“They know who I am. They know what I am, and they certainly will see it in this costume.”

Barbara Eden recalls last time she wore ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ costume ‘by accident’ in bit with Bill Clinton and Elton John

“They know who I am. They know what I am, and they certainly will see it in this costume.”

By Rance Collins

August 23, 2026 3:25 p.m. ET

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Elton John on June 24; Barbara Eden on ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ in 1968; Bill Clinton in 2025. Credit:

Dave Benett/Getty; Ken Whitmore / TV Guide / courtesy Everett Collection; JP Yim/Getty

- Barbara Eden tells ** about the last time she put on her iconic *I Dream of Jeannie* costume.

- The public appearance in the outfit was for an AIDS charity event, where she was introduced by Bill Clinton and appeared on stage with Elton John, among others.

- While hesitant to wear it, once she had it on, Eden says she realized her fears were ‘silly,’ adding, ‘They knew how old I was.’

A genie, a president, and a pop legend walk into a charity event...

When Barbara Eden, who turned 95 on Aug. 23, was packing for the 2013 Life Ball in Vienna, she had no intention of donning the iconic *I Dream of Jeannie* costume that made her a household name. But fate had other plans.

The organizers had asked about the then-81-year-old making a surprise appearance in the outfit, but Eden was firm about saying, ‘No.” Instead, the event planners were to make her a new, more modest magical outfit.

“I didn’t want to do it. I’ll tell you that,” she tells EW in an exclusive interview. “I said, ‘Look, I’m not going to put the Jeannie costume on. There’s no way this older woman is going to put it on. So do something ... if you can cover up my arms.”

Eden jokes that she told them, “Just leave my head out at the top,” then adds slyly, “Oh no, I didn’t really say that.”

Barbara Eden on ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ in a 1968 photo.

Ken Whitmore/TV Guide/Courtesy Everett

The starry ball, which supports the charity AIDS LIFE, also included among its many celebrity guests Sir Elton John and former President Bill Clinton for its 2013 iteration.

The *Dallas* actress said “it was an accident that” she had an authentic Jeannie ensemble, complete with billowy, pink pants and red vest, with her on the trip to Europe.

“I was packing, and one of my dear friends was helping me pack. And she said, ‘Barbara, where is your genie costume?’ I said, ‘I’m not taking it. I’m not wearing it.’ She said, ‘Just take it, just in case.’ I said, ‘There’ll be no just in case. I’ll be naked before I put that on.’ Guess what? She put it in my suitcase.”

When the pair got to New York City, in route to Vienna, she tried on the costume that the event organizers crafted for her.

“I put it on. First of all, it was huge. It was like big balloon pants with stripes, big thick stripes,” she recalls.

“I couldn’t keep the pants up ... I’m a kind of a small woman. You put this big pair of pants on, and they’re ... falling down,” she remembers. “They were so disappointed. They thought, ‘Oh my God,’ you know, ‘What’s she going to wear? Cause this isn’t going to work.’”

Elton John, Bill Clinton, and Barbara Eden at the 2013 Life Ball.

Willi Schneider/Shutterstock

That’s when Eden broke out the OG costume.

“I said, ‘Okay, hold on’ ... I took it into the bathroom in the hotel, and I put it on, and I came out. I said, ‘Do you think I can pass in this?’ ‘Well, yeah, yeah, yeah.’ You know, they were just glad to get off the hot seat,” she says. ‘But that’s why I had it on.’”

The event went smashingly, garnering Eden, who was introduced by Clinton, headlines praising her appearance at the event.

“Of all the things I have to thank [Life Ball founder] Gery Keszler for, meeting Barbara Eden may be the best,” Clinton said on stage, then using a genie “three wishes” metaphor to encourage support for the organization.

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Eden says that once she was on stage, appearing to thunderous ovation, she realized she didn’t care what people thought.

“I don’t care. They knew how old I was,” she shares. “Once it was done, I realized it’s silly. It’s for a good cause. They know who I am. They know what I am, and they certainly will see it in this costume.”

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Eden adds that she believes the costume was indeed one used on the series, which ran on NBC from 1965 to 1970. Procuring one of the originals, however, wasn’t easy, the *Harper Valley PTA* star says.

“It was difficult to get it because Columbia wouldn’t let anyone have it, but they allowed the wives to to take them, you know, and use them,” Eden reveals. “For Halloween, for you know, [or a] party. And then they didn’t bring them back. I know this because I knew the wardrobe person in charge. And they said, We had the hardest time. We can’t keep the costume.’”

“But I did have it [for] Vienna, and I’m so happy I did. It was a wonderful experience,” she concludes.

Barbara Eden will be honored on Saturday, Sept. 5 at the Cinecon Classic Film in Los Angeles, introduced by Pat Boone, with a special screening of their 1961 film *All Hands on Deck*. For tickets and information, visit the Cinecon website.

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