‘Hacks’ Star Christina Hendricks (51) Takes Over the Decks in Pasadena, and the ‘Mad Men’ Star’s DJ Side Hustle Keeps Getting Bigger

Some celebrity second acts are reinventions, and others are just a very cool hobby that happens to go public. Christina Hendricks seems to be in the second camp, and fans couldn’t be happier about it. The ‘Mad Men’ star has quietly become a vinyl-spinning regular, and her latest set only adds to the legend.

Hendricks is best known as Joan Holloway on ‘Mad Men,’ a role that earned her six Primetime Emmy nominations. She later starred in ‘Hap and Leonard’ and appeared in the first two seasons of ‘The Buccaneers.’ But her newest passion has nothing to do with scripts.

This weekend, she was back behind the turntables, this time in her own backyard. Hendricks played a DJ set at Sid’s Bar in Pasadena on Saturday night, with the event billed as a “dream pop, shoegaze, indie” evening running from 7 PM to 11 PM. Videos from the night quickly spread online, showing her at the decks in a red-lit room with crimson curtains, wearing a dark polka-dot jacket and a layered necklace while a crowd watched.

Christina Hendricks spinning ln in Pasadena…mother of all mothers https://t.co/DLhCD1GUER

— alexa (@alexadoingstuff) October 11, 2026

It’s easy to forget how new this all is. According to her own social media posts, Hendricks only learned to DJ in November 2025, when musician Mary Lattimore showed her the basics at Part Time Lover, a listening bar in San Diego. She performed alongside Lattimore that first time, then returned to play on her own.

That solo debut came on April 1, and plenty of fans assumed it was an April Fools’ prank. It wasn’t. She played a four-hour, all-vinyl set of what she calls “shoe pop dream gaze,” with her husband, camera operator George Bianchini, cheering her on and the crowd singing along.

Her taste leans toward indie, shoegaze and dream pop. The 46-song April set included artists like Spiritualized, Wolf Alice, The Knife, Cocteau Twins, St. Vincent, Lana Del Rey, Tori Amos, The Stone Roses and Beach House. Chromatics, Sky Ferreira, Warpaint, Mitski and Japanese Breakfast also made the list.

The mix reflects the actress’s long-standing indie credentials. She has spoken about loving bands like The Dead Milkmen, Kate Bush, The Cure and Erasure. She also identified as a goth and a punk when she was younger, which makes the shoegaze lean feel like a natural fit.

The reaction online has been warm and a little astonished. When she first announced her San Diego show, many fans admitted they had no idea she DJed at all. Others made jokes about going from ‘Mad Men’ to mad beats, and the Pasadena crowd seems to have embraced the same spirit.

There’s something refreshing about a well-known actress doing something just for the love of it. The Pasadena gig was free, with entry on a first-come, first-served basis and a waitlist, which kept it feeling like a neighborhood event rather than a publicity stunt. It also started at 7 PM, a detail one local newsletter called the best part.

The DJ sets are part of a broader nostalgic streak for Hendricks. In May, she reflected on the tenth anniversary of the ‘Mad Men’ finale in a heartfelt Instagram post, and she attended the Cruel World festival in Pasadena, taking in some of her favorite 1980s and 1990s bands. Music, it seems, has become a major part of her life away from the camera.

For fans, that’s good news. Hendricks has proven she can hold a room, whether it’s with a scripted performance or a stack of records. If the crowds keep showing up, it wouldn’t be surprising to see more Southern California dates added.

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