JoAnna García | |
|---|---|
 García in 2008 | |
| Born | (1979-08-10)August 10, 1979 (age 46) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Steve Swisher (father-in-law) |
JoAnna García Swisher (born August 10, 1979)[1] is an American actress and businesswoman. She is known for her roles as Sam inAre You Afraid of the Dark? (1994–96),Vicki Appleby inFreaks and Geeks (1999–2000), andCheyenne Hart-Montgomery onThe WB/CW sitcomReba (2001–07). She has also gained popularity with her acting roles inPrivileged (2008–09),Better with You (2010–11),Animal Practice (2012),Once Upon a Time (2013–18),The Astronaut Wives Club (2015),Fist Fight (2017) andSweet Magnolias (2020–present). García also stars as Lindsey Johnson inHallmark Channel'sAs Luck Would Have It (2021).[2] She has hosted two seasons ofThe Ultimatum: Queer Love onNetflix starting in 2023.
García was born to Loraine, a homemaker and former elementary school teacher, and Jay García (1945–2019),[3] agynecologist fromCuba.[4][5]
Disney Channel discovered her, but her parents put school first and she acted in localplays to keep up with her passion. She was thehomecoming queen[6] at Florida'sTampa Catholic High School.[5]
While in Florida, García guest starred inseaQuest DSV,Second Noah, andSuperboy and several films of the week. While attending high school, she was re-discovered byNickelodeon and starred for three seasons as Samantha onAre You Afraid of the Dark?. She commuted from Florida to Montreal, Canada, where the show was filmed. She was cast at the age of fifteen on the 1994 television dramaParty of Five, playing the recurring character Hallie. She had a recurring role onFreaks and Geeks (1999–2000) portraying the character ofVicki Appleby, the popular freshmancheerleader who spentseven minutes in heaven with the ultimate geek,Bill Haverchuck (Martin Starr).[5] She then briefly attended college atFlorida State University where she was a member of theDelta Delta Delta sorority,[7][8] but later quit school to pursue acting full-time, moving to Los Angeles, California.
García went on to portray the character ofCheyenne Hart-Montgomery, Reba's (Reba McEntire) oldest daughter onThe WB/CW sitcomReba (2001–07). She was featured on the short-livedCBS comedyWelcome to the Captain. Beginning in the fall of 2008, she starred as Megan Smith in the CW seriesPrivileged (originally known asHow to Survive the Filthy Rich). On the big screen, García was seen in the comedy spoofNot Another Teen Movie.[5] She has also appeared in the original television filmsFrom the Earth to the Moon (1998) andLove's Deadly Triangle: The Texas Cadet Murder (1997). She also appeared in theABC Family television filmThe Initiation of Sarah, which premiered in October 2006. In 2008, she had a role inA Very Merry Daughter of the Bride, playing Roxanne. She had a leading role in theABC Family television filmRevenge of the Bridesmaids alongsideRaven-Symoné.
In 2009, García had a recurring role on The CW dramaGossip Girl playing the role ofBree Buckley, an irreverent evilMiss America-type who is politically progressive but from a conservative Southern family. She appeared in four episodes in season three.[9] In December 2009, she guest starred as Maggie,Ted Mosby's college buddy onHow I Met Your Mother.
García starred in the ABC sitcomBetter with You. The show centers on two sisters who were at different points in their romantic relationships: one was unmarried and in a long-term relationship, and the other (García) got married after getting pregnant from aone-night stand.[10] It was canceled on May 13, 2011.[11]
Garcia guest-starred onThe Penguins of Madagascar in the episode "The Officer X Factor/Love Hurts", which aired on February 12, 2011. In 2012, Garcia appeared in four episodes of theUSA NetworkdramedyRoyal Pains as anephrologist treating Jack O'Malley (Tom Cavanagh).[12] In 2013, during season three of the seriesOnce Upon a Time she began playing the recurring role of Ariel fromThe Little Mermaid.
On May 9, 2022, she launched ahome decor collection titled "Clover by Jo" forHSN.[13] The line includes bedding, pillows, mirrors, lamps, lanterns and planters.[14][15]
During her career, she has graced the covers of numerous magazines such asLatina,Miami Living[16] andSouthern Living's first-ever digital issue,The Dream HomesIssue.[17] In 2004, she appeared in apromotional campaign and television commercial for retailerKmart.[18][19] In October 2023, Garcia Swisher teamed up withMcCormick forback-to-school social media ads and events.[20]
In 2008, García became engaged to Trace Ayala, the personal assistant and childhood friend ofJustin Timberlake who co-founded the clothing companyWilliam Rast.[21]
In August 2009,People magazine reported that García was dating baseball playerNick Swisher.[22] They became engaged in May 2010,[23] and married on December 11, 2010, at the Breakers Hotel & Resort inPalm Beach, Florida.[24] Bridesmaids for García included friends and fellow actressesJamie-Lynn Sigler,Melissa Peterman, andReba McEntire.[25] Since her marriage, she has been credited as Joanna García Swisher.[12] They have two daughters, one born in 2013[26][27] and the other in 2016.[28]
García volunteers as a teacher for children who are learningEnglish as a second language. She is involved with the organization Make the Commitment, whose purpose is to raise awareness aboutcervical cancer.[29][30][31] She has an organization called We Reach,[6] a charity which has assembled an advisory board in the entertainment industry to help young girls around the country organize charity events in their hometowns. The charity also has the goal of empowering young women.
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Love's Deadly Triangle: The Texas Cadet Murder | Susie |
| 1999 | Holy Joe | Joyce Cass |
| 2001 | American Pie 2 | Christy |
| Not Another Teen Movie | Sandy Sue | |
| 2006 | Then Initiation of Sarah | Corinne |
| A-List | Naomi | |
| 2008 | A Very Merry Daughter of the Bride | Roxanne |
| Extreme Movie | Sweetie Pie | |
| 2010 | Revenge of the Bridesmaids | Parker Wald |
| 2013 | The Internship | Megan |
| 2017 | Fist Fight | Maggie Campbell |
| 2022 | Christmas with the Campbells | Becky |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Superboy | Girl | Episode: "Obituary for a Superhero" |
| Clarissa Explains It All | Fiona | Episode: "Take My Advice... Please" | |
| 1994–1996 | Are You Afraid of the Dark? | Sam | Main role |
| 1994 | seaQuest DSV | Iris | Episode: "Playtime" |
| 1996 | Step by Step | Chelsea | Episode: "We're Going to Disney World: Part 1" |
| 1996 & 1997 | Second Noah | Katherine Ortega | 3 episodes |
| 1998 | From the Earth to the Moon | Julie Shepard | Miniseries; episode: "For Miles and Miles" |
| Party of Five | Hallie | 5 episodes | |
| Any Day Now | Martha Montgomery | Episode: "It's Who You Sleep With" | |
| 1999 | Dawson's Creek | Girl #1 – Tracy | Episode: "Be Careful What You Wish For" |
| Pacific Blue | Leah Chandler | Episode: "Lucky 13" | |
| Providence | Gillian | Episode: "Heaven Can Wait" | |
| CI5: The New Professionals | Cadet Susan | Episode: "Glory Days" | |
| 2000 | Freaks and Geeks | Vicki Appleby | 5 episodes |
| Opposite Sex | Cassie Schreiber | Episode: "The Homosexual Episode" | |
| Freedom | Sally Mueller | Episode: "Assassins" | |
| Boston Public | Susan Potter | Episode: "Chapter Four" | |
| 2001 | Go Fish | Amanda | Episode: "Go P.D.A." |
| Going to California | Jennifer | Episode: "I Know Why the Caged Rhino Sings" | |
| 2001–2007 | Reba | Cheyenne Hart-Montgomery | Main role |
| 2001 | Off Centre | Ramona | Episode: "Let's Meet Mike and Euan" |
| 2004 | What I Like About You | Fiona | Episode: "Three Little Words" |
| 2005 | Family Guy | Liddane | Voice, episode: "8 Simple Rules for Buying My Teenage Daughter" |
| 2008 | Welcome to the Captain | Hope | Main role |
| 2008–2009 | Privileged | Megan Smith | Main role |
| 2009 | Gossip Girl | Bree Buckley | 4 episodes |
| How I Met Your Mother | Maggie | Episode: "The Window" | |
| 2010–2011 | Better with You | Mia Putney | Main role |
| 2011 | The Penguins of Madagascar | Shauna | Voice, episode: "Love Hurts" |
| 2012 | Royal Pains | Nina Greene | 4 episodes |
| Animal Practice | Dorothy Crane | Main role; 9 episodes | |
| 2013–2015, 2017–2018 | Once Upon a Time | Ariel | Recurring role (7 episodes) |
| 2014 | The Mindy Project | Sally Prentice | 3 episodes |
| 2015 | The Astronaut Wives Club | Betty Grissom | Main role; 10 episodes |
| Grandfathered | Sloan | Episode: "Edie's Two Dads" | |
| 2016 | Pitch | Rachel Patrick | 3 episodes |
| 2017–2018 | Kevin (Probably) Saves the World | Amy Cabrera | Main role; 16 episodes |
| 2020–present | Sweet Magnolias | Maddie Townsend | Main role; 40 episodes |
| 2021 | As Luck Would Have It | Lindsey Johnson | Television film (Hallmark Channel) |
| 2023 | The Ultimatum: Queer Love | Host | 6 episodes |
| Year | Title | Artist(s) | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | "Every Other Weekend" | Reba McEntire feat.Kenny Chesney | Female lead |
| Year | Association | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress – Comedy | Reba | Nominated |
| 2009 | ALMA Awards | Actress in Television – Comedy | Privileged |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
