Jersey Celebrities Ranked by Their Jersey Pride

Jersey - born - and - breed celebs are an interesting breed ; there ’s something inherently more human and relatable about a famous person who grew up off the Garden State Parkway and had to go through life-time defending their state against a soubriquet like " the axilla of America " than one who grew up in , say , Los Angeles .

But not all Jersey celebrities are make adequate – the ones who really stand out are those who are truly majestic to call Jersey their ( past times or present ) home . With that in mind , we ’ve put together a list of worker , Singer , and comedian who know and do it the Garden State , and rate them not by their renown , but by their Jersey pride . The real doubt is : will The Boss come out on top ?

9. Wyclef Jean

Wyclef Jean might have been assume in Haiti , but he was raised in East Orange and move into amansion in Saddle Riverafter he made his rapper million . He also magnificently made a play for theHaitian presidencyback in 2010 but was rejected on the background that he had n’t go there long enough … because you know where he was living ? NEW JERSEY .

8. The Jonas Brothers

It ’s a pretty well - know fact among the Jonas Brothers sports fan community that the Jonai were call down in New Jersey . They were live on in Wyckoff when they transform their brotherhood into a boy ring , but more or less ditched the Garden State when they became rich and famous ( Disney ) ace . Kevin settled back into suburbia when he married a New Jersey indigene a few age back , and has been living there ever since , which earns the class name a smirch on this tilt . However , hisBoonton mansionis presently on the market place , and there ’s no relation where he ’ll go next .

7. Stephen Colbert

There ’s a six - degrees - of - separation - like game circling around northerly New Jersey regarding Stephen Colbert . Colbert has subsist in Montclair for many years , and almost everyone in the ring towns claims to have – or at least roll in the hay someone who has – seen him . Here are my anecdotes : my sisteralmostwent to the same high school that his girl function to AND my friend ’s mom saw him at a movie theatre of operations , and the finding of fact was that he ’s “ very nice . ” He ’s not that straight-out about his Jersey pride , but heisa big supporter of the Montclair Film Festival – he ’s adonor , and his married woman is on theBoard of Trustees .

6. Jon Stewart

Why does Jon Stewart get ranked high than Colbert ? Well , he grew up in New Jersey – in Lawrenceville , right next to Princeton – and Colbert did not . Then there ’s thistotally randomfact : Stewart and his wife own an animal sanctuary farm in Middletown , and they chronicle the lives of their two rescued pigs on a Facebook page . Seriously , it ’s calledThe Daily Squeal , check it out .

5. Jack Antonoff

You roll in the hay who ’s from New Jersey and is proud of it ? Jack Antonoff , guitarist of fun . and Lena Dunham ’s boyfriend . Here ’s some proofin his own Bible : “ I take a lot of superbia in being from New Jersey … [ it ] has an unbelievable bequest for everything that masses think only comes from New York City , bagel and pizza to music and artwork . ” Antonoff get more pride points for starting a Jersey Shore - base music fete , Shadow of the City , that ’s dedicated to bringing timbre euphony play to fan who would otherwise have to trek into New York . But alas , Antonoff currently live in Brooklyn , not New Jersey .

4. Zach Braff

Born and raised in South Orange , Zach Braff gets a pretty high ranking on the listing for a few cause . He wrote , directed , and starred inGarden State , the 2004 indie movie that ’s a loosely autobiographical story about a cat who turn back to his New Jersey hometown for his female parent ’s funeral . He ’s also give speech athis old mediate schooland theCollege of New Jersey . Finally , there ’s thisSNL monologuein which he so beautifully sings about being in a New Jersey State of Mind . affair is , Braff ’s passion of New Jersey is mostly nostalgia - based – he has n’t lived there for year ( and he ’s a mate in one of New York ’s most beloved restaurants , The Mermaid Oyster Bar ) .

3. Jon Bon Jovi

No one is debating whether or not Jon Bon Jovi ( né Bongiovi ) really loves New Jersey . He was born and prove in Sayreville , and gets special hometown pride points for get hitched with his eminent schoolhouse girlfriend in the ‘ 80s and stay put with her ever since . They also built apretty insane French - style mansion in Middletownin the ‘ 90s … BUT the Bongiovi family reportedly spends most of their time in New York . However , JBJ ’s still very much tied to Jersey : he startedJBJ Soul Kitchen , a benevolent restaurant with locating in Toms River and Red Bank that allows diners in demand to volunteer in the kitchen in lieu of payment . His banding also literally has an record album calledNew Jersey . But as much as JBJ love his home state , he ’ll always be second - best to you bed who …

2. Bruce Springsteen

There ’s probably no celebrity more famously associate with a nation than Bruce Springsteen is with New Jersey . He was yield in Long Branch , grew up nearby in Freehold , and famously played euphony in Asbury Park – first at the Upstage Club in 1969 and subsequently at The Stone Pony in the ‘ 70s . It was at that ill-famed rock ' n ’ roll venue where Bruce meet his current wife , Patty Scialfa , and the E Street Band , whose name is taken from a street in nearby Belmar . Springsteen ’s debut album was calledGreetings from Asbury Park , and well , the rest is medicine account . The Boss reportedly owns a few homes in New Jersey , includinga horse farm in Colts Neckandan estate in Rumson . He ’s also quite literally the most vocal about his ascendant in his lyrics , most of which unite around his working - class New Jersey fosterage . type in point , the opening lyrics to “ Wrecking Ball , ” a protection song to the sure-enough Giants Stadium:“I was lift out of steel here in the swamps of Jersey , some misty years ago . ”

1. Whitney Houston

grim folks , I could n’t do it – Bruce might be the ostensive choice for state mascot , but what about the renown who are DL bait - or - die New Jerseyans ? And so , I offer up the top place to the late , great , Whitney Houston , who posthumously turned out to be the proud Jersey celeb of all . Houston was acquit in Newark and provoke in East Orange , and even after she became the biggest prima donna of all , she still live in New Jersey . According to the curate of the Newark church building she give ear growing up – and where her funeral was retain – Houston occasionally descend back after she became famous tosing at Easter Sunday service . She did n’t live too far out , after all : in 1987 , the same year her eponymic album hail out , she built a 12,500sqft house in Mendham that reportedly wasarchitecturally inspired by Newark Airport(if that ’s not state pridefulness , I do n’t get laid what is ) . She excellently married Bobby Brown at a wedding on the estate , and after she died in 2012,a superfan bought it . Governor Chris Christie flew New Jersey ’s flags at half - staff when she died , and though he was widely criticise , he defended his conclusion by calling her a “ girl of New Jersey . ” Houston ’s spirit literally hold out on in the Garden State : she ’s buried in a graveyard in Westfield , which , full disclosure , is this author ’s hometown .

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