Jennie Garth
Photo Credit: Angela Weiss/Getty Images
Twenty years ago, Garth moved from Urbana, Ill., to Los Angeles to pursue acting and promptly took Hollywood by storm as one of the breakout stars of the hit TV series, Beverly Hills, 90210.
Shannen Doherty and Ian Ziering, her co-stars on Beverly Hills, 90210, were among those attending Thursday's event.
Garth's new CMT series captures her in search of a simpler life as she moves her family to a seven-acre farm in the countryside of Central California, where she hopes to put the pressures of Hollywood aside and experience a new way of life. It's a move that will either give her the all-American lifestyle she has always dreamed of or turn her family's world completely upside down.
On the red carpet at the A Little Bit Country celebration, Garth talked about the show.
"It's not a scandalous, gross reality show," she said. "It's a really sweet, heartfelt show, and it shows a part of me that's very vulnerable and real. ... I just needed to slow it down for a little bit. As much as I love L.A. and I love what I do, I wanted to focus on my girls. I love nature and I love being in the country, so I just kind of wanted to have that for them for a while."
She acknowledged that living in a rural area has its advantages and disadvantages.
"It's nice because you don't have to worry about things," she said. "You don't have to lock your doors. I leave the keys in my car, and I don't lock it. The hardest part is that there's no take-out food, so I have to cook a lot."
Garth skyrocketed to stardom with her role as Kelly Taylor on Beverly Hills, 90210, which ran for 10 seasons and remains one of the most successful television series produced. She recently reprised her role in the new 90210 series. She was back at West Beverly High, but this time she was grown up and working as the school guidance counselor.
In 2007, she competed on ABC's Dancing With the Stars. Her newfound moves and loyal fans made her a crowd favorite and kept her in the competition through the semifinals. In 2002, she made her comedy debut as the straight-laced sister of Amanda Bynes in the WB network's What I Like About You, which aired for four seasons.
View photos from the party.
