A Phoenix in South L.A., the New Girl Cast Reunites for the Butterfly Ball
Zooey Deschanel and her New Girl castmates will accept Chrysalis’ first Rising Phoenix Award, with Max Greenfield hosting at The Beehive.
On Saturday, October 10, the cast of New Girl will reunite at The Beehive, the sprawling outdoor venue on East 60th Street in South Los Angeles, for the Chrysalis Butterfly Ball. Zooey Deschanel, Max Greenfield, Jake Johnson, Lamorne Morris, Hannah Simone and Damon Wayans Jr. will accept the nonprofit’s inaugural Rising Phoenix Award, and Greenfield will host the night.
The award nods to Schmidt, Greenfield’s character, who observed in the show’s fourth season, “Without ash to rise from, the phoenix would just be a bird getting up.” Chrysalis picked the cast because the show’s message lines up with its own, that success is not always linear and that supportive relationships matter in hard transitions.
“This year’s honorees reflect the resilience and second chances at the heart of Chrysalis’ work,” said Mark Loranger, the organization’s president and CEO. Jared Wolff, chairman and CEO of Banc of California, will receive the Corporate Trailblazer Award.
Founded in 1984, Chrysalis helps people facing barriers to work prepare for, find and keep jobs, and its services are free. In 2025 alone, 2,195 of its clients landed jobs in the general workforce. Since 2002 the Butterfly Ball has raised more than $21 million for that mission. Honorary co-chairs include Betsy Beers and Rebecca Gayheart Dane, and The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation is among the sponsors.
The ball starts at half past five and runs until 9 p.m. Tickets and sponsorships are available through Chrysalis at changelives.org/butterfly.
