{"id":308694,"date":"2026-10-17T11:46:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-17T11:46:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/308694\/"},"modified":"2026-10-17T11:46:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T11:46:09","slug":"shes-27-hes-64-theyre-committed-for-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/308694\/","title":{"rendered":"She\u2019s 27. He\u2019s 64. They\u2019re committed for life."},"content":{"rendered":"

One night at the Kung Fu Necktie bar in Fishtown<\/a>, Lauren Herman spotted an intriguing man across the room. Most patrons were dressed in black, to match the night\u2019s Emo theme, but he was wearing an outlandish blue suit and a matching feather-topped hat.<\/p>\n

Herman, an extrovert with a direct approach, walked over and asked the first question on her mind: \u201cWhat is this, a pimp table?\u201d<\/p>\n

The man was not, in fact, a pimp, but instead the owner of the bar, James Herman. Everyone knows him as \u201cChicken,\u201d a nickname from his days as an artist in New York City in the \u201890s.<\/p>\n

The two spent the evening talking about their lives and their shared interest in art. (At the time, Lauren managed security at the Philadelphia Museum of Art<\/a>). Both fresh out of difficult relationships, neither was looking for a new one. And yet, they became inseparable over the next few weeks.<\/p>\n

So by the time Herman learned of Chicken\u2019s age \u2014 62, and 37 years older than her \u2014 it didn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n

A year later, in October 2025, the two got engaged on Fox29\u2019s \u201cGood Day Philadelphia<\/a>\u201d and this summer they got married at City Hall. They live together above Kung Fu Necktie, next to Chicken\u2019s second bar, the Neon Clown Dream Lounge, a psychedelic music venue packed with salvaged clown art<\/a>. Chicken runs both bars and Lauren is studying drawing and painting at the Community College of Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s different than anyone I\u2019ve ever known,\u201d Lauren said. \u201cSo I just wanted to keep spending time with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The following, as told to Zoe Greenberg in separate interviews, has been edited for length and clarity and combined.<\/p>\n

On meeting at Kung Fu Necktie <\/p>\n

Lauren: I was like, \u201cDo you come here often?\u201d He\u2019s like, \u201cHoney, I own the place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chicken: I can\u2019t use my position as a bar owner to approach any woman to date, because I\u2019m so much older than all these people. I\u2019m not gonna get labeled as a creep. She came up to me, and she was chatting it up, but then she asked, \u201cAre you going to make a move?\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cNope.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"LaurenLauren Herman and James \u201cChicken\u201d Herman live next to the Neon Clown Dream Lounge, a bar Chicken runs that is packed with salvaged clown art. Jose F. Moreno \/ Staff Photographer<\/p>\n

Lauren: He took me to a steakhouse. I think he was trying to impress me. Towards the end of the date, I asked, \u201cCan we go somewhere fun now?\u201d So we went to Oscar\u2019s and just had cheap beer, more my vibe.<\/p>\n

Chicken: We went to Butcher and Singer. It was our first date. What, am I going to take her to Burger King?<\/p>\n

On learning about their age difference<\/p>\n

Lauren: It\u2019s actually funny because I didn\u2019t find out how old he was until two months into us dating. He didn\u2019t tell me. I was like, \u201cSo how old are you?\u201d And he\u2019s like, \u201cWhy does it matter?\u201d <\/p>\n

I think he thought I might not want to be with him. I really wouldn\u2019t have cared. I thought he was in his 40s. About two months in, he left his ID out in the bathroom, and of course, I\u2019m gonna take a look. I did the math, and I\u2019m like, \u201cThere\u2019s no way!\u201d Because he looks so much younger and sounds so much younger than he is. <\/p>\n

Chicken: My ex-wife would ask, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you date somebody your own age?\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cSo I have something in common with a 60-year-old because they\u2019re 60?\u201d I like to go out and be social five to six nights a week. I\u2019m not Peter Pan trying to relive my life. I\u2019ve always been this same person.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

More from ‘Life Partners’<\/p>\n

On what drew them to each other <\/p>\n

Lauren: In the past, I\u2019ve been with people who dulled my spark. If I wanted to be a little kooky one day, they\u2019d be embarrassed. With him, he fully embraces it. He\u2019s super weird, too.<\/p>\n

Chicken: She\u2019s not judgmental. She\u2019s not big on herself. The core basis of her is that she\u2019s such a good person. We\u2019ll go out, and she\u2019s talking to everybody and anybody.<\/p>\n

On telling friends and family <\/p>\n

Lauren: Obviously I had to tell my parents at some point. They were surprised.<\/p>\n

Chicken: I don\u2019t think her parents know how to approach me because I\u2019m older than them by 15 years. All her friends are about her same age, and when we started first dating, they were giving me the stink eye. Now they all love me, so it\u2019s all good.<\/p>\n

Lauren: A common assumption is that any woman who\u2019s with an older man is doing it for money. Which is obviously not true. When we first met, I was making pretty good money and I had a good job.<\/p>\n

Chicken: When I was getting engaged, my oldhead friends asked, \u201cWhat are you doing? Protect yourself, get a prenup.\u201d Why would I do that? My parents are dead. Who am I gonna leave all this to? Money means nothing to me. I got plenty of it.<\/p>\n

On denial and diverging interests<\/p>\n

Lauren: He\u2019ll say things in public that he definitely shouldn\u2019t say, but he says it so loud because he can\u2019t hear. And I\u2019m telling him, get your ears checked because you\u2019re so loud right now. He\u2019s in denial, I think, because he\u2019s in denial that he\u2019s old. <\/p>\n

Chicken: Lauren\u2019s caught up in TikTok and all this other stupid social media. That\u2019s not a big part of my life. It\u2019s kind of funny to watch her get excited about Addison Rae or John Pork. I personally don\u2019t care about it.<\/p>\n

Lauren: He\u2019s in such good health for his age. I don\u2019t think he\u2019ll need any help. Obviously, I\u2019m going to be willing to help, he\u2019s my husband, of course. But I think we have a long time until then, at least 30 or 40 years. I hope that our life is pretty much going the same way it\u2019s going now. I don\u2019t want anything to change.<\/p>\n

Chicken: In 30 years, I\u2019ll be dead. I\u2019m sure about that.<\/p>\n

This story is part of a series about life partners<\/a> across the Philadelphia area.<\/p>\n

If you want to share your story about who you\u2019re navigating life with, romantically or otherwise, write to lifepartners@inquirer.com. We won\u2019t publish anything without speaking to you first.<\/p>\n

\"Zoe<\/a><\/p>\n

I write feature stories that get to the heart of what it means to be a Philadelphian, from charting curious trends to profiling the people shaping our city and region to examining our most pressing tensions. I\u2019m also the creator of Life Partners, a series about unexpected intimate relationships. <\/p>\n