Jennie Garth Opens Up About Her Public Facade with Ex-Husband Peter Facinelli After Divorce
Jennie Garth, Peter Facinelli. QVC; Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Lionsgate
In a recent exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Jennie Garth spoke candidly about her and ex-husband Peter Facinelli’s public-facing personas following their divorce in 2012. The Beverly Hills, 90210 alum, 52, discussed her QVC collaboration and her podcast, “I Choose Me,” where she and Facinelli, 50, had a heart-to-heart conversation about their divorce and co-parenting their three children.
Garth explained that she was nervous about asking Facinelli to appear on her podcast, given their complicated past. “It happened so easily. I was nervous to ask him honestly because … it hasn’t been the easiest for us, and we have been really putting up a good face for the world.” She added, “It’s been very difficult. We wanted to finally tell the truth and let people know that this evolution could happen for us, and it [is a] situation many people … [are dealing with].”
The way it was. Jennie Garth and Peter Facinelli were married for nearly 11 years before they eventually went their separate ways. The twosome — who met on the set of 1996’s An Unfinished Affair — tied the knot in January 2001 and announced their split in March 2012. “We both share the same deep love and […]
Garth and Facinelli were married from 2001 to 2012 and share three daughters: Luca, 27, Lola, 21, and Fiona, 17. Garth married Dave Abrams in 2015, while Facinelli is engaged to Lily Anne Harrison, with whom he shares a 21-month-old son, Jack.
“It’s something that my family is struggling with and dealt with and learned from all these years,” Garth told Us of her divorce. “We just both came together and really wanted it to be a positive, helpful conversation. And I had no idea where it was gonna go.”
The actress also joked, “I opened it up, and Peter just started talking. I’ve never heard him talk that much. I think it was the first time he’s actually ever talked about it, like verbalized it to anybody.”
Almost a month after Facinelli appeared on her podcast, Garth shared with her audience that Facinelli had officially unblocked her on Instagram. “Guys, we are officially friends now,” she said during a July 1 episode of “I Choose Me.” A few days later, Garth, Facinelli, and their daughters spent a day together as a family out on the boat, per a post shared via the actress’ Instagram.
Jennie Garth and Peter Facinelli have always tried to put their three daughters first after their 2012 split. “I feel like they needed both of us. You know, they really did benefit from having both of us,” Facinelli said while making an appearance on Garth’s “I Choose Me” podcast in June 2024. “And I always […]
“That episode really changed the dynamic in our family in such a great way,” Garth said to Us. “And I never saw that coming. Life’s gifts are, you don’t ever really see them.”
Though navigating their relationship post-divorce was challenging, Garth told Us that the exes are now on better terms, adding that she even got an invitation to Facinelli’s son’s baptism. “I couldn’t make it,” she said. “It was a couple days ago, but my daughters [were] all here.”
Reporting by Travis Cronin
