troop Beverly Hills” and “The Wizard” back in 1989, and lighting up TV screens on “Brooklyn Bridge” in the early ‘90s. She’s described acting as a necessity to support her mom and sister, but music was always her destiny. As she told The Independent, “I was born a musician.” Ditching the actor’s life raised eyebrows in her family, but Lewis fiercely chose survival—and never looked back. Now, with Bobby Rhubarb by her side, Lewis celebrates not just her milestone birthday but a lifetime of wild, creative choices.
