Indie Rock Icon Marries Her Dog at Star-Studded 50th Birthday Party

What better way to spend your birthday than by the side of your beloved dog? For her 50th, indie rock darling Jenny Lewis — most famous for being the lead singer of Rilo Kiley, as well as her successful solo career — took this idea to a whole new level. On January 8, she donned a beautiful white dress and married her Cockapoo, Bobby Rhubarb.

Lewis announced the celebration on X, posting a few artsy polaroid pictures of the event with the caption “i married my dog for my 50th birthday… BLESS!”

Of course, the ceremony was purely for fun and not legally binding in any way. And for fans of the musician, it might not be that surprising; Lewis has long spoken about her great love for Bobby Rhubarb. Her 2021 song “Puppy and a Truck” is a tender ode about her “unconditional love” for her dog. Bobby is often featured on Lewis’ social media, whether the pup is sunbathing in LA, enjoying a grooming session, or touring with Harry Styles.

Lewis’ birthday-wedding bash was complete with custom illustrated place cards and a brightly colored cake. She walked down the aisle in a gorgeous wedding dress, joined by Bobby Rhubarb on a leash. According to Stereogum, singer-songwriter Morgan Nagler of Whispertown and composer Farmer Dave Scher performed during the ceremony. 

After the nuptials, Lewis sang “Such Great Heights” with fellow Postal Service (another side project) band member Ben Gibbard and “California” with Phantom Planet band member Alex Greenwald. 

In an interview with The Colorado Sound, Lewis explained that she adopted Bobby Rhubarb during the Covid-19 pandemic and the dog “just totally changed [her] life.” She added that Bobby is not a huge fan of drums, so when Lewis is on tour, she hides out in the dressing room. 

In Exclaim, Lewis described how her life is now structured around Bobby Rhubarb’s go-with-the-flow approach. “I just follow Bobby Rhubarb’s lead now, where she wakes up in the morning, first thing she yawns and then she stretches, and then she wants to go outside,” she said. “Then we go outside, and then we sit in the sun for a minute. And then we come back in and she drinks water, and I drink water. Those are the important things in life.”

Bobby Rhubarb also helped Lewis work through anxieties she faced about the societal pressure to settle down with a partner and child. “I feel really great right now, I do,” she told The i Paper in 2023. “I’m single, and it did take a minute to be comfortable with that — there’s so much pressure to have a partner, to have a child — but I’m still on a mission to get my work out there as an autonomous artist. I’m open to whatever comes next in my life, but here, now? I’m totally cool to be on my own, with my dog.”

It makes sense that Lewis would want to celebrate a big life milestone by reaffirming the love she has for Bobby. Sure, it’s unconventional, but that’s what her fans love about her: Lewis’s music has always been about doing things her own way.