14-06-2025
Our 'Most Famous Delawarean' poll is back. Submit your nominations ... now
When Delaware Online/The News Journal launched its first "Most Famous Delawareans" poll in 2018, it made a national splash, landing on "Saturday Night Live," "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," "Conan" and the pages of People magazine.
Now it's time for our readers to do it again.
Nominations are officially open below with the first round of voting set to begin June 28 with several rounds following before a winner is announced in late July.
Even before Aubrey Plaza landed her role on "The White Lotus," the First State's downright lovable actress ran away with our "Most Famous Delawarean" poll, winning 42% of the votes.
And the comedian made sure to milk her title for laughs in the years following.
On "The Late Show," two years after the poll, the 2002 Ursuline Academy graduate jokingly threatened to sue Delaware Online/The News Journal as she riffed on language used by President Donald Trump after he lost to President Joe Biden.
With Biden as the then-president-elect, arguably making him the most famous person in the world, Plaza was not about to give up her title.
"I will not concede," the Wilmington native told Colbert. "In fact, I have many lawsuits coming after The News Journal, the Delaware News Journal. So they better watch out and they better count all their clicks. It was an online poll and I want those clicks counted."
Three years later, when the former "Saturday Night Live" page got her first opportunity to host the venerable NBC late-night sketch show, her monologue featured the poll.
"I was actually voted the most famous person from Delaware. I beat Joe Biden and he was pissed. He was livid," she joked.
Plaza then queued up a video clip from Biden himself, and the president did not cast shade on her claims of the crown:
"Aubrey, you're the most famous person in Delaware; there's no question about that. We're just glad you made it out of 'White Lotus' alive!''
Even before her nationally televised plugs for the poll, People magazine wrote about the results in 2018, headlined "Aubrey Plaza Trolled Joe Biden on Twitter After Being Named Delaware's Most Famous Person."
'I honestly don't know how I did that! He didn't even make it in the Top 3. And I was trolling him on Twitter!' she was quoted as saying to talk show host Conan O'Brien. 'I was like, 'How did this happen? You were vice president!'"
Her Biden troll came when she reposted the results and tagged the then-former vice president, who grew up in Claymont: "What's up @JoeBiden?"
While Plaza won the crown, it might come as a surprise that Biden didn't come in second.
In fact, he didn't come in third, fourth or fifth either. The future president came in sixth place.
Late jazz phenom Clifford Brown (Wilmington) came in second, late former Philadelphia Phillies player and manager Dallas Green (Newport) was third, former WNBA star Elena Delle Donne (Wilmington) landed in fourth place and political commentator Bill Press (Delaware City) rounded out the top five.
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The top 10 also included rocker George Thorogood (Brandywine Hundred) in seventh place, political operative and podcaster Dan Pfeiffer (Wilmington) in eighth, actress Elisabeth Shue (Wilmington) in ninth and Heimlich maneuver namesake Henry Heimlich (Wilmington) in 10th place.
Who will be in the top 10 this year? It's up to you. Nominations close June 19.
Have a story idea? Contact Ryan Cormier of Delaware Online/The News Journal at rcormier@ or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier) and X (@ryancormier).
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Can Aubrey Plaza defend her title against Joe Biden in their rematch?
