Kylie Kelce, the Narberth native and podcast host, is the most Wikipedia-searched celebrity born in Lower Merion Township or Narberth.
The ranking is part of a broader Philadelphia Inquirer project examining the 100 most-searched Philadelphia-area celebrities on Wikipedia. Kelce ranks No. 50 among that top-100 list. Inquirer reporter Lisa Dukart noted that tiny Narberth borough is "punching above its weight class," claiming three of the local top five.
Kelce's podcast, "Not Gonna Lie," launched in December 2024 and hit No. 1 on both Spotify and Apple Podcasts that month, according to TMZ. She grew up in Narberth and graduated from Cabrini College in 2017 with a degree in communications.
The remaining four on the local list range from a World War II fighter ace to a former NFL team president.
No. 2: James "Pug" Southerland II — A Narberth-born Navy fighter pilot, Southerland was credited with five aerial victories flying Grumman F4F Wildcats. He earned the Silver Star, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, and the Purple Heart. Rear Admiral David Richardson, who served alongside him, said Southerland got his nickname because he was "such a pugnacious boxer" at the U.S. Naval Academy. He died in 1949 at age 37 during a jet training accident off the Florida coast.
No. 3: Beck Dorey-Stein — Another Narberth native and a 2004 Lower Merion High School graduate, Dorey-Stein gained national attention with her 2018 memoir "From the Corner of the Oval," a New York Times bestseller about her years as a White House stenographer under President Barack Obama. She told Main Line Today in 2018 that she stumbled into the job after spotting a Craigslist posting she thought was for a law firm. "Within a month I was at the White House and within three months I was on Air Force One," she said. Her third book, "Spectacular Things," was published July 1, 2025, and was named a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick.
No. 4: Taylor Buchholz — Born in Lower Merion Township, though he attended Springfield High School in Delaware County, Buchholz pitched in the majors for the Houston Astros, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, and New York Mets between 2006 and 2011. The Phillies drafted him in the sixth round of the 2000 MLB Draft.
No. 5: Alec Scheiner — Raised in Lower Merion and a 1988 Lower Merion High School graduate, Scheiner served as president of the Cleveland Browns from 2013 to 2016. He co-founded Otro Capital, a private equity firm focused on sports, media, and entertainment.
Kobe Bryant, who attended Lower Merion High School, ranked No. 2 on the overall regional list but did not appear in the local top five. The Inquirer's methodology counts celebrities by birthplace, and Bryant was born in Philadelphia.
