2025: The Wacky Wiegler Year in Review
Wacky isn't the adjective I think of when I look back at 2025, but that's the fun of this annual post: tradition dictates that despite the pain, I find the wacky. "Life is a tragedy for those who feel, and a comedy for those who think," a philosopher, Jean de La Bruyère, said. I have thought of that statement countless times over the years, and on my best days I realize life is a blend of both darkness and light. As we end 2025 mourning the deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner -- a tragedy that has extended beyond the entertainment community in the States, worldwide -- I reflect again on the fragility of life. This was the year I was at my most vulnerable, felt the most alone and scared. Yet when the world is looking at you as a crazy old lady (some days), you have only two choices: believe the world, or flip them the bird. I chose the latter. In the spring I broke into Washingtonian magazine, interviewing a source at the NIH who chose to remain anonymous to protect the...