The Woman Behind Two of the Most Beloved Teen Sitcoms of the '90s Turns 50 Today
Melissa Joan Hart, star of beloved 1990s sitcomsClarissa Explains It All and Sabrina the Teenage Witch, turned 50 years old on April 18, 2026, and she celebrated in the most Melissa Joan Hart way possible: with a hilarious video!
Related: '90s TV Queen Melissa Joan Hart, 49, Is a Natural Beauty in New Bikini Photo: ‘Mermaid Smokeshow'
To mark the half-century milestone, Hart shared a clip from a Lifetime movie called Would You Kill for Me: The Mary Bailey Story, where she played a grandmother at 47 years old. The video also includes reactions to the role, with fans saying things like "How you got Melissa Joan Hart out here playing a grandma?" and "How old is she in real life?" while "Melissa Joan Hart's birthday" is Googled on-screen.
The video ends with some dazzling photos of Hart in a bikini covered by a massive "50." "Anyone casting for a middle-aged witch?" she teased in the Instagram caption.
The video left fans feeling both nostalgic and wildly impressed. "You don't look like a grandma at all yet!" said one fan, while another added, "50, fierce, and flourishing!" A third wrote, "Yeah right, Grandma, with that great skin? Nope. Sabrina forever!"
Halloweentown star Kimberly Williams Paisley, former pink Power Ranger Catherine Sutherland, and celebrity hairstylist Annamaria Orzano all sent their friend some birthday love in the comments.
In a post from the week prior, Hart said she was excited to turn 50 and have her "most magical birthday yet," and announced plans to celebrate by hosting a special birthday strength class at BFT Brentwood.
Hart recently opened up about how life has changed since rising to fame as a teenager... and how it's surprisingly similar. "Flashback to way back when my hormones were crazy… and thanks to perimenopause they're crazy once again!" she wrote next to a throwback photo of herself on April 15.
These days, Hart is prepping for a 30th anniversary reunion for the cast of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, set to happen at the Vic Theatre in Chicago on June 13.
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This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 8:47 AM.