Jennie Garth Reveals Shannen Doherty Kept Her Cancer Return Secret From Almost the Entire BH90210 Cast While Filming

Jennie Garth has opened up about a deeply personal moment from the set of the Beverly Hills, 90210 reboot. In her new memoir, she shared that her late costar Shannen Doherty kept a major secret from nearly everyone during filming — her cancer had come back.

The memoir, titled I Choose Me: Chasing Joy, Finding Purpose, and Embracing Reinvention, was released on Tuesday, April 14. In the book, Garth, 54, talks about her time filming the reboot series BH90210 back in 2019.

Garth wrote that during filming, Doherty seemed “a little removed and preoccupied.” At the time, Garth did not know why. She said Doherty invited her to her trailer for wine on a few occasions, and they had some good moments together. But Doherty never shared the news about her cancer returning.

According to Garth, only one cast member knew the truth — Brian Austin Green. The rest of the cast, including Garth herself, had no idea.

“I wish I had known,” Garth wrote. “I think I would have been able to support her in different ways as a friend and a coworker.”

Doherty was first diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2015. She went into remission by April 2017. But by 2019, the cancer had returned. She publicly announced her stage 4 metastatic cancer diagnosis in 2020. In June 2023, she revealed the cancer had spread to her brain and that she had undergone surgery. Shannen Doherty passed away from breast cancer in 2024 at the age of 53.

The reboot was filmed shortly after the death of their fellow 90210 castmate Luke Perry. It also marked Doherty’s return to the franchise after she had left the original series at the end of its fourth season.

Garth also reflected on the well-known tension she and Doherty had during the original Beverly Hills, 90210 run. Speaking to PEOPLE, she said she regrets the feud, noting that their characters were written to be rivals, and that image carried over into real life.

“At the end of the day, we really did have a respect for one another as strong women,” Garth said. She added that Doherty taught her a lot about being strong and using her voice — lessons she carries with her to this day.

“And I’m forever grateful for her and for the relationship that we had,” Garth shared.