Four elderly gay men, who refer to themselves as ‘The Old Gays,’ started posting videos together online back in 2018, and now, they have practically stolen everyone on the internet’s hearts.
Bill Lyons, 77, Jessay Martin, 68, Robert Reeves, 78, and Mick Peterson, 65, from Cathedral City, California, have set the internet alight with their brilliant videos.
The guys – who are not in a romantic relationship – have gone viral on TikTok for posting clips of themselves hanging out, chatting about their daily struggles, sharing stories from their youth, giving advice, reacting to popular videos, and doing various activities together.
Due to their positive demeanor, their adorable personalities, and contagious laugh, the men – who have gained 3.2 million followers and 320 million views across all social media platforms – have brought happiness to many people all around the world.
The four guys, who joked in one video that they ‘invented being gay,’ started off as neighbors, eventually became best friends, and are now roommates.
They first started to get attention online after they were featured in a promotional video for the gay dating app Grindr, but they were really skyrocketed to fame after joining TikTok near the end of last year.
Four elderly gay men, who refer to themselves as ‘The Old Gays,’ have set the internet alight recently with their brilliant videos
Bill Lyons, 77, Jessay Martin, 68, Robert Reeves, 78, and Mick Peterson, 65 – who are not in a romantic relationship – have stolen practically everyone on the internet’s hearts
The guys – who are from Cathedral City, California – post clips of themselves hanging out, sharing stories from their youth, giving advice, doing various activities together, and more
Due to their positive demeanor, their adorable personalities, and contagious laugh, the men have brought happiness to many people all around the world
The guys sat down for an appearance on the Today show on Tuesday, November 16, where they chatted about their road to stardom and their favorite parts of their new-found internet fame
Their videos have gained the attention of many celebrities, including Lance Bass, Bebe Rexha, Rihanna, and now, Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager from the Today Show.
The guys sat down for an appearance on the morning talk show on Tuesday, November 16, where they chatted about their road to stardom and their favorite parts of their new-found internet fame.
‘We started our first video in 2018 in May, but it wasn’t until December when we went on TikTok that we went through the roof,’ Bill explained.
Mick added: ‘One of our housemates, John, introduced us to Ryan [Yezak], who is now our producer and that’s how it all gelled together.’
Jessay admitted that his life has certainly changed a lot since going viral, and he said that for him, the best part of the whole thing is being a role model for those who aren’t sure about their sexuality or aren’t ready to come out yet.
‘I sing at this church and all of a sudden they started coming up to me and they were like, “We saw you!”‘ he said. ‘It’s allowed me to come out and be more me and not worry what people are thinking.
‘There’s still people who don’t know who they are. They’re scared of all this, and they have to be. It really is an eye-opener.’
Jessay (left) said the best part of the whole thing for him is being a role-model for those who aren’t sure about their sexuality. Bill (right), said his favorite part was the positive comments
Robert (left) said that he is always touched when he gets comments like, ‘We no longer fear getting old.’ Mick (right) added their families have been very supportive
The four guys started off as neighbors, eventually became best friends, and are now roommates
In a previous interview, he explained that for a long time, he didn’t have a voice. He said: ‘I have not always had a voice. This has given me an opportunity to really use my voice and to just not worry about what people are thinking of me.
‘For me, it really has been and still is quite the journey. I don’t know where it’s going, but right now I’m on cloud nine and I’m thankful to be a part of it.’
When Bill was asked what he has enjoyed most throughout this wild ride during his visit to the Today show, he said it was the positive response that they’ve gotten from their viewers.
‘The greatest thing we do is when read [comments] like, “We woke up this morning. you guys just made my day.” Those kind of things warm my heart because it’s so nice,’ he told the talk show hosts.
Robert added, ‘So many of the comments are, “We no longer fear getting old.” I think that’s so big.’
Bill also previously spoke out about how different things were for him when he was growing up, and how important it is for them to educate others on how things have changed.
Jessay said in a previous interview: ‘I have not always had a voice. This has given me an opportunity to really use my voice and to just not worry about what people are thinking of me’
They have gained 3.2 million followers and 320 million views across all social media platforms
‘I think the most important thing that we’re educating people on is that 60 years ago, coming out was a real struggle,’ he said.
You didn’t talk about coming out to your parents or anything. In fact, a lot of situations, I heard when parents found out that one of their children was gay, they kicked him out of the house right away. It really wasn’t easy in the beginning.
‘At 77 years old, I never had any idea that this would happen to me. It’s totally surreal. I feel like a dinosaur, but the way that people are reacting to me and to the others, I can’t believe it.’
During their appearance on the Today Show, the guys were asked who the riskiest in the group was, and everyone agreed it was Mick. However, when it came to who the most-conservative was, it was a tie between Bill or Jessay.
What do their families think of the whole thing? Well, according to Mick, they’re ‘very supportive.’
‘They’re having a laugh [about it],’ he said.
They first started to get attention after they were featured in a promotional video for the gay dating app Grindr, but they were really skyrocketed to fame after joining TikTok last year
Their videos have gained the attention of many celebrities, including Lance Bass, Montana Tucker (pictured), Bebe Rexha, Rihanna, and more
For those who can’t get enough of the guys, who have been branded the ‘modern day Golden Girls,’ they will soon be able to watch them in their very own reality show
For those who can’t get enough of the guys, who have been branded the ‘modern day Golden Girls,’ they will soon be able to watch them in their very own reality show.
Variety reported earlier this month that they had signed with Brian Graden Media (BGM) to develop ‘a docuseries about their personal and professional social media lives.’
‘We are thrilled to be working with the hilarious and very talented “Old Gays,”‘ BGM CEO Brian Graden told the outlet.
‘Their videos resonate with audiences young and old alike and viewers have shown extreme interest in seeing their lives on a more personal level which we intend to deliver upon.
‘We have always been very passionate about telling stories within the LGBTQ+ community with our series … and have had an extremely successful track record collaborating with social media influencers.
‘We look forward to expanding upon that success with the “Old Gays” to create an entertaining and successful long-form series that will be enjoyed by millions of viewers from all different backgrounds and ages across the world.’
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