JoAnna Garcia Swisher Was 'Brutally' Embarrassed When Meeting Celeb Crushes

No one gets to avoid embarrassment, not even celebrities like JoAnna Garcia Swisher.

“I embarrassed myself brutally during two starstruck moments,” the Sweet Magnolias star, 44, exclusively tells Us Weekly‘s 25 Things You Don’t Know About Me. “One is when I met Donnie Wahlberg for the first time. I kissed his poster every night back in the day, and he was a good sport about it.”

The blush-worthy moments didn’t stop with her favorite New Kid on the Block. “Then I met Rob Lowe in an elevator and I just spiraled,” Garcia Swisher tells Us. “I didn’t stop talking. It was rough, but he was also very sweet to me.”

Watch Garcia in Season 3 of Sweet Magnolias, which is streaming now on Netflix, and and scroll down to learn more fun facts about her:

Sweet Magnolias Star JoAnna Garcia Swisher Recalls Getting Starstruck With 2 Celeb Crushes
ALLEKO/Getty Images

1. I love cooking, and I appreciate that my family eats whatever I put on the table. I [make] arroz con pollo — a chicken and yellow rice dish — that I’m still perfecting from my mother, but it’s really good.

JoAnna Garcia Swisher Shares Her Quick and Easy Tips for Making Dinnertime Go Smoothly
JoAnna Garcia Swisher Shares Her Quick and Easy Tips for Making Dinnertime Go Smoothly

Related: JoAnna Garcia Swisher Shares Tips for Making Dinnertime Go Smoothly

As a working mom of two, JoAnna Garcia Swisher knows how to throw together dinner in a pinch. The Sweet Magnolias star, 44, shared her best tips and tricks for making dinnertime less of a chore exclusively with Us Weekly — and the first step requires planning out meals in advance. For Garcia Swisher, coming […]

2. My first job was acting in a Busch Gardens commercial.

3. I embarrassed myself brutally during two starstruck moments. One is when I met Donnie Wahlberg for the first time. I kissed his poster every night back in the day, and he was a good sport about it. Then I met Rob Lowe in an elevator and I just spiraled. I didn’t stop talking. It was rough, but he was also very sweet to me.

4. My mom told me I should wash my face every single day, and that was a good beauty hack I learned from a very early age.

5. I have so many favorite movies, but lately, I’ve been watching This Is 40 on repeat. [The cast] just cracks me up.

6. I’m a really good tennis player.

7. I collect salt and pepper shakers.

Sweet Magnolias Star JoAnna Garcia Swisher Recalls Getting Starstruck With 2 Celeb Crushes
Mike Kemp/Getty Images

8. I’m still working on feeling like I’ve “made it,” but it feels like a celebratory time because Sweet Magnolias is a show that’s like a warm hug. Having that series happening at this moment is a bright spot.

9. I cuss more than people would imagine. I don’t know that I would come across as the girl that would do that, but I do.

10. My go-to cocktail is a ranch water or anything tequila soda.

11. I love Pilates and have a reformer. It’s my favorite workout.

12. I wear denim in 100-degree weather in the middle of summer. I’m a loyalist.

13. My favorite animals are otters.

Sweet Magnolias Star JoAnna Garcia Swisher Recalls Getting Starstruck With 2 Celeb Crushes
GlobalP/Getty Images

14. My husband, [Nick Swisher], [gives me] a lot of sentimental pieces of jewelry that have meaning behind them. Those are the best gifts I’ve received.

Sweet Magnolias Casts Dating Histories JoAnna Garcia Swisher Jamie Lynn Spears
Sweet Magnolias Casts Dating Histories JoAnna Garcia Swisher Jamie Lynn Spears

Related: ‘Sweet Magnolias’ Cast’s Dating Histories: JoAnna Garcia Swisher, More

Bless their hearts! The cast of Sweet Magnolias has won over fans with their onscreen romances, but their offscreen dating lives are just as intriguing. Season 1 of the Netflix series, which premiered in May 2020, saw JoAnna Garcia Swisher’s character, Maddie Townsend, looking for love again after her divorce from Bill Townsend (Chris Klein). […]

15. I love a pre-prep when hosting a party! Plan ahead. Make things simple.

16. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston is my favorite song.

17. At the hint of any symptom from anyone in my family, we whip out Abbott’s BinaxNOW COVID-19 Self Tests to see what we’re working with.

18. My family is really into relaxing, [so] we’ve been hitting up the Bahamas because it’s close to us in Florida. I also love a good sightseeing trip.

Sweet Magnolias Star JoAnna Garcia Swisher Recalls Getting Starstruck With 2 Celeb Crushes
Sky High Studios/Getty Images

19. The first concert I attended was a Milli Vanilli and En Vogue combo. It was fire.

20. My mom always told me to wear matching underwear and bra and make it look good in case I got into a car accident and had to go to the hospital. I [always] think about that before I leave the house.

Sweet Magnolias Star JoAnna Garcia Swisher Recalls Getting Starstruck With 2 Celeb Crushes
Peter Dazeley/Getty Images

21. When I’m filming in Europe, I miss the ice [cubes]. I love a lot of ice!

Reba cast Where Are They Now
Reba cast Where Are They Now

Related: ‘Reba’ Cast: Where Are They Now?

She’s a survivor! Reba McEntire proved she is more than just a country superstar when she led her own TV show — appropriately called Reba. The sitcom ran for six seasons from October 2001 to February 2007. McEntire starred as a single mother raising her three children — played by JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Scarlett Pomers […]

22. I can’t leave the house without my driver’s license and a little bit of cash.

23. I loved working in New Orleans for The Astronaut Wives Club. It was an amazing experience.

24. My favorite color is yellow.

25. Hosting The Ultimatum: Queer Love was really emotional. It’s a very intense experience, so I feel honored to be a part of the journey.

Advertisement