The first time I saw Richard, he was walking out the door at News 12 Westchester in a full suit — polished, professional, and looking like he had just stepped out of a business magazine.
I, on the other hand, was walking in for my shift in leggings, my hair in a messy bun, fueled by caffeine and deadlines.
We were passing ships in the newsroom, but I always noticed him. Eventually, fate (or more likely, the newsroom schedule) put us on the same shift, and he ended up sitting in my pod of desks. That’s when I discovered that beneath that suit was literally one of the funniest (and weirdest?!) people I had ever met.
Richard had me laughing so hard I cried — every single day. He quickly became my best friend, my go-to Starbucks partner, my lunch buddy, and my plus-one to more concerts and shows than I can count. For years, we were just that — best friends.
And then, suddenly, we weren’t.
It didn’t hurt that Richard happened to look like my ultimate ’90s teenage crush, John Stamos. (Richard arranged for me to meet him too!) Fast-forward a decade later, we are raising our son, Jesse (yes, named after Uncle Jesse), and my daughter, Aria, from my first chapter in life.
Life is full of unexpected twists, but the best ones come with great hair, a killer sense of humor, and whether at a show or on a plane, the ability to always get us the best seats in the house.
Turns out, I didn’t just find my Uncle Jesse — I found my forever.
—Jenna Lee Giacovas (married to Richard)
