Pierre Robert’s Entire Record Collection Will Be for Sale for One Day Only

Left: Vinyl Chickie owner Lisa Schaffer, who has come into possession of the entire record collection of the late WMMR DJ Pierre Robert (photo courtesy Lisa Schaffer) | Right: Pierre Robert in his WMMR studio in 2021 (photo by Linette & Kyle Kielinski)

Lisa Schaffer, longtime Philly concert photographer (among her work, she shot Taylor Swift for Philly Mag back in 2023) and, more recently, owner of the Best of Philly-winning record shop Vinyl Chickie in Glenside, has come into possession of the entire record collection of Pierre Robert, who died in October. And this morning, on Preston and Steve, she made an announcement: for one day only, she will offer the collection for sale to the general public. Here, she explains how all of this happened and what to expect.

Lisa, how did you come to own Pierre Robert’s record collection?
I’ve been friends with all of the Hooters for decades now, and Hooters drummer David Uosikkinen is married to Dallyn Pavey Uosikkinen, who has been helping the estate. They were all at my grand opening last May. In December, Dallyn called me and asked me if I wanted to come to Pierre’s house in Gladwyne to see if I might be interested in the collection. You don’t sleep on phone call like that. I said yes, made an offer, and once the estate approved my offer, David carried the collection out to my car. That was the first week in December.

Ah, so this was just over a month since Pierre passed away, and there you are in his house. I can only imagine how that might have felt.
It was so sad. I was very emotional. There were just stacks of memorabilia everywhere. There were all these photos of Pierre with other people. It was a lot to take in. Once I got the records home, I sat with them for a bit. And then on December 8th, the anniversary of John Lennon’s assassination, I listened to Pierre’s John Lennon collection and mourned the loss of Pierre and John Lennon. I cried so much.

David Uosikkinen and Dallyn Pavey Uosikkinen after loading the entire Pierre Robert record collection into Lisa Schaffer’s car in December (photo provided)

Tell me more about the collection itself.
There are 400 records and about 200 CDs. I don’t think Pierre really listened to records. He was primarily a CD person. So most of the records are in pristine, pristine condition, and almost all of them are promo records that are distributed to DJs, things you wouldn’t have been able to buy new in a store. There’s everything from Grateful Dead to Soundgarden to Collective Soul to Prince. Some of it is signed by the artist.

I imagine you can mark these up quite a bit since they were Pierre’s.
I’m not doing that. I am selling them for what they are valued at. Definitely not gouging anybody. Pierre would hate that. I priced them the way I price all of my records. Some are worth $10, so I will sell them for $10. There are a lot of rare bootlegs, which tend to be worth more, some as high as $150.

So can I drive up to Vinyl Chickie right now and buy them?
Nope. This will all happen on April 18th.

Ah. Record Store Day.
Yep. But guess what? You’re not allowed to participate in Record Store Day unless you’ve been open for a year, and I fall one month short of that. So I am going to do something even bigger than Record Store Day. And I will never participate in Record Store Day, based on the way they exclude new, small businesses.

Right. It’s kind of odd. Like, you would think they would want the new record stores to help them out and encourage the vinyl trend without which Record Store Day wouldn’t exist.
Don’t get me started.

OK, so here’s the big question: Your store is tiny. How are you possibly going to host this event? Pierre Robert had a ton of fans, as you know.
As always, only six people will be allowed in the store at a time. I’m going to have DJs spinning live. I anticipate that there will be a huge line of people outside when I open the doors at 10 a.m., so I am going to have to figure out a food truck or getting donuts or something like that. I’m also going to be doing a silent auction, including for a very special copy of Purple Rain with a hype sticker on it. And then I’ll be giving some portion of the money from the silent auctions back to the estate and they are going to donate it to a charity favored by Pierre. That’s what they wanted to do, so that’s how we’re doing it.

So you opened Vinyl Chickie last May, and we gave you the Best of Philly award in August for Best Record Shop. I know owning a small business is hard. What has your experience been?
It’s the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. I’ve been a photographer for decades and I worked at Hideaway Music in Chestnut Hill for years and really learned and fell in love with the business. The opportunity to open Vinyl Chickie came up almost accidentally after a conversation with a total stranger, and I decided this was the right thing to do. So I built a record store. And now, less than a year later, I’m going to be selling Pierre Robert’s entire record collection to his fans. I literally cried the whole way home from the WMMR studio this morning. And I’m going to start crying now.

Help Hard-Paddling South Philly Dragon Boat Teens Get to Taiwan

The South Philly team has qualified for the Dragon Boat World Championship in Hualien, Taiwan in August. Now they just have to pay for it. This is where you come in.

Read more at The Philadelphia Citizen.

Ministry of Awe Founder Talks Murals, Philly Grit, and Being an Artist in 2026 America

Meg Saligman / Photograph by Stevie Chris

The founder of Ministry of Awe — Old City’s wild new six-story immersive arts space — talks L&I, ICE, and her surprisingly gross contribution to the new venue.

My full name is … Margaret Louise Saligman. My mom, who grew up in Ridley Park, was named Louise.

I was raised in … Olean, a small, deindustrialized oil and steel town in upstate New York.

I wound up in Philly … because my uncle Billy had a houseboat at Penn’s Landing that I could live on for free. That was in 1989. Now I live in a condo at the end of Pier 5. Oddly, I have never left the foot of the Ben Franklin Bridge.

My first job was … serving soft-serve ice cream.

I got my big break … after I sent Jane Golden, then of Philadelphia’s Anti-Graffiti Network, a letter. And one day I got a call to go paint a mural at 21st and Reed on the side of a church that had become a target for graffiti. I happen to be really good at painting big, so I have spent my life painting murals and using scaffolding as a jungle gym for adults.

The Common Threads mural by Meg Saligman / Photograph courtesy of Mural Arts Philadelphia

The Philly work of mine that most people would be familiar with is … Common Threads, a 7,500-square-foot mural of students at Broad and Spring Garden.

When I was a kid, I wanted to grow up to be … a trash collector. I would see the guys jumping around outside all day, and it looked amazing.

I decided to become an artist … after my junior-high art teacher, Marilyn Reynolds, painted a watercolor flower and I thought, Oh my God, if I could ever do that, it would be my wildest dream.

Meg Saligman’s We Will Not Be Satisfied Until mural in Chattanooga, Tennessee / Photograph courtesy of Visit Chattanooga

My biggest mural is … in Chattanooga, Tennessee on MLK Boulevard. It’s called We Will Not Be Satisfied Until. It’s all about reimagining, reclaiming, and reinventing. And it’s 44,000 square feet.

Ministry of Awe is … a six-story piece of art where people can experience one another creatively, where we can all share in our humanity.

Our building was originally … an 1870 bank, with a lot of the ornamental work inside designed by a young Frank Furness. There are a dozen historic banks within two blocks of here, in the neighborhood where modern banking was created.

I got the idea … from an immersive experimental event I did in my old studio at 8th and Bainbridge that L&I shut down because I wasn’t supposed to have a bunch of people in there.

Meg Saligman’s at the Ministry of Awe / Photograph by Melissa Kelly

Being an artist in the United States in 2026 is … super fun. Art is always fun. And when the shit hits the fan, the artists matter even more.

My go-to karaoke tune is … What is that song called? [Hums tune for a while before one of her employees overhears and tells her the name.] Ah yes, it’s “Pink Pony Club.”

Philly is the perfect home for me … because of the balance of grit, loyalty, and spirit.

One of the biggest challenges to opening Ministry of Awe was … zoning rules and L&I.

My next project is … doing a mural this summer in honor of the 250th along the Girard exit of the Schuylkill.

The farthest I have been from Philly is … India. Been there three times. Going to Iceland next with my four kids!

When I want to relax, I … binge a series. I was going to try to come up with something more creative, but it would be a lie. I loved Task.

One bad habit I cannot break is … biting my nails. Since the beginning of this project, I’ve been saving them, and they are all on exhibit. So gross.

I’d like to end this interview by saying … fuck ICE.

Published as “One of Us: Meg Saligman” in the April 2026 issue of Philadelphia magazine.

Ask Dr. Mike: Do I Really Need to Go on a GLP-1?

Dr. Mike aka Mike Cirigliano from the University of Pennsylvania tells our reporter whether he needs to go on a GLP-1 medication like Ozempic or Wegovy or Zepbound

Meet internal medicine physician Michael Cirigliano, affectionately known as “Dr. Mike” to not only his 2,000 patients, who love his unfussy brilliance, tenacity, humor, and warmth (he’s a hugger!), but also to viewers of FOX 29’s Good Day Philadelphia, where he’s been a long-time contributor. For 32 years, he’s been on the faculty at Penn, where he trained. And he’s been named a Philadelphia magazine Top Doc every year since 2008. Now, he’s our in-house doc for the questions you’ve been itching (perhaps literally) to ask a medical expert who’ll answer in words you actually understand. Got a doozy for him? Ask Dr. Mike at victor@phillymag.com.

       Listen to the audio edition here:

Hey, Dr. Mike. It seems like everyone is on a GLP-1 now. In fact, last January, I came into your office, and you prescribed me Ozempic. I was kind of shocked because, while I knew I needed to lose some weight, I didn’t think it was at the level where I needed to stick a needle into my gut. I thought Ozempic was just for really fat people.
Okay, so let’s get the lingo right here. Ozempic, like Mounjaro, is for type 2 diabetics. Wegovy is the one for people who are obese or overweight. Then there’s also Zepbound for obesity.

Ah yes, and looking back over my medical notes, I do see that it was Zepbound that you tried to prescribe me.
Victor, I am not exaggerating when I say to you that this family of drugs has revolutionized how we practice medicine. I never dreamed when I started that we would have the ability to get people on medications that do so many things, not just weight loss. There are studies that show GLP-1 meds can result in a reduction in sleep apnea, heart attack, stroke, the risk of renal failure, and risk of dementia. The list goes on and on.

But it’s not necessarily these drugs directly causing some of these improvements, right? If I lose a bunch of weight, this helps with sleep apnea and I’m assuming I’m less likely to have a heart attack if I drop 30 pounds.
Now hold on. They’ve looked at that, and researchers feel that it’s more than just that. They think it has to do with the fact that all of these drugs reduce inflammation, and inflammation is a big problem that causes so many issues. Let me tell you this: I have a couple of patients who have rheumatoid arthritis, and when I put them on these drugs, they think I’m Marcus Welby because of how dramatically their pain has improved.

Is it true that these meds can even help with addiction?
Yes! There are studies showing a reduction in the desire for alcohol and narcotics. Oh, and a reduction in obsessive compulsive thoughts.

Why don’t we all just take the stuff if it’s such a miracle drug?
Well, now the issue is, who should get it? The big problem is, who is going to pay for it. And getting insurance to pay for it is a whole ‘nother ballgame. It’s been very challenging.

Yes, my insurance company denied the Zepbound prescription you wrote, and then you prescribed something else, and they denied that as well.
We can try again.

Given that these drugs supposedly help with so many serious problems, maybe it would cost the insurance company less to pay for this prescription than have to pay for big issues down the road that the drugs could prevent.
Well, if you look at it from that perspective, yes. Statistics now show that one in eight Americans are taking this. If you have any risk factors for any of the conditions these drugs can prevent, I’m going to do everything I can to get you on these medications, because to me, it would be inappropriate not to.

Let’s say a woman comes into your office who wants to lose five pounds but is perfectly healthy. Do you write her a prescription for a GLP-1?
Well, insurance wouldn’t pay for it. She could pay out of pocket. But she would have to have some risk factors in order for me to prescribe anything. I’ve never, in all honestly, I’ve never ever given one of these medications purely for cosmetic purposes. They all have to have some bona fide reason. Now, if you go to Hollywood, I guarantee you that everybody is on one.

Is it malpractice to prescribe this without real need? It’s certainly unethical.
If there is no indication for the prescription, if the person is at an ideal weight, and then they develop a serious side effect with no good reason to be on it? Yes, Kline & Specter would have a case depending on the injury. Generally, I would use the term “bad medical care” if it’s just being used to lose a few pounds to look good for a wedding. Many people follow the old adage: “It’s not how you feel; it’s how you look! And you look marvelous!”

When it comes to weight loss, how is all this working, without getting too scientific?
Essentially, the medications makes you feel full. People will say they just don’t have the desire to eat. You know who is really going to feel the impact of all this? The snack industry. People aren’t going to go to the little vending machines as much anymore, because they are on these medicines. No more Cheetos.

But they now have Baked Flamin’ Hot Cheetos with 50 percent less fat!
[Laughs] Good for them.

But this can’t all be good. Side effects, other than me not wanting to eat an entire pound of pasta by myself?
The main side effects we see are nausea, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea. Someone might have an issue with one drug and I’ll move them to another, and they are fine. It’s an individual thing.

I’m six feet tall and fluctuate between 215 and 220 pounds. Let’s say I want to get to 200. Do I stop taking it when I hit my goal?
Well, that’s another interesting question. A study just came out that showed if you stop it cold turkey, a majority of those people will gain the weight back. Not everybody, though. What some people are doing once they hit their goal is go down on the dose. So instead of doing it weekly, they might do it every two weeks.

Do I have to give myself a needle for all of these?
Wegovy has a pill form that is taken daily. The rest are the pens, which contain very, very tiny needles. It’s very simple: You wipe your belly with alcohol and put the pen there and click it and when it’s done, it’ll click again. Now, if you are paying out of pocket, you can actually get some of these in a vial where you draw it up in a syringe and do it to yourself.

An Ozempic self-injection pen / Photograph via Wikipedia/CC

Nah, I don’t do needles.
A lot of people don’t. But these aren’t needle needles. It’s subcutaneous, meaning it’s a short needle that only goes into fatty tissue just below the skin. These are not giant needles.

Let’s get down to business. Say I’m 220 today. If I start going on one of these, can you get me to 200 in the next six months?
Oh, I am quite confident that we can get you to the promised land. I’ve had people lose 40 and 50 pounds. They are out in the waiting room and I can’t even recognize them.

But what about the fact that I just really like to eat? I just love food and the experience of eating.
I have one wonderful Italian gentleman who really is not fond of me because he really needs to be on the medicine. He complains to me that he has lost much of his desire to eat.

Sometimes you just have to enjoy life.
Well, that’s true. But it’s not all or nothing. Some people do microdose GLP-1s, but that’s less for weight loss and more for the other benefits we were talking about.

I’m already on one drug for the rest of my life due to epilepsy. I’m not so sure I want to be on another.
They just did a study that showed all of the benefits of reduction of heart attack and stroke eventually go away when you stop taking the drug. So people say, But Dr. Mike, I don’t want to be on a medicine forever. And my response is, Based on the science, you may actually want to be on these the rest of your life. And wouldn’t it be great to have that problem where your life is actually longer because you’re doing this?

I dunno. You see some people around who are quite old and don’t have a good quality of life. I’m not in favor of living longer just for the sake of living longer.
The bottom line is that there’s all this talk about longevity. But I don’t want to just live long – I want to live long and large. I want to be able to do all kinds of things when I’m in my older years. Not just bingo, even though I do love bingo. I saw a 96-year-old patient yesterday. She’s sharp as a tack, active and doing everything. Is she a little slower? Yeah. Is she going to climb Mount Everest? No. But she is an example of a super-ager, and that’s what we should all be striving for. And wouldn’t it be great if we had a means at our disposal where we might actually impact and reduce the risk of dementia and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease while also losing weight? Well, we do. It’s here.

The Best Things You Can Possibly Do in Philly This Week

Left: Robert Plant and Suzi Dent, who are performing at the Met / Photograph courtesy of Live Nation) | Right: Art by MOTELSEVEN that will be on display at Paradigm for First Friday / Image courtesy of MOTELSEVEN/Paradigm

Whether you’re looking for big laughs, fun music, or an excuse to boo and hiss in the theater, it’s all right here in our compilation of the best things to do in Philadelphia this week, as carefully curated by Philly Mag’s arts and entertainment editor.

CONCERTS

Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band

Calling all fans of Americana! To see if this is your thing, check out this song of theirs from 2025.
April 3rd at Union Transfer

Tower of Power

The legendary Oakland horn band, which has been around since before Woodstock, is joined by War — as in “Cisco Kid” and “Low Rider”.
April 3rd at the Tropicana

Webb Thomas and His Super Band

South Philly’s Webb Thomas is one hell of a jazz drummer.
April 3rd at Chris’ Jazz Cafe

Robert Plant with Saving Grace and Suzi Dian / Photograph courtesy of Live Nation

Robert Plant

He’s much more folk and much less falsetto in his latter years. The former Led Zeppelin singer is joined by his rootsy band Saving Grace featuring singer Suzi Dian. Yes, they do play some Led Zep at these shows. But you definitely shouldn’t go if you’re hoping to hear Led Zeppelin IV in its entirety.
April 4th at the Met

Thievery Corporation

The veteran electronica duo mixes all sorts of sounds, from acid jazz to bossa nova to hip-hop to classical Indian music. And you’ll want to dance to all of it.
April 4th at Franklin Music Hall

Wax Jaw

The danceable Philly post-punk band released their debut album It Takes Guts! last year. They’re joined by the excellent and also local KulfiGirls. Never heard a sitar played so heavy! If you’re not up on the local music scene of 2026, this show is a good way to fix that.
April 4th at Johnny Brenda’s

COMEDY

Bert Kreischer

If you’ve seen the new Netflix sitcom Free Bert, this would be that guy.
April 3rd and 4th at Ocean Casino Resort

Devon Walker on SNL / Photograph via NBC/Getty Images

Devon Walker

You might recognize him from SNL. Here he is on “Weekend Update” in 2025.
April 3rd and 4th at PunchLine

Whitney Cummings

Since the last time she was in town, Cummings had a baby. And her new tour is all about motherhood.
April 3rd at the Miller Theater

THEATER

New This Week:

A production image from The Sound of Music / Photograph by Jeremy Daniel

The Sound of Music

The hills are alive … on Broad Street. I won’t personally be mad at you if you hiss whenever Baroness Elsa von Schraeder takes the stage.
March 31st through April 5th

Ongoing:

Can’t Forget About You

Philly cultural connector Brett Mapp, who probably sees more theater than anybody else in town, tells me that Inis Nua’s production of this David Ireland play is one of the funniest plays he has ever seen. And coming from Brett, that means a lot. A guy suffers a particularly difficult breakup and then gets involved with an older woman, and the laughs and provocations ensue from there.
Through April 5th at the Drake

The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington

The 2014 play from the brilliant mind of South Philly Pulitzer-winner James Ijames, Miz Martha sees the first First Lady of the United States on her deathbed when she’s put on trial by those she enslaved. I had the chance to see this when it originally came out way back when, and the show comes with my highest possible recommendation.
Through April 5th at the Wilma

Romeo & Juliet

Barrymore-winning director Amina Robinson puts her own spin on Shakespeare’s tale of romance and violence.
Through April 8th at the Arden

EXHIBITS

New This Week:

This artwork from MOTELSEVEN will be on display at First Friday in Old City / Images courtesy of Paradigm/MOTELSEVEN

First Friday

There’s plenty to check out. If you have to choose one gallery this time around, make it Paradigm or Arch Enemy Arts, both of which have compelling openings.
April 3rd in Old City

Ongoing:

“The Living Temple: The World of Moki Cherry”

A retrospective of the late Swedish artist, whose media included textiles, painting, collage and ceramics. Her works were heavily influenced by Tibet, Indian culture, Buddhism, and pop art.
Through April 12th at the Fabric Museum & Workshop

“Noah Davis”

A retrospective of the late American painter and founder of the Underground Museum in Los Angeles. He died at just 32.
Through April 26th at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

“Universal Theme Parks: The Exhibition”

For a complete rundown on this fun exhibit that’s really more about STEM than it is about Jaws and Jurassic Park, check out this review by my colleague Laura Swartz.
Through September 7th at the Franklin Institute

The Ministry of Awe

A new massive, six-story immersive arts space in Old City from the brain of acclaimed Philadelphia muralist Meg Saligman. For more on exactly what this is, go here, where we do our best to explain it. (You really have to see it to fully comprehend.)
Ongoing at 27 North 3rd Street

SPORTS

Kyle Schwarber / Photograph via Getty Images

Nationals vs. Phillies

It’s our last home series until April 10th. And Wednesday is BOGO hot dog night, which is cool and all. But I still miss Dollar Dog Night.
March 30th through April 1st at Citizens Bank Park

MISCELLANY

“Ultimate Job Interview: Let’s Hire a Congressperson”

In which a panel of local hiring executives grill the following congressional candidates: State Representative Chris Rabb, Dr. Ala Stanford (who seems to be spending beaucoup bucks on advertising), and State Senator Sharif Street. (Morgan Cephas was set to attend, but just dropped out of the race.) Free to attend, but you need to register. This event is presented by Citizen Media Group, owner of Philly Mag.
March 31st at Fitler Club Ballroom

Spring Break

I’m told that this week is Spring Break for Philly public schools (my kids are in college, so forgive me for my lack of knowledge), and this means two things. First, SEPTA buses, trolleys, and trains will be much, much calmer during the times when kids are normally going to or from school. Second, the kids need things to do. Fortunately, we have this guide.
Through April 5th citywide

Open Streets: West Walnut

Don’t like cars? Me neither. That’s why I’m heading to the first Open Streets event for 2026. The city is closing Walnut Street from Broad to 19th and 18th Street from Locust to Chestnut. Meaning you can finally spend way too much money at your much-coveted table outside of Parc without having to listen to car engines and inhale exhaust fumes.
April 5th in Rittenhouse Square

See Also: The Best Spring Festivals to Check Out in Philly

93rd Annual Easter Promenade

Don your Sunday best and bunny ears and parade down South Street. Naturally, you’ll stop for selfies with the Easter bunny.
April 5th from 5th and South to 2nd and Lombard

LOOKING AHEAD

Bruno Mars fans will want to know that their hero is playing not one but two nights at Lincoln Financial Field on September 1st and 2nd, part of his 71-date North American and European tour. If you want to sit in the front row, that will cost you $1,829.40. Per seat. And, no, that doesn’t include parking, food, or beers. Whatever you do, don’t let me hear you complain about the price of gas.

How Should We Memorialize Pierre Robert?

Pierre Robert, photographed in Rittenhouse Square on January 8, 2007 by Bill Cramer/Common History

When Pierre Robert died suddenly at his Gladwyne home on October 29th at the age of 70, the news sent shockwaves through both the Philadelphia region and the rock radio world at large. After all, this was a man who had been on the air here since 1981, a time when disco was fading away and Philly bands Hall & Oates and the Hooters — followed closely by New Jersey’s own Bon Jovi — were on the rise. Robert made 93.3 WMMR what it became: one of the most important rock stations in the entire country.

His voice and hippyesque physical presence were recognized by generations of WMMR listeners. At WMMR events like MMRBQ, you’d see Pierre posing for photos with Baby Boomers, their millennial children, and their Generation Z offspring, all of whom counted themselves as fans of both the man and the station … though probably more of the man.

After all, what was there to not like? He was a truly generous and good soul with a not just magnetic but magical personality, a person whose kindness could be felt as soon as he walked into the room. On the airwaves, his voice eschewed the typically loud and bombastic FM rock DJ quality in favor of warmth and wonder.

The New York Times and Rolling Stone both ran obituaries. Countless rock celebrities from Dave Grohl to Alice Cooper took to social media to share their reflections and condolences. It’s difficult to imagine another radio DJ receiving such a sendoff, but then, Pierre Robert was far more than a radio DJ. He was, quite simply, an excellent human being. Or, as he would put it, “a good citizen,” a phrase he probably uttered a million times in his life. He was peace. He was love. He was rock and roll.

Given all of that, it’s hardly surprising that his friends and fans want to find a way to memorialize Pierre in Philadelphia, to create some kind of monument, or, in this case, at least three.

The first person to publicly suggest a Pierre Robert monument was Delco musician and longtime WMMR listener Mikeal Anthony Greto. In November, in the days following Pierre’s death, Greto posted a change.org petition calling for a statue of Pierre Robert in Rittenhouse Square, the late DJ’s favorite place in the city. (WMMR’s first studio where Pierre worked in the 1980s overlooked the park.)

Greto proposed a life-sized statue of Pierre sitting with a book and cup of coffee; the statue would sit on a bench in Rittenhouse Square. The community was enthused, and Greto quickly racked up thousands of signatures.

“I wanted to honor a very special man in any way that I could,” Greto tells me. He used – what else? – A.I. to generate what he thought the statue should look like:

He began reaching out to sculptors to learn more about the process, including the Ohio-based company behind a similar Benjamin Franklin sculpture that sits on Penn’s campus. Greto discovered that the cost would easily exceed $120,000 and that he wouldn’t get delivery for a year or more. He also learned that some close to Pierre had ideas of their own and that the statue-in-Rittenhouse proposal, such as it was, might not actually fly with Friends of Rittenhouse Square, the organization that oversees the park. (After all, you can’t just make a statue and stick it wherever you want.)

“They saw a financial hurdle,” Greto explains, later telling me that he still supports the idea of a statue. “They also told me they had reached out to Pierre’s family and other key players to figure out a fitting memorial… then they stopped responding to me.”

Enter Dallyn Pavey Uosikkinen, wife of Hooters drummer David Uosikkinen and, more importantly for the purposes of this particular story, a very close friend of Pierre’s. She met him in 1985 when she was working for competitor WYSP and, after she got laid off from that station, landed a job at WMMR. Dallyn is spearheading the other memorialization efforts and tells me that she wasn’t even aware of the statue proposal and had no idea who Greto is, in spite of his 9,000-signatory-strong change.org petition.

Pierre Robert and Dallyn Pavey Uosikkinen at the Electric Factory 40th anniversary party in 2008 (photo courtesy Dallyn Pavey Uosikkinen)

First up is the dedication of a park bench in Rittenhouse Square, which the Friends of Rittenhouse has confirmed is happening. It’s not just any bench. The bench was the one that Pierre preferred, and the bench he relaxed on on what turned out to be the last Sunday of his life, a moment he captured on Facebook, writing: “Sunday afternoon in Philly in my beloved Rittenhouse Square, with a great book, a cup of La Colombe, watching the world lazily drift by… pretty close to perfection!”

Pierre Robert relaxing on a bench in Rittenhouse Square on the last Sunday of his life (photo via Pierre Robert/Facebook)

That memorialization will consist of a plaque on that bench. As Dallyn tells it, Pierre’s favorite bench wasn’t actually available (there was already a plaque on it) but the Friends pulled some strings and made it work after more than $27,000 was raised for the cause. Dallyn says she hopes the plaque will be unveiled in late May.

Of course, pretty much anybody can get a plaque on a bench in Rittenhouse Square, assuming they or their heirs or friends have $10,000 to donate to the group. So when I first heard that the bench was how Pierre would be honored, I felt a little “meh” about it, since the vast majority of those bench dedications are to people who, I imagine, were good folks, but … this is Pierre we are talking about.

Plans are also afoot to have a small block of Latimer Street in the Gayborhood — which, as a gay man, Pierre frequented — named in honor of Pierre. No, like the scores of other blocks “renamed” for important Philadelphians, “Pierre Robert Way” won’t show up on your Waze or Google Maps, but anybody walking or driving by who looks up will see it on the street sign. Dallyn hopes for a renaming ceremony around the same time as the bench reveal.

Then comes the Pierre Robert mural. Dallyn has been in discussion with Mural Arts to erect a mural of her friend in the general vicinity of Rittenhouse Square. Since the Friends of Rittenhouse has money left over from the bench fundraising drive, the non-profit says it will donate some portion of the difference to Mural Arts. (The rest will be used for upkeep of the park, which is entirely community-funded.)

Aviva Kapust, chief development and advancement officer for Mural Arts, tells me that the organization is on the hunt for a wall for the mural. “Finding a wall is often the biggest hurdle of mural placement,” she explains. “We often post on Instagram asking Philadelphia to help us find a wall. Then we need a friendly owner and some assurance that the mural will remain in place and in view for a long time — not built in front of and not torn down.” (The organization has a number of murals painted on parachute cloth — some murals are painted directly on a wall, others on cloth and then hung — that are just sitting in storage because the group has been unable to find the right wall, Kapust says.)

Mural Arts isn’t currently fundraising for a Pierre Robert mural because until they lock down a wall, determine what repairs might need to be made to it for proper mural placement, and then figure out the dimensions of the mural, they don’t know the budget. But Kapust says a mural can cost anywhere from $20,000 to $200,000. She guesses that since they are thinking of a medium-sized mural that’s not high up in the air, they could bring a Pierre Robert mural home for under $40,000. “But it could be more,” she cautions.

Dallyn says she’s hoping to fund the mural using the money from Friends of Rittenhouse Square plus just a handful of people who have the kind of cash to make it work. “I don’t want to do a GoFundMe,” she says. “So many people have already donated to the bench project, and I think people will get fundraising fatigue.” (Hard disagree: Open up a $9.33 donation option and see what happens; plus, the fans will feel good knowing they were a part of it, as Kapust concurs.) According to Kapust, if Mural Arts can lock in a wall soon, the mural could be dedicated later this year on the anniversary of his death, or sooner.

Of course, once you find a wall and start raising money to fund it, what should a Pierre Robert mural look like? What should it say? With the help of an artistic friend, Dallyn already roughed out her own idea, though she acknowledges that hers is just one opinion of what will eventually be many:

Dallyn’s vision of a potential Pierre Robert mural, based on a photo she took of him

Kapust says the mural design will involve input from Pierre’s family and close friends as well as the community; the final design and selection of the artist will be decided by a panel at Mural Arts.

“It is wonderful to see so many expressions of love for Pierre from so many Philadelphians, from the good citizens in the streets to the talented artists and even folks in City Hall,” says Brett Robert, Pierre’s nephew. “His family is excited to see how we can create permanent memorials that celebrate Pierre’s legacy of kindness and love.”

Local monument expert Paul Farber, who has an exhibition on monuments opening at the Philadelphia Museum of Art next month, says he’s fascinated watching the process of commemorating Pierre Robert.

“How do you memorialize him now, and what will this mean over time?” Farber posits. “These are the questions we have to ask ourselves.”

Farber says he quite likes the idea I poo-poo’d of the bench, actually, because it is, as he calls it, a “living monument.” “People can go and sit with him and reflect,” Farber argues. He’s also interested to see the community engagement during the mural selection process and how opinions from different entities will come into play.

“Underneath this story is both grief and love,” he says. “We have the loss of this person who felt larger than life and, in his wake, the people who loved him as a person and a figure, and they are all trying to figure out what to do with that grief, and some are clearly dealing with their grief and all that rawness through a variety of commemorative projects.”

Farber, Friends of Rittenhouse executive director June Armstrong, and Kapust all note that it’s not uncommon for lots of negative emotions and in-fighting to come out during processes like this, especially with a character like Pierre who was known and loved by so many. Who exactly gets to say how he is commemorated?

“He was bigger than life,” says Dallyn before breaking into tears. “I’m sorry, I am trying not to get too emotional. But he brought so much joy to so many people, and he deserves to be remembered. Working on it every day keeps him close to my heart and helps with grieving. I’m just not ready to say goodbye.”

Anonymous Philadelphians Reveal Their Finances to Us

Quotes from Philadelphia residents with two very different salaries and expenses

To learn how Philadelphians across the socioeconomic spectrum spend, scrimp, save, and live on the money they’ve got, we talked to residents from Northeast Philly to South Philly to Germantown, who agreed to open their books to us with the understanding that we would not reveal their identities. Here, their stories and a breakdown of their salaries and other earnings – and what they spend to live in Philadelphia.

Living on $17,000 a year

As told by a 40-year-old single woman living in Northeast Philadelphia. She gets occasional gig work, but is unemployed much of the year:

This is not how 20-year-old me thought that 40-year-old me would be living.”

This is very sad to talk about, because I am able to go on a day-to-day basis and not really think about my life in this way. So to break it all down and talk about it is really hard. I’ve been permanently disabled since I was in my early 20s, and I have serious continuing health issues. Through a variety of small jobs, I earned somewhere around $17,000 last year. I recently made $700 in one week and thought to myself, Wow, I have no idea when that will happen again, but then I remembered that my Social Security Disability Insurance check will just go down again because I did earn $700. The only way I can make this work is that I have a lot of friends who help out — even if helping out is just picking me up and taking me out to get my nails done — and because I know how to get services I am entitled to, like EBT and discounted internet. Clearly, this is not how 20-year-old me thought that 40-year-old me would be living.

Monthly Spending Snapshot

Biggest Splurge: “Once in a while, you just have to say fuck it and order Door Dash or UberEats. I’m just like everybody else in that way.”

Living on $118,000 a year

As told by a single-ish 40-something man with young children.

I spend a lot on life insurance for myself because everybody in the family depends on my income.”

The biggest thing going on with me right now is that I’m in the middle of getting divorced. We have young children. So I’m paying $500 each month for a divorce lawyer and $2,500 a month in child support and alimony. I pay for my household and her household, because she’s disabled and not employed. And then one of our kids has illnesses, so even though I have fantastic health insurance, I’m spending about $600 each month out of pocket for their medical care. Oh, and let’s not forget all those braces.

Monthly Spending Snapshot

On Finding Ways to Save: “Thrifting. I probably spend $400 each year on clothes for all of us. We thrift everything but socks and underwear. And I believe in finding someone who will share their streaming codes with you. We have a bunch of streaming services and spend $0 on them, thanks to a kind relative.”

[Ed. Note: The original version of this above item reported that he spends $450 per month on dining out. The actual amount is $120.]

Living on $2.6 million a year

As told by a 70-something man living in Center City and at the Jersey Shore. He’s a business owner.

The city sucks me dry for more than $60,000 in property taxes for my house.”

Last year, I earned $1.5 million from the business — I own a professional services company — and then $1.1 million from stocks and other forms of investment. I own my big house in Center City outright — the city sucks me dry for more than $60,000 in property taxes on that — and the town I live in at the Jersey Shore also takes around $60,000 in taxes out of my pocket. My savings accounts right now have about $1 million in them. That number would have been much higher if you talked to me a year ago, but I recently made some very big investments in the form of property purchases.

Monthly Spending Snapshot

Biggest Splurge: “My grandkids! Aside from all the other money I spend on them, my tuition bill for three of them to go to a fancy private school in the suburbs is $150,000 each year.”

Living on $39,000 a year

As told by a 43-year-old single woman living in Manayunk with two kids, 11 and 4. She works in a school.

I have been without car insurance for a year.”

If you look at what my income is — and that includes child support — and you compare it to what my expenses are, the math really doesn’t math. Because it can’t. I don’t have enough money to pay all of my bills each month, so most months, I will pay some or all of my rent and then I’ll pay whichever utility is about to be shut off and let the others ride for a month or two. This is just the way it is. It’s not good, and sometimes I need to rely on family and friends. They recently did a GoFundMe, which did help. I drive, but I’ve been without car insurance for a year. And what I really need to do is quit smoking.

Monthly Spending Snapshot

Living on $175,000 a year

As told by a married woman living in Germantown with one child in college and one in high school. She works as an educator.

We’re not going to the newest Stephen Starr restaurant.”

We make more than a lot of other people out there, but I feel like we are very frugal with our spending — and in the world we are living in right now, I feel like you have to be. You can’t take anything for granted. So for the three of us in the house right now, including one very hungry teenager, I spend about $250 each month on groceries. You really have to try hard to spend that little, and we do. We go out to eat pretty regularly for tacos and pho and things like that, and our budget for dining out is $250 a month. So, no, we’re not going to the newest Stephen Starr restaurant. But we do love to travel and sometimes spend up to $5,000 a year doing that. Otherwise, we might just go to that Stephen Starr restaurant. But we’d rather see the world. And we can’t do both.

Monthly Spending Snapshot

On Savings: “You have to make sure you encourage your kids to save from an early age. We have $50,000 in a high-yield savings account and about $300,000 in two 401(k)s. But those numbers could have been so much higher if we had started younger.” Also: “We have about $20,000 in gold” — bought for $10,000 a couple of years ago, before it skyrocketed. “Not a bad investment.” [Ed. Note: Since the time of this interview, the value of gold has fallen.]

Living on $425,000 a year

As told by a married 50-something man living in Center City with two adult children who live in other cities. He works in the entertainment industry.

We’ve always lived below our means, so when big expenses do crop up, we just absorb them.”

Neither of us grew up with money. Actually, quite the opposite. So one of the big luxuries we have found of having the money that we do have is not paying too much attention to what we’re spending. We keep rather vague track of things. We don’t stick to a budget, mostly because we don’t have one. That said, we’ve always lived below our means, so when big expenses do crop up, we just absorb them. I remember when my parents had emergency expenses — whether that was car repairs or just back-to-school shopping they weren’t ready for, it made for a real crisis. So the best part of having some amount of wealth is that we don’t have to live with an anxious relationship with our money.

Monthly Spending Snapshot

Published as “Case Studies: Expense Report” in the April 2026 issue of Philadelphia magazine. See also: “Philly’s Economy Is Growing — But People’s Lives Aren’t Getting Better” from the same issue.

Why These Drexel Docs Want All the Dead Mice You Trap in Your House

Left: Drexel doctors Adrienne Kasprowicz and Megan Phifer-Rixey, who are conducting a study of mice in Philadelphia and beyond | Right: A baited Victor mousetrap / Photograph via Flickr/CC

Most right-thinking human beings hate mice. They leave their little turds all over the kitchen counter. They gnaw open bags of food. And, oh yes, they can carry all sorts of viruses, bacteria, and diseases, from hantavirus to leptospirosis. Fun stuff.

Scientists, on the other hand, love mice. The little critters have a lot of similarities to the humans who despise them — you are far more genetically similar to mice than you would ever care to admit — so they are useful in scientific testing. Breeding mice in large numbers is effortless and quick to do. It’s also easy to keep mice; they don’t require a lot of care and upkeep, which is part of why they thrive so well in your basement and attic and behind your walls — and in the laboratory.

Two scientists particularly interested in mice are Drexel biologists Megan Phifer-Rixey and Adrienne Kasprowicz. Their team is involved in a years-long study of the rodents, specifically about the genetic and behavioral differences between urban mice and rural mice. And it so happens that Philadelphia is an excellent place to find mice, with our fair metropolis consistently landing at the top of lists ranking the most mice-infested areas of the country.

They’ve already finished phase one of their study, which involved catching mice alive in New York City, Philadelphia, and Richmond, Virginia, as well as in rural areas in the general vicinity of those cities. The researchers are hoping to publish their findings from phase one later this year. (They can’t really discuss those on the record just yet because their data hasn’t been peer-reviewed.)

The team needed live mice for phase one because a living mouse gives you access to more research possibilities than does a dead one. “We have genomic data,” explains Phifer-Rixey. “We have gene expression data. And we have microbiome data. The main focus of the project really is on understanding how cities affect mice — understanding how diverse the [mouse] populations in cities are, how connected they are, if there is evidence that they are adapting to living in cities.”

Phase one gave them, as she puts it, “an intensive, full suite of information.” But for phase two, they are looking for mice from Philly and those other areas in the state that most homeowners would agree mice should be in: dead.

“Philly is a big, complex city,” she says. “It has highways, it has rivers, it has lots of parks and lots of neighborhoods. We’d like to see how those things affect the movement of wildlife and, to do that, we don’t need all this comprehensive data — but what we do need is a lot of DNA from a lot of places. And so we’re switching to this different sampling strategy.”

This is where you come in. If you catch a mouse at home, whether you use a classic snap trap or one of those fancier 21st-century ones that electrocute the poor things, the Drexel docs want your mice. All you have to do is stick them in a Ziploc bag in the freezer and email wewantmice@gmail.com. They’ll schedule a pickup.

“We’d really like to get a broad distribution from across the city so we can look at the citywide patterns that we’re experiencing,” Phifer-Rixey tells me. “But that requires lots of samples from lots of different areas.”

So why is all this important?

“We’re evolutionary geneticists and evolutionary biologists,” she explains. “We’d like to know how features of cities like high-density development, highways, and rivers all act to shape genetic variation in wildlife. But more broadly, we are interested in how wildlife in general interacts in cities. A lot of wildlife lives in cities. We don’t always notice it.”

The scientists also say that this work will be useful to the people who work for the city in public health and urban planning.

That’s all well and good, but what about the rest of us who just want to know why it’s so hard to get a mouse to actually go to a trap, and what works best as bait. While they can’t speak on this from a scientific level right now, the pair said they could reveal some purely anecdotal information.

The two agree that the classic idea of cheese isn’t the answer for baiting — unless it’s particularly stinky cheese, which you probably don’t want to waste on mice — and that peanut butter tends to be more effective. “When we get desperate, I have used Nutella, I have used bacon bits, I have used sesame seeds,” says Kasprowicz. “If you have something that they really like getting into, steal that away but put some of it out as bait. That’s a familiar thing for them.”

But even then, you may be out of luck. The pair do confirm that it seems to be very difficult to trap a mouse in the city, whereas that has not been their experience in the country. So does this mean that Philly mice are smarter than mice in, say, Delco? They can’t say for sure.

“I’ve seen mice walk past bait,” Kasprowicz adds of mice from Philly proper. “It’s kind of crazy.”

Says Phifer-Rixey: “Taunting … taunting you.”

Ask Dr. Mike: Is It Safe for Me to Smoke Weed or Not?

Mike Cirigliano, aka Penn’s Dr. Mike, explains whether it’s safe to use marijuana these days.

Meet internal medicine physician Michael Cirigliano, affectionately known as “Dr. Mike” to not only his 2,000 patients, who love his unfussy brilliance, tenacity, humor, and warmth (he’s a hugger!), but also to viewers of FOX 29’s Good Day Philadelphia, where he’s been a long-time contributor. For 32 years, he’s been on the faculty at Penn, where he trained. And he’s been named a Philadelphia magazine Top Doc every year since 2008. Now, he’s our in-house doc for the questions you’ve been itching (perhaps literally) to ask a medical expert who’ll answer in words you actually understand. Got a doozy for him? Ask Dr. Mike at victor@phillymag.com.

I used to smoke a lot of pot when I was younger and only recently began to dabble again. And, honestly, I don’t think I can handle 2026 weed. One experience really scared me and almost sent me to the hospital. Should I just avoid the stuff?
Victor, this is not your grandma’s weed. This is not Cheech and Chong’s weed. This is big-time weed that has been cultivated and can be very strong.

You’re telling me!
This stuff can really affect your cognitive abilities. So many people are getting pulled over for driving under the influence of marijuana. And that really bothers me. My father was killed by a drunk driver.

Some of my friends claim they would never drive when they are drunk, yet these same friends say they are perfectly capable of driving when they are high.
They’re wrong. They can’t.

Are there any other major downsides, besides severe intoxication?
For one thing, marijuana use can absolutely increase the risk of a bad cardiovascular event, like a heart attack. So that is something I am really concerned about. Also, if you are predisposed to psychotic episodes or schizophrenia, there are definitely risks associated with marijuana use.

I’m guessing that smoking pretty much anything can lead to problems.
Yes! I don’t like anything going in the lungs. Weed doesn’t contain the thousands of carcinogens that cigarettes do, but smoke should not be in the lungs. Period.

So I should just eat edibles and I’m fine?
Well, I don’t want to sound like a Debbie Downer, but then there is still cannabis hyperemesis syndrome to think about.

I’m assuming this is something I don’t want?
This is something associated with long-term marijuana use, and it basically means you can’t stop vomiting.

That sounds awful.
You end up in the ER getting IV fluids and sometimes the traditional medicines we use to stop vomiting don’t work all that well. You just have to deal with it. Constant vomiting.

Are we talking only about products containing THC or do these troubles also extend to the litany of perfectly legal CBD products out there – the sodas, the gummies, the … you name it.
CBD is generally well-tolerated when used alone but does carry risk with liver toxicity. It also interacts with a lot of different medications, and should never, ever be used with children or during pregnancy. For people with psychiatric disorders, the risks of using CBD likely outweigh the benefits of using it. And you must keep in mind that CBD products are generally unregulated by the government, and there have been many instances of mislabeling and contamination.

So be honest, when was the last time you sparked up some sour diesel?
I can’t remember, buddy. I have to be running on a full 88 cylinders every moment of every day. I do have alcohol from time to time, on the weekends; I can’t do it during the week, not with my frenetic little life. How am I supposed to do this interview otherwise? It’s six in the morning right now. If I’d had anything to drink last night, I’d be a pool of wasteland by now.

Do you think it makes a difference if I get my weed from the guy at the gas station or convenience store versus from a licensed medical dispensary?
Let me put it to you this way. I enjoy sushi. My son loves sushi. I only go where I’m convinced they know what they are doing, because I don’t want to get a parasite. Same thing here.

I know so many younger people who won’t go anywhere near alcohol but they smoke weed like fiends — California sober, as they say. Do you like that tradeoff?
Well, listen, alcohol causes about seven cancers, at the least. It leads to death and destruction. It can cause liver damage and cirrhosis. But there’s nothing free in this world, whether it be pot or alcohol. That said, I’m a lot more concerned with young people eating highly processed foods than I am with their pot use. These foods may really be affecting their microbiome, which is leading to that uptick in the risk of colon cancer. If you take away the alcohol and you take away the sodas and all the highly processed foods, you’re doing yourself a big favor. Oh, and invest heavily in your 401(k).

So I should lay off the Fritos, eat more apples and bananas, steer clear of two-martini lunches, but a little hit on a joint once in a while isn’t going to kill me.
That sounds like a reasonable plan to me.

The Redevelopment of the Old Family Court Building Is Dead

The former Family Court building in Philadelphia at 1801 Vine Street (photo via Wikimedia Commons)

Listen to the audio edition here:

“What’s happening with the old Family Court building?”

It seemed like a simple enough question when a friend posed it to me recently. The last we both remembered, plans were afoot to transform the massive, block-long Beaux Arts behemoth at 1801 Vine Street into a 200-room hotel, and to give the underutilized African American Museum of Philadelphia at 7th and Arch streets a new home just behind the hotel. The glitzy new museum would replace a surface lot operated by the Philadelphia Parking Authority.

The fate of the Family Court building has been a topic of conversation since 2010, back when Michael Nutter was still the mayor of Philadelphia. That’s the year that the city first put out a request for proposals (RFP) for redeveloping the city-owned structure after the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania announced that Family Court would move to 15th and Arch streets, a move it completed in 2014.

In February 2014, despite interest from big-time Philly developers Ken Goldenberg and Carl Dranoff, city officials announced that they had awarded the redevelopment contract to Florida-based Peebles Corp., a firm run by entrepreneur and Democratic fundraiser Don Peebles, who was, at the time, the chairman of the board of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. Peebles Corp. was to transform the site into a luxury hotel operated by Kimpton.

The Peebles deal fell through in 2021, in part because of issues Peebles encountered thanks to the Family Court building’s presence on the National Register of Historic Places and the protections that come with that. The global coronavirus pandemic didn’t help matters.

So the city put out a new RFP, and by August 2022 city officials and the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) had narrowed the search down to four finalists; one year later, PIDC president Jodie Harris announced that a new developer, National, would lead the charge for not just a hotel but also the aforementioned new location for the African American Museum. At a press conference, Harris called the National plan “a unique fusion of sustainable, forward-thinking development and a profound respect for Philadelphia’s history.”

This all began to seem a little odd. I called National. Nobody from the development firm got back to me. Same story with a PPA spokesperson — zilch. I contacted the PIDC’s Harris. She also didn’t respond, nor did various other people and officials connected with 1801 Vine and the museum.

Surely, though, work must have been done inside the old Family Court building. So I ventured to the Department of Licenses & Inspection, which maintains a database of all permits pulled for a development project. What I found was more than a little shocking: there hasn’t been a single permit requested or issued since 2019, back when Peebles Corp. was still involved. And that wasn’t even a construction permit; it was a request for a zoning change. No permits have been requested at all for 1901 Wood, the parking lot that may or may not become the future home of the African American Museum of Philadelphia.

In fact, the only official documents I could find for either property in the last six years were two violations the city issued (against itself) for 1801 Vine Street: one for high weeds outside and one for “homeless people using rear of property [as] a bathroom.”

Finally, on Sunday, Karen Guss, the director of communications for the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Planning and Development, confirmed for me what I was beginning to suspect: “Nothing has been done there,” she told me, referring to both properties. She added that National is no longer involved and that there is no RFP at this time.

In other words, if you read between the lines, the project is effectively dead.

In an email, Guss wrote that “the Parker administration remains committed to the redevelopment of 1801 Vine/1901 Wood Streets, including relocation of the African American Museum in Philadelphia to the site. The City has pledged funds to support AAMP’s move.”

Those pledged funds amount to $50 million. But one city source with direct knowledge of the proposed museum move, who agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity, points out that the construction of a brand new museum would cost far more than that and that they doubt the museum would be able to raise the required funds. “This is an organization with total assets of just $6 million,” they added. “And if you go to their website, you will notice that there’s no capital campaign designated for a new museum.”

Another source connected to the overall project had this to say, also under the condition of anonymity: “There are entities ready to move on 1801 and the museum, but it’s just crickets from City Hall. If you told me this was never going to happen, I wouldn’t have any reason to doubt you.”

You Heard It Here First: Bristol Is a Rising Hot Spot. Here’s Where to Shop, Eat, and Play

A walk around Bristol / Illustration by Melissa McFeeters

New Hope gets all the love, but this Bucks borough has reinvigorated itself into a rising hot spot, with plenty of new shops and restaurants lining Mill Street. You heard it here first.

Looking for one-of-a-kind Philly sports clothing and para­phernalia? Laser-engraved custom purses? What about specialty pickles from Dezzis Dills? You can find them all thanks to the bounty of local vendors at the sprawling new Shops on Mill ❶ marketplace.

Lovers of antiques, vintage finds, and ephemera need only visit the corner of Mill and Pond, where Collectors Corner ❷ and the Bristol Antiques Market ❸ are as much museums of the past as they are shops.

After a few hours of browsing the boutiques, you’ll welcome the tasty $12 lunch menu at the newly opened Drift ❹.

The cheesemonger at the Forager ❺ knows way more about the stuff than any one person should. Don’t know a Brie de Meaux from a Brie de Melun? They offer free classes.

Locals pile into Itri ❻ for wood-fired pizzas — try the carbonara pie — and the bargain happy hour.

Daddy Tom’s ❼, a self-described speakeasy, seems to be the place in Bristol where all the cool people hang out. You enter through, yes, a bookcase.

They’re serious about their brew at Calm Waters Coffee ❽, a family-owned small-batch roaster and cafe.

In 2023, twin sisters Jordan and Andie DeChirico created Terra Cotta Green Market Co. ❾, a calming shop filled with gorgeous greenery that peddles plant-based prepared foods and fresh-pressed juices.

Dad’s Hat ❿ distillery opened a tasting room on Mill Street in 2022. Stop by for a sip, take home a bottle of their award-winning rye, and be sure to inquire about tours of the distillery, located just outside the quaint borough.

A must-stop for literary nerds: Bristol Books & Bindery ⓫, which sells new, used, and rare tomes, and can even repair that tattered first edition of The Great Gatsby you uncovered at an estate sale.

A one-block detour off Mill Street, the sophisticated Best of Philly–winning Jules at Market ⓬, a BYOB, features a seafood-focused menu and is the best fine dining for miles.

Show your kids what Pac-Man is at the year-old Players Only Arcade ⓭, where you spend $10 to partake in as many arcade games as you like in an hour.

Watch the boats on the river at Bristol Waterfront Park ⓮. The views are gorgeous, and you can also join a yoga class and enjoy occasional live music. Pack a picnic!

Published as “Bristol Bound” in the March 2026 issue of Philadelphia magazine.

Delco Getting Wild North Philly All-Day Breakfast Joint in Wilson’s Secret Sauce Space

Philly performers Tizz 215 and Cartier 215 in a promotional rap video for the Wiz, the North Philadelphia all-day breakfast spot set to take over the Wilson’s Secret Sauce space in Delco / image courtesy of The Wiz

The talk of the town in Delco of late has not been the geopolitical mess we find ourselves in or AI taking over the world or the upcoming midterm elections. No, everybody in Delco is talking about Wilson’s Secret Sauce, the Upper Darby barbecue restaurant that is soon closing its doors on Township Line Road, one year after Gordon Ramsay showed up to “save” it in what turned out to be a very poorly done restaurant “reality” show, Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Service. And now comes word of what will replace Wilson’s Secret Sauce: all-day North Philadelphia breakfast and brunch joint The Wiz Cafe.

Thomas Montgomery Jr., who opened The Wiz Cafe at 3622 North 17th Street in July 2020, and Wilson’s Secret Sauce owner Steve Wilson both confirm that the two parties have reached an agreement and expect to settle in mid-April, with Montgomery telling Foobooz he hopes to open the Upper Darby edition of The Wiz Cafe in time for Mother’s Day in May.

The Wiz is known for its shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles, and somewhat ridiculous sandwiches that stuff fried chicken and other meats like beef bacon and jerk chicken sausage in between Fruity Pebbles-covered slices of French toast as much as it is for its very savvy social media presence, which includes promotional rap videos such as this one:

(My entire household was singing along to this for the better part of Sunday morning. Well done.)

Other than washing dishes and making pancakes at a breakfast spot his grandmother opened near 24th and Sedgley in the late 1990s, Montgomery had no experience in the restaurant business before opening the Wiz. He graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with degrees in sales and marketing and eventually became a licensed contractor and real estate broker. Before opening the Wiz, Montgomery was flipping houses left and right.

Thomas Montgomery Jr. in a promotional rap video for the Wiz, which is soon to open in Upper Darby where Wilson’s Secret Sauce is today (Image courtesy The Wiz)

He intends to leave the day-to-day of the original Wiz in the hands of employees who have been with him for a while so that he can concentrate on the Upper Darby location, for which he is currently hiring. The Wiz in North Philly is primarily a takeout location. He expects to have more extended hours in Upper Darby and wants to do as much sit-down business as possible.

“You have a ton of vehicles coming down Township Line Road,” he rightly points out. “You have all the doctors and nurses at Lankenau Hospital, which is seven minutes away. And college kids love the Wiz. You have St. Joe’s, you have Villanova and the other schools nearby. Plus, I’m going to have a barista. It’s really hard to get proper coffee in this area.”

He’s not wrong about that.

Montgomery says that he had one kid when he opened the original Wiz. He’s now up to three.

“There’s a lot to juggle between being a dad an a business owner,” he admits. “But I’m here for it.”

Popular Delco Restaurant Closing One Year After Gordon Ramsay Came to “Help”

A sign at Wilson’s Secret Sauce barbecue restaurant in Upper Darby, which appeared on the Fox series Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Service. / Wilson’s Secret Sauce photograph, provided; Gordon Ramsay photograph via Getty

UPDATE: March 8, 2026. We now know what restaurant is set to replace Wilson’s Secret Sauce in Delco. Is Delco ready for The Wiz?

ORIGINAL:

This time last year, Delco was all a-twitter after a resident spotted celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay walking down the street in Upper Darby. It turned out he was here to “save” popular Best of Philly-winning barbecue joint Wilson’s Secret Sauce via a new Fox show, Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Service, which was all about “America’s filthiest restaurants.” (Wilson’s turned out to be not the least bit filthy.)

One year later, after Ramsay exited the premises, Wilson’s Secret Sauce is closing its sit-down restaurant – just like Philly restaurants Zocalo and the Hot Potato Cafe closed not long after getting the Gordon Ramsay treatment years ago — and selling their building. Here, husband-and-wife team Steve and Kelly Wilson talk about their experience living through a restaurant “reality” show and what’s next for them.

For those who don’t know your backstory, tell us what you were doing before you opened Wilson’s Secret Sauce in Upper Darby in 2018.

Steve Wilson: I was a mechanic for many years and started smoking ribs and brisket on the side as a hobby. Garry Maddox used to have a big barbecue competition down at the ballpark, and we entered and took first in chicken and second in ribs a couple of times. This evolved into doing a bit of catering, which grew quickly to the point where we couldn’t do it out of our house.

The location you chose on Township Line Road has always seemed like a doomed address to me. Before you, nothing really took off there.

SW: Yes, it was an Indian place, it was a crab cake place, it was something else — I think a pizza place? This guy I bowled with owned the building, and he convinced me to sign a lease. Then COVID hit, and banks were like, “You really want to buy real estate right now? Sure, here’s a mortgage.” So we bought the building.

Do you regret buying it?

SW: Not at all. We’re going to set up a ghost kitchen in Delco – we have a friend who wants to open a bakery but doesn’t want to commit to her own space yet — so we can share that and just concentrate on the catering.

Why sell the sit-down spot in the first place, though?

SW: Our son is 13. He’s wrestling and playing football, and if we keep the restaurant, we’re going to miss out on so many things. Plus, it’s hard to keep staff there. It’s hard to bring in tables if I don’t have waitresses, and it’s hard to bring in waitresses without tables. And our dynamic is really about catering and events. We’re also selling it for more than we bought it for.

That’s always a good thing. So … Gordon Ramsay.

Kelly Wilson [joining the call as she’s getting her kids off to school]: Hi, Victor. It’s Kelly. Do you want my opinion or Steve’s?

Steve and Kelly Wilson inside Wilson’s Secret Sauce in Upper Darby the week before the Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Service about them aired / Photograph by Kae Lani Palmisano

Go for it, Kelly!

SW: Just remember … It’s going down on paper!

KW: I mean, it’s not that I don’t appreciate some of the advice that he gave us. I’m sure it helped with some things. But business actually slowed down a bit since he came in.

Wow. I didn’t expect you to say that. I know the dining room isn’t often crowded when I come in, but you seem to do a heck of a lot of catering and takeout.

SW: When I look back at it and look at, “Are you still climbing, are you staying the same, or are you going backwards?” I have to say that last year was the first year that we went down year-to-year.

KW: Gordon Ramsay changed the menu. I didn’t feel like his menu … We had a lot of customers coming in from day one of the new menu begging us to bring the old menu back. We were getting lost with his menu, and our menu really worked a lot better.

SW: We had a lot of things on our menu, yes, and that drove Gordon crazy. But the thing is, our menu was just a combination of things we had in-house. We weren’t bringing in one thing to create some new dish. We are looking at a case of chickens and figuring out what new and different thing we could do with those chickens. But I think that overall, working with Gordon Ramsay was a great reality check, more than anything else. Some of the show was a little humiliating and I could have used more of a hand in the back office and less in the kitchen, but …

One of the things that came out in the show was that you are in debt for more than $600,000.

SW: Yeah, that sounds like a lot. But really, almost all of that is just two mortgages: one on our house in Havertown, and one on the restaurant. And the house and the restaurant are both worth the same amount of money or more than what we paid for them, and now we are getting out from under the restaurant. So it’s okay.

Gordon Ramsay with Wilson’s Secret Sauce owner and chef Steve Wilson in Upper Darby during the shooting of Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Service / Photograph via Fox

You mentioned being humiliated on the show.

SW: So, they basically kick you out of your restaurant. They showed up on a Friday and we had to hand over our keys and leave, and then they go in with Gordon and their cameras. So they show brisket in our walk-in, and they say, “Oh my God, they are going to reheat that brisket.” But that brisket was actually from that day and it was supposed to go to Barnaby’s in Havertown and the Greeks in Narberth. I wholesale my brisket out to them and they turn it into cheesesteak specials or quesadillas or tacos. And then, if you watch the episode, they’re watching us cook and saying, “Oh my God, he’s going to throw those burnt ends into the fryer.” They weren’t burnt ends at all. They were chicken wings.

My impression is that, at first, you didn’t realize any of this had anything to do with Gordon Ramsay.

SW: We weren’t approached by Gordon Ramsay or his people. We were approached by a network that said, “Hey, you want a makeover?”

Right, I saw that a restaurant in Rhode Island had complained that they were sold on this idea of getting a fresh new look for their restaurant, and nothing about Gordon Ramsay going undercover with infrared cameras in the middle of the night.

KW: No, they kind of tricked you about that!

SW: Well, they didn’t tell you exactly what the premise was. I wouldn’t say we were “tricked.”

But then the trailer comes out for the new series and they say it’s all about “America’s filthiest restaurants.” I can’t imagine how nervous that must have made you.

KW: I got really upset because, first of all, I take pride in keeping this restaurant clean and immaculate. I don’t want people to be skeeved touching things, to be grossed out because things are dirty and sticky. So it’s actually extremely clean.

SW: I think the production team was actually shocked they were here for the show, based on how clean the restaurant was.

KW: They really didn’t do much. The show was originally supposed to be a makeover show. They put some fresh paint up and changed the curtains and put plastic tablecloths down. We didn’t get a whole lot of new stuff like the restaurants in the other episodes.

Steve, you and I recently had a conversation about the cost of goods, where you were complaining that the price of a case of corn just went from $18 to $58. And I get that. But I also feel like there are some restaurants out there charging COVID pricing just because people are used to paying for it. I’m not going to name the spot, but I recently got a barely mediocre cheese pizza from a place in Delco, and it was more than $30 for a large pepperoni. So you’ve got some flour, some water, some low-quality cheese, and some low-quality pepperoni.

SW: Well, but you also have to keep in mind that a lot of places are paying people a much better hourly wage, because people won’t work for minimum wage anymore, in many cases. So, sure, that pizza might only cost them however much to make — but what about payroll and other overhead like rising utility costs, what about insurance that goes up and up every year? The cost of those pizza boxes went up.

KW: Well, hold on now. I do feel like there are businesses out there definitely taking advantage, like they just know people are going to pay, so they might as well just keep it that way. But Steve and I, we adjust our menu regularly. Our rib costs go up and down, so they go up and down on the menu. We were at $32 a rack, and now we’re at $28.

So you’ve opened a restaurant and now you are closing one. What advice do you have to people out there who say they want to open their own restaurant?

SW: I tell people all the time, if you are going to own your own business, whether it’s a restaurant or not, you have to own the real estate. If you don’t own, you’re just paying rent with nothing to show for it. If you buy and have a mortgage, you have that property to fall back on. You don’t want a landlord. You’re at the mercy of whatever the rent’s gonna be. Sure, you might have the benefit of more foot traffic in a mall or at a strip mall, but you’re going to get clobbered in every other way.

Kelly?

KW: [pauses] I would definitely find a mentor. Follow somebody around. Really look into it because there’s a lot more involved than you would think. Steve and I literally had to learn everything along the way. Be prepared to, if you have kids, you’re not going to see them a lot. It’s hard. [pauses]

SW: Hon, don’t cry,

KW: You miss a lot along the way. You miss weddings. And funerals. You miss your kids’ games. You miss your kids’ concerts.

I wish you a lot of luck.

SW and KW: Thank you.

Ask Dr. Mike: Why Is It So Hard to Get Men to Go to the Doctor?

Mike Cirigliano, aka Penn’s Dr. Mike, explains why men are so reluctant to go to the doctor.

Listen to the audio edition here:

When I saw the topic for this week’s Ask Dr. Mike, I knew I had to be the one to do the interview. You’ve been my primary care doc for the better part of two decades, so you know just how reluctant I am to come in for my annual. As a man, I’m not unusual in that sense, right?
Not at all. Women see a doctor about two times more than men do, and this is especially the case with younger men. You know – they feel healthy. They’re invincible! They’re tough! They can handle it! Plus, there’s historically been so much cultural stuff that men absorb from society like — well, you’re a guy, you know it — “There’s no crying in baseball. Suck it up.”

Why else might men avoid the doctor?
Sometimes, they feel uncomfortable with an opposite-sex physician. Like, “Boy, do I really need to tell her that my junk is not working?” Plus, people are busy, they’re working hard, so they’re like, “I have no time to see a doctor.”

If I psychoanalyze myself, I’d have to say I avoid doctor visits because I don’t want to hear bad news. This makes no sense, of course, because it’s better to find something bad today than two years from now.
Early is better! But, yes, a lot of studies show that guys are very, very afraid of the unknown. They’re afraid of what they might hear and just don’t want to hear it. That’s a problem, especially when it comes to something like colon cancer, which is now impacting more younger people than ever. The phenomenon is frightening. We now recommend that colon-cancer screening beginning at age 45 (it used to be 50). So you’ve got to get to the doctor for regular checkups, and you also have to tell us immediately if you’re having blood in the stools, for instance.

I would hope that somebody finding blood in their poop would call their doctor right away.
Well, you might think it’s just hemorrhoids — you know, that it’s nothing.

Many men are averse to the idea of a colonoscopy, as am I. For me, though, it’s not so much about “don’t touch my butt” as it is about the fear of being put under. So your office sent me a little kit where I could collect a stool sample at home and mail it to the lab. But is this test just as good as a colonoscopy?
It’s a very effective test. But it’s not for people at high risk for colon cancer — say, someone who has had adenomatous polyps, or a strong family history of the disease, or a genetic condition known as Lynch syndrome. This is not the test for them — they need a colonoscopy, which is the gold standard. And, to be honest with you, a little touch of propofol now and then will give you a nice sleep. [Laughs].

While on the subject of the butt, do a lot of men refuse the digital rectal exam?
Oh, yeah, absolutely. While there’s now some debate about whether it’s necessary, there’s no doubt in my mind that it’s important. I do the exam for two reasons: to look for blood in the stool and, to feel for masses on the prostate.

And to all the guys out there, I can personally tell you that Dr. Mike uses more lube than anybody in the contiguous United States of America.
Surveys show I use more K.Y. than four out of five doctors.

I know we’re mainly talking to the guys here, but any words for their partners?
Nag your men — nagging is very important! (There’s a reason why, if you’re in a long-term relationship, you live longer — the nagging can save your life.). So tell him, “You’re snoring, and I can’t stand it! You might have sleep apnea!” Nag him until he goes to the doctor. Me, I try to take care of myself. I don’t want my wife spending my money with some young buck named Rico Suave. What, I keel over and they’re toasting me in Acapulco ? That pisses me the fuck off!

From Fairmount to the Today Show: The Journey of Sheinelle Jones

Today show personality Sheinelle Jones, who is from Philadelphia / Photograph by Kyle Kielinski

Sheinelle Jones, 47, was born in Fairmount but spent much of her childhood in Kansas. She came home in 2005 when she landed a big gig: co-hosting Good Day Philadelphia with Mike Jerrick. In 2014, she departed once again, this time to New York to join the Today show. She started there as a reporter, rose through the ranks, and in mid-January became co-host of a fourth hour of the show. Her partner on camera? Jenna Bush Hager, as in the daughter of George W. Here, Jones talks about grieving her late husband, her mission to help her national audience feel good in spite of what’s happening in the world, and how she and Jerrick were “a match made in heaven.”

Hi, Sheinelle. Before we go any further, I need to ask you about the i in the middle of your name, which doesn’t seem to be reflected in how people pronounce it. It kind of doesn’t make any sense.
[Laughs] My name sounds like “Chanel.” My mom’s name is Sheila and my father is Darnell, so my dad’s sister had the genius idea, when I was born, to put the two names together and spell it Sheinelle. It’s counterintuitive. I once had a manager ask me to change the spelling to “Shenelle” to make life easier for viewers. But I said, Nah, Sheinelle is my name.

And now that name is written out next to “Jenna” in big letters at the big desk you sit at every morning to co-host Jenna & Sheinelle.
It’s funny. Fast-forward all those years from that conversation I had with the manager about changing my name, and I then walked out and saw it on the desk and had a little moment.

“Our goal is to uplift you and have a good time,” says Jones, here with co-host Jenna Bush Hager on the first day of Jenna & Sheinelle.  / Photograph by Marc J. Franklin/NBC/Today

Yes, I was watching that first episode, and it all seemed to bring a tear to your eye.
It really did. I felt like I was in A Christmas Carol, where I come out of my body and watch my life. And then they were playing all these clips from my early days in TV. It was like a This Is Your Life thing. In that moment, perhaps for the first time, I really gave myself credit for the hard work I put into this.

I know you were born in Philadelphia, a city that you’d return to decades later for Good Day Philadelphia, but I read that you spent much of your childhood in Wichita. Tell us about that?
My mom and dad were college sweethearts, and they moved to Philly right after graduation. I was born here, but then they divorced. My mom was from Wichita originally, so I moved there with her and spent summers with my dad in Philly. I have so many photos from Beechwood Street in Fairmount and from Wildwood. My parents both remarried when I was little, so I have a blended family. I always joke that we are the Black Brady Bunch.

Was journalism something you aspired to from a young age?
I remember telling my grandmother, Josephine, that I wanted to be a hairstylist, and she said, “Okay, you can be like Miss Lillian,” who used to do her hair. And then I was like, “Grandma, I want to be a fashion coordinator,” and she said, “Okay, absolutely.” And then my mom would let me take clothes out of her closet and I would say, “You should wear this shirt with these pants.” Whatever I came up with, my mom and grandmother never said I couldn’t or shouldn’t. But I do distinctly remember telling my grandmother that I wanted to be a news reporter. I’d seen a woman reporter on TV and admired her, and said, “I want to be her!” My grandmother’s eyes lit up in a way I hadn’t seen before. By the time I got to Northwestern for college, I had already done some internships in media. I had all this experience. And then at Northwestern, I had another internship, and then another, and then another — climbing the ladder one step at a time. When it came time to graduate, I think I sent out 44 VHS tapes of myself to news stations all over the place and just waited for a callback. Thank God it all worked out.

You popped around media markets in the Midwest and South before landing the Good Day Philadelphia job in 2005, where you co-hosted with Mike Jerrick, who is a real character. Now be honest: What was it like working with that guy every day?
Mike is one of my best friends — I just talked to him earlier today! When we first met, we started talking about our lives. And I was like, “Wait, you’re from Wichita? So am I!” And he’s like, “I grew up on Terrace.” I grew up on Terrace! Not only did we grow up on the same street, decades apart, but our moms went to the same high school. You can’t make sense of it, but I’ve always felt it was divine. The good Lord brought me back to Philly, to live and work and be in the city that was so much a part of the fabric of my life. I started as a morning reporter, then moved to the desk one day, and the rest is history. Mike and I were a match made in heaven.

Sheinelle Jones with Good Day Philadelphia’s Mike Jerrick in 2013 / Photograph by Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images

You’re in New York now. But do you get back to Philly much?
All the time. My brother and dad are there; my friends are there. I’ll go to see Mike, or someone is having a party, and it’s only an hour-and-15-minute train ride on Acela. Once or twice every few weeks, I’m in town.

I feel the need to interject some fun trivia here. Your dad, C. Darnell Jones, is a federal judge in Philadelphia. And who nominated him to the bench? None other than your new co-host’s dad, aka George W. Bush, back when he was president.
[Laughs] You’ve done your homework! Isn’t that crazy?! You know, when I got the job on Good Day, they didn’t know that my father was a judge. And I remember telling them, and they asked me why I hadn’t mentioned that in the interview. I just wanted the job on my own.

I put in this interview request several weeks ago, right after I heard that you’d be launching the new show with Jenna. Had no idea we’d wind up talking just two days after the launch, or that just this morning, People magazine would unveil their new cover with you on it. And now I’m hearing that you have a book coming out next month. Exciting times!
They are beyond. And when the head of our publicity department told me that this interview was for Philly Mag, can I tell you something? I always loved flipping through the pages of the magazine. My goal for so long was just to be invited to a Philly Mag party. So this is surreal for me. This is not lost on me. I am honored to talk with you. Philadelphia has really carried me. When people in Philadelphia love you, they love you hard. It’s where I was born; it’s where my three children were born; it’s where I was married. Philadelphia will always be such a special part of me. And so the fact that I’m talking to you during such a momentous week in my life just makes sense.

Sheinelle Jones gracing the cover of People / Photograph by Brian Doben

I’ll pass along your interest to our events department. I’m sure you’ll get a party invite right quick.
[Laughs]

When I think of the Today show, I think of the 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. portion, where you started as a reporter, and vividly remember watching Matt Lauer and Katie Couric narrate the terrible events of September 11th. Then there’s the 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. portion, which you used to co-host. And then there’s the fourth hour that you’re now permanently co-hosting, following Hoda Kotb’s departure. But I’ve also heard that you’ll still be involved with other portions. Can you explain?
I’ll be on from 7 to 9 doing reports and filling in anchoring — I’m not going anywhere from that. News is embedded in me. It’s part of my DNA. If something happens in Venezuela, I’m talking about it. Then as we get closer to 9 o’clock, you start seeing celebrity guests; we might be talking about new movies or whatever the hot show is. And then from 9 to 10, it’s like if news and a talk show had a baby. And for Jenna & Sheinelle in the fourth hour, it’s “Let’s sit down and talk a little bit and make you feel good.” We already know what’s happening in our world. We know what’s happening in our country. Our goal is to uplift you and have a good time. That’s what the last hour is all about. All morning long, I get to use both sides of the brain, the whole skill set that I’ve gained over the years. This is my dream. It’s amazing.

I’ve watched Jenna & Sheinelle and, you know, it’s very light and smiley. There’s a lot of laughs. So I have to ask you, in the context of the loss of your husband, Uche, in May — and my condolences on his passing — if people see you in this lighthearted role and assume you’re quote-unquote “all better” and done grieving, because you’re capable of having a hoot with Jenna.
I’m so happy you asked me that question. What I hope I can show for people who may not understand is that you’re able to still find joy. You’re still able to laugh in a moment or find something funny. But that doesn’t mean there’s not pain inside, right? For me, grief is like swimming through mud every day. And so if you see me on the set and we’re having a good time, it’s not because I’m “all better” or “cured” or I’m not grieving. It’s because I’m able to hold two things at the same time. For me, that is the only way to go, even if I don’t want to. I owe it to myself, I owe it to Uche, I owe it to our kids to try. There are some days where I just don’t have it in me, and that’s okay, too — I’ve learned to forgive myself if I don’t have it in me. But for the most part, you know, you push through. It’s what you have to do. It’s what I do.

Sheinelle Jones with husband Uche Ojeh in 2019 / Photograph by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images

What’s it like for your kids having a mom on TV?
It’s all they’ve ever known. I remember being in the grocery store in Philly with my son Kayin, who was maybe three at the time, and people would just come up to me. Sometimes, he would be eating a cheese stick and just smile. Other times, he’s like, “Why are you talking to my mom?” Everybody feels like they’re my friend, so they talk to me and they talk to my kids. Doesn’t mean the kids love it all the time, but they’re used to it.

You’ve been on TV for a quarter of a century. What’s the future of the industry?
I was just talking to one of my professors at Northwestern about the state of journalism, and I was telling her the one thing I think that remains true: Even though the business is changing in terms of how we consume news, there will always be a need for storytelling. Good storytelling. People will always have a desire to hear other people tell stories and to make it all make sense, right? I don’t think that will ever go away.

Speaking of telling stories, your book, Through Mom’s Eyes: Simple Wisdom From Mothers Who Raised Extraordinary Humans, comes out on April 14th, in plenty of time for Mother’s Day. Can you give me a preview?
When I started at Today, we’d obviously have so many celebrities coming through, and I had this idea to interview their moms. It became a digital series for Today. I wanted to know what they did right, what they did wrong, what they would do differently. Keep in mind I had three young kids on my hands and was juggling a lot, so this was of direct interest to me. First was Steph Curry’s mom, then Shaq’s, then Kevin Durant’s, then Lady Gaga’s, then Venus and Serena’s, then Lin-Manuel Miranda’s. They were just so delightful and had really beautiful stories to share. I would spend more than an hour with them but the final product might be only five minutes of video, and I realized I had so many more stories to share from them and from myself. So the book is what I have learned from these women and what I have learned as a mom along the way. I cannot wait for everybody to read it.

My daughter, a college freshman, sent me a question to ask you, and it actually connects with something that surprised me about the very first episode, which started with a video of you and Jenna both getting out of your beds that morning — no makeup on, your hair not done. This was a striking thing to see, in an industry that puts so much emphasis on appearance, particularly for women. And so my daughter’s question is this: How do you deal with sexism and scrutiny as a woman on national television?
It never crossed my mind for one nanosecond that morning that I didn’t have on makeup, and Jenna didn’t think about it either. Listen, I love fun clothes, I love glam, I love hair and makeup, I love “lights, camera, action.” I’m not going to report the news at 7 a.m. without foundation on, and when I go to the Met Gala, I will find the best dress and have the best hair and makeup. But there also needs to be a place for being real and authentic. If I’m talking to the camera right when I get out of bed, or if I’m doing a story about fitness while I’m in the middle of exercising and the camera is on me, no, I’m not going to put on mascara for that. Tell your daughter that the older you get, you learn that your real superpower is being yourself. Once you can step into that and wear it, you’re not going back.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Published as “Morning Glory” in the March 2026 issue of Philadelphia magazine.