Six stars of New Girl will reunite on 10 October at the Chrysalis Butterfly Ball in Los Angeles, where they will receive the Rising Phoenix Award. Zooey Deschanel, Max Greenfield, Jake Johnson, Lamorne Morris, Hannah Simone and Damon Wayans Jr. — the core ensemble of the Fox sitcom that ran from 2011 to 2018 — are being honoured together at the annual gala The Hollywood Reporter.

Max Greenfield will pull double duty on the night. Alongside accepting the award with his castmates, he will host the evening's proceedings The Hollywood Reporter. Greenfield also serves as one of the 2026 honorary co-chairs of the ball, a list that includes producer Betsy Beers, Rebecca Gayheart Dane, and a roster of philanthropic figures from across Los Angeles business and civic life.

The Chrysalis Butterfly Ball raises funds for Chrysalis, a Southern California nonprofit that helps people facing barriers — homelessness, incarceration, gaps in work history — find and keep meaningful employment. Mark Loranger is the organisation's president and CEO The Hollywood Reporter.

Jared Wolff, chairman and CEO of Banc of California, will also be honoured at the event with the Corporate Trailblazer Award. Wolff is the principal honoree of the 2026 ball, according to the international law firm Akerman, which is among the evening's sponsors Akerman. Additional sponsors include The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation, TruAmerica and US Bank The Hollywood Reporter.

For New Girl fans, the reunion places the cast back in the same room for a public event — something that has been relatively rare since the series wrapped. The show ran for seven seasons on Fox, later finding a substantial second life on streaming. It built its audience around the chaotic flatshare dynamics of Jess, Schmidt, Nick, Winston and Cece, with Wayans Jr. appearing in the first and final seasons as Coach.

What makes this gathering different from a typical cast reunion is the context. The award sits inside a fundraiser dedicated to workforce re-entry, not a promotional appearance for a new project. No reboot or revival has been announced alongside the event. The cast is being recognised for their collective cultural footprint, but the evening's focus remains on Chrysalis's mission and the donors who support it.

The 2026 Chrysalis Butterfly Ball takes place on 10 October in Los Angeles.