Singer Jenny Lewis Celebrates Her 50th Birthday by Marrying Her Dog in Front of Friends and Bandmates

Jenny Lewis marked her 50th birthday with a tongue-in-cheek commitment to her longtime companion: her dog, Bobby Rhubarb.

In a social media post shared Saturday, Jan. 10, the Rilo Kiley frontwoman wrote, “I married my dog for my 50th birthday…BLESS!” alongside four Polaroid-style photos from a backyard ceremony with her black cockapoo. The snapshots also featured two rainbow-striped, multi-layered cakes reading “JL50!” and “For BETTER or for WORSE I do!”

Fans flooded the comments with affectionate congratulations — and a few perfectly timed canine puns. “Muzzle tov,” one person wrote. Another joked, “Bad news: Dogs get the seven-year itch almost immediately. Good news: It can easily be cured with belly scratches.”

Lewis, who turned 50 on Jan. 8, hosted the gathering with close friends including Morgan Nagler, Dave Scher, and Phantom Planet’s Alex Greenwald. Her Postal Service bandmate Ben Gibbard was also there and joined her to perform “Such Great Heights” at the reception, according to the Independent.

Bobby Rhubarb has appeared in Lewis’ orbit for years. The pup inspired her 2021 song “Puppy and a Truck,” later re-released on her 2023 LP Joy’All. “Like a shot of good luck,” she sings. “I got a puppy and a truck/If you feel like giving up/Shut up/Get a puppy and a truck.”

Lewis also spoke about adopting Bobby in a 2023 interview with Rolling Stone, reflecting on how he came into her life during a difficult stretch.

“I was in a really rough spot. I’d been isolated for over a year, quarantining totally on my own, and I had to find things to get me out of the house,” Lewis said. “The truck provided that.”

She added that caring for Bobby shifted something fundamental for her: “I don’t have any kids, but this dog opened me up in so many ways — being responsible for a soul and caring for something outside of yourself. It’s been a really important lesson for me. Kind of obvious, I guess, but I had no idea. I had fantasies of owning a white wolf. Instead, I ended up with a cockapoo.”