May 2025

Some celebrities abandon New Jersey for the glitz of Hollywood and try to leave our great state in the dust. Not Chelsea Handler. The comedian, podcaster, author and actress grew up in Livingston and moved across the country to Los Angeles at the age of 19. Her childhood in New Jersey wasn’t always an easy one, and, as she tells it in her famously blunt manner, she wasn’t always the easiest child. But she has always stayed true to her Jersey roots, even taping her newly released Netflix special at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair late last year. In her candid cover interview with us, she delves into everything from her childhood to comedy to a shift in perspective once she turned 50 earlier this year.

Also in this issue: We celebrate local beautiful gardens and flowers farms, catch up with another famous name from New Jersey, Frasier star Kelsey Grammer, whose new book explores a very personal and difficult chapter in his life; look into cell phone use in classrooms and why many people (including Governor Murphy) want their use banned; and do a deep dive into why the Michelin star remains so elusive in the Jersey restaurant world.