New Girl reunion hopes dashed as star admits they ‘misread the email’
After a viral tease raised hopes for a New Girl reunion, Max Greenfield has since walked it back with a clarifying note that leaves fans gutted.
If you were getting your hopes up for a New Girl reunion based on Max Greenfield's recent comments, you might want to reign it in — turns out the story’s changed, and not in the way fans were hoping for.
The ‘Reunion’ That Wasn’t
Everything kicked off on 31 July, when Greenfield — that’s Schmidt himself, just to be clear — popped up on Today with Jenna & Sheinelle and gave the most optimistic update fans have had in years. He basically told the world a reunion was happening, even going so far as to claim creator Elizabeth Meriwether had already sorted the scripts. He gushes over them, calling her a "very talented writer" and leaving everyone to assume it’s all systems go for a New Girl reboot, revival or whatever you want to call it.
Cue a little time passing, and now Greenfield's taken a step back — or possibly a giant leap backwards — in a new chat with Variety. This is the bit that really matters. Speaking to the magazine, Greenfield admitted:
“I misread the email. Or should I say, I just read the subject, which read, ‘New Girl reunion.’”
In other words, he never actually checked the contents — just saw the words ‘reunion’ and ran with it on national TV. Greenfield tried to brush it off as a bit of a character flaw, admitting this isn’t the first time he’s done something like it. His own words on the self-deprecation front:
“I’m still a work in progress. I can only hope this little mix-up doesn’t dim the light we’re trying to shine on such an incredible organization.”
Fans, quite unsurprisingly, are now theorising that Greenfield maybe let slip something confidential and has to backpedal to keep the studio bosses happy. Whether that's the case or just him being a bit careless with emails, who knows — but for now, there’s officially no solid update on any sort of new New Girl screen project.
But There Is a Get-Together
If you’re desperate to see the gang reunited, there is one silver lining: the original cast of New Girl will be appearing together at this year’s Chrysalis Butterfly Ball in Los Angeles. That includes Zooey Deschanel, Max Greenfield, Jake Johnson, Lamorne Morris, Hannah Simone and Damon Wayans Jr. — pretty much the whole lot. They’re getting the Rising Phoenix Award, with Greenfield himself due to host the event on 10 October. For those keeping score, that’s the same event where Banc of California boss Jared Wolff will be picking up a ‘Corporate Trailblazer’ nod.
The Chrysalis president, Mark Loranger, tried to draw a neat line linking the award to the show’s theme of fresh starts and second chances. His remarks summed it up with a nod to the cast, the charity and Los Angeles coming together:
“This year’s honorees reflect the resilience and second chances at the heart of Chrysalis’ work. Jared, through his leadership at Banc of California, has invested in Los Angeles where our clients are doing the same, and New Girl built seven seasons around characters navigating through life changes and starting over.”
So, reunion — yes, but if you’re after a new episode or movie, that really was just Greenfield getting a bit too enthusiastic in his inbox. For now, the closest we’ll get is a fancy charity bash and a load of well-deserved nostalgia.