6 ABC’s Adam Joseph on His Winter Prediction and Why He Hates Coffee

6 ABC’s Adam Joseph. Illustration by Andy Friedman

My name is … Adam Joseph. My dad wanted me to be Henry Jr., but my mother hated that name, so I was Adam. And then, lo and behold, my younger brother got stuck with Henry. My mother was tired of fighting about it.

But my friends call me … “Spitfire.” I’m very strong Type A. Go-go-go-go-go.

My job is … thrilling. The weather is a true passion.

I met my partner, Karl … at El Vez. A chance encounter. I wasn’t even supposed to go out that night. My friends dragged me out, tooth and nail.

When people ask me if Karl and I are going to have more kids … I tell them that ship has sailed. Two and done.

My standard Wawa order is … grilled chicken on wheat with all the veggies you can get on there. And a cup of hot tea. I despise coffee. It’s one of the worst things on the planet.

Climate change is … very real. Being in this business for 22 years now, I’ve seen things that are not supposed to happen, bigger and more violent storms, and we are getting weather we wouldn’t typically get here. It’s real.

If I had to choose between Jim Gardner and Cecily Tynan for my Zombie Apocalypse survival team, I would have to pick … aw, man. Cecily. We have many similar interests, and we could entertain each other for however much longer we had to live.

I decided to come out publicly on Facebook in 2014 because … I was introducing everybody to our new son, Jacob, and I wanted him to be proud of who I was. I didn’t come out to my family until I was 30. There were three different people: TV Adam, family-and-friend Adam, and then the real Adam that only a few people knew.

One of the most challenging parts of my job is … being a perfectionist and not being able to predict the future to a T.

To stay in shape these days … I work out at home. We created a gym at our home due to COVID. I was a gym rat, but now I don’t think I’ll ever go back.

For my last real vacation … we took the kids to Beaches in Turks and Caicos in March. We flew home, and the week after was when everything shut down.

The first concert I went to was … the Backstreet Boys. You’re killing me here.

If you’re pouring me a drink at the end of the day, make it a … Hendrick’s gin straight up, with muddled cucumber.

I predict this winter will be … fairly easy. We need an easy winter after all this.

My longest triathlon has been … a half Iron Man, so 70.2 kilometers. I am hoping and praying that 2021 will be … the year we can find unity again.

I love to collect … plants. I’m a hoarder when it comes to plants. Inside and outside. I have no room, but I find room.

I’ll keep doing this until … I get tired of it. I have a lot of other things planned beyond this — something around me in the kitchen, a cookbook, and my own sort of consulting business revolving around cooking, baking and gardening.

One of my favorite dishes to cook for guests is … beef Bourguignon. I cook all of the meals for our family, despite my work hours. And every Christmas, I typically cook an entire meal for 25 family members. I don’t let anyone bring anything. I do literally all of it myself. This year, however …

Published as “One of Us: Adam Joseph” in the December 2020 issue of Philadelphia magazine.