‘Charlie’s Angels’ 50th Reunion: 5 Eandearing Moments, Plus 1 Shocking Revelation
On Monday, April 6, 2026, fans packed the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California, to celebrate their favorite TV show, Charlie’s Angels, the show that broke the glass ceiling for women on TV and stood as a testament to the ’70s women’s movement that, indeed, women could do anything without any help from a man. The night was full of laughter, memories, and celebration.
Thunderous applause and screams greeted Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith, and Cheryl Ladd as they took the stage. It was the first time in 34 years that these Angels appeared together on stage since the 1994 People’s Choice Awards, when the show honored Charlie’s Angels producer Aaron Spelling.
Moved by the audience’s overwhelming appreciation, all three stars thanked the crowd. “It’s you people,” as Jackson, Smith, and Ladd all pointed to the audience. Jackson explained: “You mean much more to us than you can imagine. We are so grateful to you. You invited us into your homes and continue to stick with us – 50 years!”
The evening started with a 15-minute montage of clips highlighting some of the series’ most memorable episodes, including Angels in Chains from Season 1, where the Angels went undercover in an all-women’s prison; Circus of Terror from Season 2, Cheryl Ladd’s first episode; and Angel Come Home from Season 3, which featured the return of Farrah Fawcett, among others. The event was moderated by George Pennacchio, an entertainment reporter from ABC7 Eyewitness News in Los Angeles.
1 The Angels praying in those publicity stills wasn’t planned
©ABC/Everett Collection
So how exactly did those iconic ‘praying hand’ poses even originate? Turns out it wasn’t part of any publicity plan. Smith shared she did not know where it came from and referred to Jackson, who revealed it was her idea and bluntly said, “We just did it,” and the audience erupted in screams and laughter.
Jackson continued to share that many of the ideas that became the basis of the series were actually from her suggestions. In her contract for The Rookies — another Spelling/Goldberg series that she starred on — there was a clause that included a second series for Jackson. The series was about three young cops, and she thought about it as three-woman cops. In the meeting, she was told about the show’s original title, “The Alley Cats,” and it was available because all three networks had taken a pass. “Oh, my boy, that sounds like a real winner,” she said of the title.
She admitted she did not know how to start, so she said: “Once upon a time…” The crowd yelled and applauded as Jackson shared her ideas about the speaker box and how she came up with the show’s title.
2 ‘Liquor never passes Jackie’s lips,’ but it did for Jackson and Fawcett!
Credit: Mike Pingel
It was clear that the ladies’ adoration of their late costar Farrah Fawcett remains. Jackson shared a funny story about Fawcett during the filming of the “Angels in Chains” episode.
“Farrah disappeared,” Jackson said. “I went to look for her, and the door of the prop master was closed, and it shouldn’t have been, so I opened it, and there she was. She had the gas stove turned on, she’s sitting in a chair with her feet up and drinking a little jigger of vodka to get warm. It was freezing, and she asked if I wanted one – and I took one -then we walked back on stage. Tried to give Jackie one, but liquor never passes those lips. It was fun. Farrah was funny.”
Cheryl Ladd reflected on joining the cast and how they pitched her as a follow-up to Farrah. “Everyone loves Farrah, I don’t know who’s going to try to take that place,” Ladd remembered. Spelling told her he had an idea about her character being Fawcett’s little sister and being part of the family already, and with that storyline. “I’m in,” Ladd adds.
3 Cheryl Ladd updates fans on her battle with breast cancer
Cheryl Ladd shared with the audience that she had a battle with aggressive breast cancer. “First of all, these are not words you are looking to be told, and it’s always a shock,” she said. “Mine was an aggressive form. I have wonderful doctors. I was bald and had no eyelashes for quite a while. It was a humbling experience, yet I had a wonderful husband who helped me fight all through it. He was there for me in every turn, and that makes a big difference. Eventually, I started getting little sprouts of hair, and I was like, ‘Oh! I’m getting hair! I’m coming back!’”
Both Jackson and Smith also candidly spoke about their own personal battle with breast cancer. Jackson saying: “It’s really important to understand and not be afraid about getting a mammogram – because early detection is the key.”
4 Kate Jackson never met John Forsythe, who played Charlie.
Credit: Mike Pingel
This one came as more of a shocker when Kate Jackson revealed that she never met actor John Forsythe, who played the voice of Charlie, during the shooting of the show. “I left him messages when we went to rerecord things that were not clean on the soundtrack. I would leave him a message, and he would leave me one. I didn’t want to meet him during the show.”
5 Jacyln Smith could have been in Beetlejuice.
Jacyln Smith shared that she was considered for a handful of films that went on to be classics, including Beetlejuice, which she said she didn’t take because she didn’t understand the film. “You read a script, and it doesn’t ring true to you, and it’s what you can bring to it,” Smith explained. “At one point, John Travolta was to do Nine ½ Weeks, and I was to do that. But I wasn’t really right for that either.”
BONUS: Kate Jackson to return to acting.
Fans went wild after Kate Jackson said she really wants to get back to her love of acting when it was suggested that the trio should do a new project together.
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