Barbara Eden Makes Surprising Admission About ‘I Dream of Jeannie’  originally appeared on Parade.

Actress Barbara Eden, 93, is opening up about her time on the beloved NBC sitcom, I Dream of Jeannie.

During a Forbes interview, published on July 31, Eden, who famously played the genie named Jeannie on the show, shared whether she believed modern audiences would accept I Dream of Jeannie being made now, as reported by Remind Magazine. She noted that Jeannie did call Captain/Major Anthony “Tony” Nelson, played by Larry Hagman, master, which would likely be controversial.

“I think it could be – I’m not sure that anyone would want to do it. You know, ‘master’ is just a word and it was in her vocabulary,” said Eden during the interview. “She didn’t really say she was a slave. Never, you know? It was actually a classic theme. A thousand years and all the genies – and she was an entity. She wasn’t a human, but she thought she could be a human and [Tony] knew she couldn’t – and there, you have the comedy, because she just wasn’t human.”

In addition, Eden shared if she thought Jeannie was “ahead of her time” during the show’s five-year run until 1970.

“Well, you know she was 2,000 years old, but she was learning. She learned quickly. She didn’t know she was ahead of her time. I think Jeannie, her heart ruled – but she did,” said Eden to the publication.

While speaking to Forbes, Eden shared what she most appreciated about filming I Dream of Jeannie. She said she enjoyed the company of Hagman, Bill Daily, who played Captain/Major Roger Healey, and Hayden Rorke, who played Colonel Alfred Bellows.

“I guess it’s the sense of family. We all liked each other and it was fun being in the show, doing it,” said Eden. “I have looked back recently, as a matter of fact – how lucky we were to have Hayden Rorke and Larry and Bill Daily. I mean, they were talented, talented men who could do more than just the comedy – but thank god they could do the comedy. We were surrounded by good people, good talent – and that is rare.”

Eden discussed co-starring with Hagman, who eventually became her on-screen love interest, during an August 2024 interview with ABC7. Eden suggested that the I Dream of Jeannie’s crew didn’t find Hagman, who died in 2012 at the age of 81, to be the easiest actor to work with.

“It was wonderful working with him. And I couldn’t bear to see him leave. He was never a problem for me, you see. If you ask the crew it would be a different story, probably,” said Eden.

In addition, the How to Marry a Millionaire star said shooting I Dream of Jeannie “was a great time.”

“It was a wonderful time,” continued Eden.

Barbara Eden Makes Surprising Admission About ‘I Dream of Jeannie’  first appeared on Parade on Aug 7, 2025

This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 7, 2025, where it first appeared.