Barbara Eden, the 95-year-old star of I Dream of Jeannie, has been reflecting on her decades-long career, three marriages and the loss of her only son in a series of recent interviews, along with the advice she gives anyone trying to make it in Hollywood.
On a June 2025 episode of actress Jennie Garth's podcast, I Choose Me, Eden said the key to surviving the industry's noise is to tune it out. "You don't pay any attention to anything anyone says," she said. "Because you will get so much criticism, negativity or too much, you know, a puff thing. So, just be true to yourself."
A genie who became a household name
Eden starred as a 2,000-year-old genie opposite Larry Hagman's astronaut Major Anthony Nelson on I Dream of Jeannie, the NBC sitcom that ran for five seasons in the 1960s and made her a household name. The two-time Golden Globe nominee has said she will keep working "until I can't," though her most recent acting credit remains 2019's My Adventures With Santa.
Three marriages and finding lasting love
Eden's greatest wish, she has said, came true in 1991 when she met her third husband, real estate developer and architect Jon Eicholtz. She was previously married to actor Michael Ansara from 1958 to 1974, and to Chicago Sun-Times executive Charles Fegert from 1977 to 1982.
Telling People in October 2021 that she considers herself "really lucky," Eden credited Eicholtz, whom she called her "very supportive husband," along with her close friends. "I think life, everything, has to work itself out," she said. "There's a reason for most things, and I can't wish for it."
The loss of her son
Eden and Ansara welcomed son Matthew Ansara in 1965. Six years later, she carried his brother for almost eight months before doctors told her the baby had died in the womb. "It was awful," she told People in 2021. "I became numb. You just deal with everything every day."
Matthew died in 2001 at age 35 following a heroin overdose. "I don't think there's anything worse than to lose your child," Eden told People. "As a parent, I had a lot of guilt and anger, and following his death I was always on the edge of tears. Even though he was 35, he was still my baby."
A quiet life in Beverly Hills
These days, Eden shares a home in Beverly Hills with Eicholtz and their labradoodle, Bentley. "We're just happy to be together," she told People last year. "We really enjoy each other." She marked a recent Easter with a photo of the two dressed as bunnies, writing on Instagram, "Happy Easter from us bunnies! We hope it's been beautiful and full of joy!"
Their home also holds an extensive bottle collection, many gifted by I Dream of Jeannie fans over the years.
Remembered for more than Jeannie
Eden told People in 2024 that fans often ask her about an earlier role as a manicurist on a single episode of The Andy Griffith Show, and about a guest appearance on I Love Lucy. "When I was doing it, I just didn't think about it, that it would ever live that long or people would remember it," she said.
Speaking to the outlet in 2023, Eden said she counts herself fortunate to have built a career doing work she loves. "Many people don't realize what a joy it is and what a gift it is to be able to work in an arena that you really love," she said. "So many people have to work in jobs they hate, and they have to do it just for sustenance, but aren't we lucky when we can study for something, enjoy it and know that other people enjoy it? I think that's a gift that life gives us, if we are willing to work for it."
Back in the genie costume
Eden still makes convention appearances, and in 2013 she agreed to attend the Life Ball charity event in her original Jeannie costume, though she initially resisted. "I didn't want to do it. I'll tell you that," she told Entertainment Weekly. "I said, 'Look, I'm not going to put the Jeannie costume on. There's no way this older woman is going to put it on.'"
A replacement outfit made for the appearance was too large and kept slipping, so a friend produced Eden's original costume as a backup. "Once it was done, I realized it's silly," Eden said. "It's for a good cause. They know who I am. They know what I am, and they certainly will see it in this costume."
Staying active and writing more books
Eden told Fox News in 2024 that she used to take spinning classes and lift weights with a trainer, but switched to riding a stationary bike and using light weights at home after the coronavirus pandemic began, saying the routine is "good for your bones."
She has also written two books, the 2012 memoir Jeannie Out of the Bottle and the 2021 children's book Barbara and the Djinn, and told People she hopes to write another for young readers. "As a child, I was always encouraged to read, and I find that it is a true gift that you can give to your child or to other children," she said.
Open to a Jeannie reboot
Eden calls the Jeannie role a "huge blessing" and said fans still ask her to perform the character's signature double-blink. "It's magic," she told People last year. "Magic is good."
Asked about a potential reboot of the sitcom at the 2019 Paley Honors, Eden said she would welcome one, as long as it wasn't a copy of the original. "It would have to be different. I don't think you'd ever copy something, but it's a good idea," she said. "They should do it."
