Joan Cusack is back on red carpets for Toy Story 5, but she says the years away from Hollywood gave her something she did not want to trade. The actress returns as Jessie in Pixar’s fifth Toy Story movie after a long stretch in which she was rarely seen at major premieres.
People reported that Cusack called the time away “priceless” because it allowed her to raise her children and live in Chicago as a more normal person. Cusack shares two sons, Dylan John and Miles, with her husband, Richard Burke.
At the Los Angeles premiere on June 9, Cusack said she had spent years prioritizing home life over the demands that come with taking acting jobs and staying visible in the industry. She did not frame the break as a dramatic rejection of Hollywood; she said she feels honored to have worked in the business for a long time, while also valuing the chance to live outside its daily rhythm.
The return arrives through one of her most recognizable roles. Cusack first voiced Jessie in Toy Story 2, released in 1999, and the character has remained one of Pixar’s clearest emotional anchors across the franchise.
Cusack Said Chicago and Family Came First
“It’s also great to live your life and raise your kids and be in Chicago and be a normal person,” Cusack told Variety at the Toy Story 5 premiere, according to People. “It’s kind of priceless.”
She gave a similar answer to E! News, saying she made a clear choice to stay in Chicago and raise her children. Cusack also pushed back against the idea that red carpets represent all of Hollywood, explaining that premieres are only one part of the industry and that she simply had not been in a movie this large in a long time.
Her Red Carpet Return Came With Jessie
People reported that Cusack’s London premiere appearance on May 28 marked her first red carpet since September 2015. She later appeared at the Los Angeles premiere with other Toy Story 5 cast members as Pixar brought the franchise back to theaters.
Jessie’s return gives Cusack a familiar way back into a major movie spotlight. The yodeling cowgirl has always carried a story about abandonment, loyalty, and the fear of being forgotten, which makes the character a natural fit for another Toy Story movie about children, attention, and change.
Toy Story 5 Turns Jessie Toward a New Problem
Toy Story 5 brings Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and Bonnie’s other toys into a new conflict when Bonnie becomes attached to a smart tablet named Lily Pad, voiced by Greta Lee. Disney lists the movie for theatrical release on June 19, 2026.
The new film uses Jessie’s connection to Bonnie to frame the “toys versus tech” story. People reported that the trailer shows Woody checking in with Jessie over a walkie-talkie as Bonnie’s attention shifts toward Lily Pad, while a Guardian interview with the cast described the movie’s focus on children, screens, and the pull of technology.
Cusack’s Career Was Never Only Pixar
Cusack earned Oscar nominations for Working Girl and In & Out, built a long comic film résumé through roles in Addams Family Values, Runaway Bride, and School of Rock, and later won a Primetime Emmy for Shameless. Her last movie appearances before this return came in 2019, when she voiced roles in Toy Story 4 and Klaus and appeared in Netflix’s Let It Snow, according to People.
Cusack has also built a daily life away from Los Angeles. E! News noted that she opened Judy Maxwell Home, a Chicago gift shop, after choosing work that kept her closer to home while her children were young.
Toy Story 5 brings Cusack back through a role she has carried for decades, but her own explanation is more grounded than a comeback slogan. She worked, stepped back, raised her family in Chicago, and returned when Jessie called again.