Then & Now

 Marking 18 years in print is quite a celebration. We’ve had the honor of featuring exceptional celebrities on our cover along the way. 

We wondered what some of them have been up to since our last encounter and decided to check in. Let’s take a look and see how far they’ve come.

Pitbull Mr. 305

Armando Christian Perez is not only an international superstar, the Cuban-American rapper is also a proud Miami native who pours his love — and money — into South Florida communities.

Pitbull, of course, is his stage name, one he has said he chose because the dog breed is known to “bite to lock.”  

This Miami Coral Park Senior High School graduate has a work ethic as intense as his love for our country. Perez, a first-generation American whose parents emigrated from Cuba to the United States, doesn’t mince words when it comes to America’s critics.

“Go back to the countries that we [are] from and you’ll see how much you appreciate the United States of America,” he said during a concert earlier this year.

Perez, 40, has spent most of 2021 traveling with his “I Feel Good” tour, having just performed at the Tortuga Music Festival in Fort Lauderdale last month.

Most of us know he’s a successful musician — a Grammy winner with more than 25 million album sales and dozens of international number ones.

But Perez wears many other hats, as well. He’s a car enthusiast helping to revive the Palm Beach International Raceway and the co-owner of a NASCAR racing team called Team Trackhouse. He helped establish charter schools throughout the country, including in Miami, and recently launched a CBD wellness line called N2P — negative to positive — which is also the name of his new podcast. On it, Perez offers personal insights and invites celebrity guests from the world of music, film and business to chat about their careers and how they have found success.

 Mr. 305 is sharing some serious knowledge, and the world is ready to listen.

Romero Britto

Renowned Brazilian creator Romero Britto has spent most of his life spreading happiness through art.

His work is as bright and colorful as his personality and his mission — which is to share uplifting, vibrant pieces that make people smile.

It’s an uncomplicated, beautiful goal from a man who is anything but simple.

Britto, 58, is a creator with many titles —  painter, sculptor and pop artist whose headquarters, a 60,000 square-foot space called “Britto Palace” is in Miami Beach — a city he is proud to call home. When we spoke to him in 2004, his laundry list of accomplishments was impressive, but 17 years later, that list has turned into a book.

He’s worked with Disney, BMW, the United Nations and Royal Caribbean Cruises and has public art displays all over the world. 

One of nine children, Britto was raised by his mother and money was scarce. He recalls struggles the family faced, but also recounts the joy he found in painting. That passion took him to places he had only dreamt of as a child — Paris and then the United States. Britto, who has been compared to famed artist Andy Warhol, has made commissioned pieces for everyone from politicians to movie stars to world-class athletes. 

Charity is a fundamental part of Britto’s mission as he continues to donate his time and talent to causes such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

His journey is so inspiring that Miami-native, producer Armando Gutierrez is turning it into a movie expected to be released in late 2022. The hope is it will inspire someone else to follow their passion like Britto did.

And they, too, could spread joy, just as Britto intends to do for many years to come. 

Rob Lowe

It’s been eight years since we featured Rob Lowe on our cover, and naturally, we’ve all aged since then (cue in wrinkles, flab and expanding waistline). 

Lowe, it seems, hasn’t experienced any of it.

Though he’s best known as an actor, producer and director, he also carries the reputation as one of the few men in Hollywood who’ve remained ageless. Search his name online and you will see articles about how Lowe still looks as good as he did more than 30 years ago. 

Today, fans can watch the 57-year-old play a firefighter in “9-1-1: Lone Star” and if you can’t spare the time to watch television, you can catch his captivating voice on his podcast, “Literally! With Rob Lowe,” where he interviews his Hollywood pals and even talks about his skincare regime. (In 2019, Lowe started a skincare line called Profile.)

Lowe has been the face of the high-protein, low-carb diet plan Atkins since 2018, but was following it long before he became the spokesman. Perhaps that’s one of his secrets to his youthful glow?

He’s also a dedicated advocate for breast cancer awareness. He lost his mother, grandmother and great-grandmother to the disease.

A man of multiple talents, Lowe penned two best-selling memoirs — the latest one was released a year after he was on our cover. Both were so well received that Lowe had started touring the country sharing tales from his books. Unfortunately, the pandemic halted his plans.

Maybe he’ll resume that tour one day and South Florida will be on his list of places to visit. If so, we’ll be sure to ask him to let us in on his secret to eternal youth. 

Venus Williams

It’s true: Venus Williams has dominated the world of sports for the past two decades, but did you know there’s another side to this tennis powerhouse?

She’s also a sharp entrepreneur who will do just fine once her professional tennis days are behind her. 

How do we know?

Because she’s one of the Williams sisters (tennis Serena being the other) and these women have the skill, discipline and determination to succeed at just about anything. 

When we featured Williams, now 41, in 2017, she introduced us to her life outside the court — her interior design firm V Starr and her activewear brand EleVen by Venus Williams, both of which have headquarters in Riviera Beach.

Since our last conversation, she’s added another one to the mix — Happy Viking, a plant-based protein company that reflects her vegan diet. Williams has also debuted a skincare line and has become an activist for gender equality and equal pay.

That’s not all. The tennis star has started a wellness series on Instagram where she talks to followers about everything from mental health to workouts.

One of the most accomplished women in the history of sports, Williams has earned seven Grand Slam titles, five Wimbledon championships and four Olympic gold medals.

The story of her rise to fame is so inspiring that even Hollywood has taken notice. “King Richard,” starring superstar Will Smith, was released in theaters last month and depicts the Williams’ family journey as the girls worked their way to become tennis champions.

Williams is a true example of how hard work pays off. We have no doubt she will continue to show the world what else she’s capable of, on and off the court.

Harry Connick Jr.

Everyone wants to have Harry Connick Jr. as a friend.

After all, he seems like the real deal — funny, compassionate, smart — and let’s not forget he has a heck of a voice.

He’s also a musical genius who is a jack of all trades. Case in point: in his latest album called “Alone With My Faith,” the 54-year-old did it all — wrote the songs, played the instruments and layered all the vocals. It’s no wonder he’s the recipient of Grammy and Emmy awards, as well as Tony nominations for singing, acting and composing.

When we spoke to Connick in 2016, he had just debuted his daytime talk show, “Harry” and was excited about its future. We weren’t surprised Connick was given his own show because he’s so charismatic and personable. What did surprise us is that the show was canceled after two seasons. 

Connick kept moving forward with other projects, including playing Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks in the musical show, “Annie Live!,” which airs Dec. 2 on NBC.

He’s also committed to helping his home state of Louisiana and is especially vocal about his love for New Orleans.

When the pandemic hit, his heart was broken. Streets were empty, hospitals were flooded with the sick and musicians lost their jobs. Ten people close to him died from complications of the virus. One was his mother-in-law. It was a trying time for Connick, which is why he poured his heart into his music.

He calls his latest album his musical journal, one that focuses on his faith.

Given his extraordinary talent, it’ll quickly become a fan favorite.

Brooke Shields

Four years ago, Brooke Shields spoke to us about her two girls, then 13 and 10. 

They had recently flown alone for the first time from Palm Beach International Airport and Shields had said she couldn’t help but cry as she watched her daughters gain some independence. 

Her two beauties have likely caused Shields to shed more tears since that day, but especially so this past August when her oldest daughter left for college.

“This was the saddest drive away from anywhere I’ve ever had to make,” Shields wrote in the caption of a social media post.

When you watch interviews with this model, actress and author, she seems as relatable as your neighbor next door. Shields has been very candid over the years about her pregnancy struggles and the postpartum depression she had after the birth of her first child. 

Perhaps her honesty is why so many of us feel drawn to her. She seems to be just like us. 

Now, 56 years old, Shields has said over the years that everything is a teachable moment. Her glass-half-full attitude was challenged this past year when she was hospitalized. 

In January, Shields fell off of a balance board and fractured her right femur. The injury was so devastating that she had to learn how to walk again. Shields documented her journey on social media and encouraged viewers to “make a positive choice for yourself to move forward.”

Shields is encouraging other women to share her uplifting attitude through her online community, “Beginning Is Now,” which launched in September. Her goal is to inspire and remind women that every day is a chance to overcome challenges and begin again.

Who better to lead by example than Shields herself?

John Legend

We’ve featured musician John Legend on two of our covers over the years.

First in 2009, when he was enjoying the single life and performing in sold-out shows. Then again in 2018, where we found him married to supermodel Chrissy Teigen, who had just given birth to their second child.

By then, this multi-platinum artist was a household name. He was about to become a judge on the hit NBC show, “The Voice.” In 2019, People named him the “Sexiest Man Alive” and a year later, he released his seventh studio album, “Bigger Love.”

Back then, Legend was starting to dip his toes in social activism. Today, he’s swimming in it. The Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award-winning entertainer isn’t shying away from subjects like politics and social justice issues. Instead, he’s the one starting the conversations. 

Legend helped fight for allowing felons to have their voting rights restored and more recently launched the Humanlevel initiative aimed to work with local governments on issues including the criminal justice system. 

Legend has experienced difficult times since we last featured him. In 2020, Teigen was pregnant with their third child when doctors learned the baby was stillborn. The couple documented their grieving process on social media. 

Then earlier this year Teigen was accused of online bullying. That led to canceled partnerships with sponsors and Teigen struggling with depression as a result of negative media attention.

Legend remained by her side the entire time, and despite rumors, has no plans to walk away, bringing to mind the lyrics from his song, “Never Break.”

“Built on a foundation… stronger than the pain… we will never break.”

Iris Apfel

When we last left Iris Apfel in 2018, the style icon was committed to staying her unique self and not slowing down.

Apfel has certainly stayed true to her word: She’s still the spunky, eccentric woman with silver hair and red lips who is rarely seen without her thick, oversized glasses. And though she had an impressive resume when we spoke with her three years ago, just like Apfel herself, that resume has gotten better with age.

She’s added professional model to her bio, having signed a contract with IMG Models at the age of 97. She has also put her name behind home decor and fashion lines at retailers including Lowe’s and Macy’s.

Apfel, who has a house in Palm Beach, isn’t a stranger to the business world. She and her late husband, Carl, owned an interior design company, Old World Weavers and the pair worked for countless upscale clients, including nine White House presidents. 

She’s also not a stranger to fancy celebrations, including her own birthday party. Apfel turned 100 this year and marked the occasion during Fashion Week in New York, surrounding herself with fashion moguls like Tommy Hilfiger and Donna Karan. While we realize that other people have certainly lived to see 100 (including her late husband), few of them continue to work or travel or even keep up with appearances. It’s no surprise to us that Apfel manages to do all of these things and more. She’s even learning about the world of social media and has an Instagram account with 2.1 million followers. Her description reads, “More is more & less is a bore.”

Thankfully for her fans, Apfel is anything but boring.

Jose Andres

While most people flee natural disasters, celebrity Chef Jose Andres finds the fastest way to get to them. 

He was doing that when we met him in 2018 — feeding victims of hurricanes and earthquakes through his organization World Central Kitchen, a network of chefs whose goal is to alleviate hunger in times of crisis.

Today, he’s still following Mother Nature’s wrath.

Andres is so engrossed in his humanitarian work that when we last spoke with him, he had missed a phone call letting him know that one of his 31 restaurants had been awarded two Michelin stars for the second year in a row.

The 52-year-old says cooks are people of action and they don’t just wait for something to happen, they take action. 

And that’s exactly what Andres does.

This culinary icon is still very involved in his respected restaurants, having recently opened a few more this past year. Bazaar Mar by Jose Andres in Miami and The Bazaar in Miami Beach are two local favorites.

While he is proud of his reputation as one of America’s most well-respected chefs, he is also just as driven when it comes to World Central Kitchen.

When the government briefly shut down in late 2019, Andres and his team prepared food for the furloughed federal workers. A few months later, he opened his restaurants to feed the hungry during the pandemic. He also headed to grief-stricken places like Haiti to feed victims of natural disasters. 

In his spare time, Andres is launching a media company that will produce content on the culture of food.

Food is about making an interaction with ingredients, he has said, if you talk to them, they will always tell you a story.

And my, what a story Andres continues to tell!

Mario Lopez

He’s the handsome guy with deep dimples and a physique made for a fitness magazine. 

Actor and television host Mario Lopez has spent his life using his charm and smarts to take him to magical places far from his tough neighborhood upbringing in California.

We spoke to this pop-culture guru 9 years ago and a lot has changed since then. He ended up marrying fiancé Courtney Mazza, whom he met in 2008. And the 2-year-old daughter he doted over back then is now a spunky 11-year-old and the big sister of two brothers, ages 7 and 2. 

Of course, Lopez has aged, too, (he turned 48 in October), but time has been kind to him. He keeps his body in shape and healthy so he can have the energy to tackle the slew of projects he’s taken on. In 2019, he decided to switch to rival entertainment news program, “Access Hollywood,” ending his 11-year run at “Extra.” He also hosts a national iHeartRadio show with his wife called “On with Mario Lopez” and co-hosts a boxing podcast with ESPN writer Steve Kim. What’s more, Lopez is the Grand Marshal of this year’s popular Winterfest Boat Parade in Ft. Lauderdale.

Some of us may remember when Lopez starred as Slater in the 1990s teen series, “Saved by the Bell.” Today, he’s serving as a producer and actor on the show’s reboot, which can be found in NBC’s streaming service Peacock.

In an interview with GQ in 2020, Lopez said he doesn’t ever want to slow down professionally because he knows opportunities can disappear as quickly as they’re offered.

“I don’t ever want to regret it,” he told GQ. “I want to keep striking while the iron is hot.”

So far, Lopez has done just that.