On Dec. 7, Paul Mescal hosted SNL and Shaboozey performed as the episode’s featured musical artist. Gen Z fans, in particular, knew the deep cultural significance of this episode–it was not Mescal or Shaboozey that sent waves of joy and shock among fans on the Internet, though, but the sparkly and pink-clad Trisha Paytas starring as a featured guest. Even if the name Trisha Paytas does not ring a bell, you more than likely have seen her in memes or have unknowingly lip-synced clips of her viral quotes. For those not well-versed in Trisha Paytas’ internet lore (which spans decades), here’s a summary of Paytas’ media journey that led up to her peak moment on SNL.
The Early Days of “King Tut”
The American media personality went through many phases before rising to YouTube stardom. At a young age, Paytas moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting. Things did not go particularly to plan so she worked as a stripper and escort to support herself, experiences she has been open about with her online audience. Paytas eventually did find some success in the entertainment industry, landing roles in music videos by artists including Eminem and Amy Winehouse. She also appeared on several talk shows after becoming a Guinness World Record Holder for her fast-talking, speaking 710 words in 54 seconds.
This fast-talking is a hallmark of the YouTube channel that she created in 2007, establishing herself as one of the OG YouTubers and ultimately bringing her to internet fame. In the peak of her chaos, she released many iconic and often controversial videos famously filmed in her kitchen, including clips lip-syncing”King Tut”, covering “Shallows,” and frequently announcing alternations to her personal identity. The manic nature of these videos caused them to go viral as memes, yet ultimately drew concerns from viewers.
Paytas has ventured into almost every sphere of popular culture. She appeared on reality TV shows like Celebrity Big Brother, The Celebrity Apprentice, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and more. In 2010, Paytas appeared on My Strange Addiction as a self-admitted tanning addict. Her famous track “I Love You Jesus” launched her music career. In 2020, she cohosted a podcast with Ethan Klein called Frenemies, a show contrasting the duo’s black cat/golden retriever energies. Several clips from this podcast went viral, either from humorous moments or ignorant comments that toed the line of being somewhat ‘cancelable,’ yet were ultimately excused by audiences. Throughout all of these career phases, Paytas was known for numerous controversies and feuds with other internet personalities.
Becoming a Mother and SNL Star
After a few too many controversies, something shifted in Paytas, prompting a change in her audience’s perception of her as well. She met her now-husband Moses Hacmon and has two daughters famously named Malibu Barbie and Elvis. After a feud between her and Ethan Klein, she started a solo podcast called Just Trish, which features many other well-known celebrities and influencers. To this day, she remains active on her YouTube, though instead of sitting on the floor of her old kitchen, she posts vlogs with her family and films TikToks of fast food mukbangs. Her campiness and frivolity have not faltered: dressing up like Chappell Roan or Ice Spice, recreating “Bet On It” as Troy Bolton, or roleplaying Bridgerton characters with her husband are just some of the premises of her more recent videos.
Though she remains the same flashy and somewhat misguided internet personality, her newfound sense of maturity and positivity has altered the course of her career. Paytas has opened up about the substance abuse, relationship abuse, and mental health struggles she was dealing with through her early years of making headlines. By learning from her mistakes and prioritizing her mental health, she managed to overcome these obstacles despite the online hatred. The media has since praised her for her ability to succeed and finally find happiness and stability after so many years of chaos.
Three years ago, on the Frenemies podcast (which was canceled because of irreconcilable differences between the hosts) Ethan Klein promised he would “cut his arm off” if Paytas ever appeared on SNL. Flash forward to this past Saturday, when Paytas starred alongside Bowen Yang in a sketch called “Spotify Wrapped”. Playing herself, she poked fun at the goofiness of modern podcasts and being a niche Internet celebrity. Dressed in her signature pink, she closed the show on one of the most famous national stages alongside other highly successful individuals. People speculated on whether Paul Mescal knew her; nevertheless, the whole cast, especially Bowen Yang, acknowledged her role in the episode.
Paytas told People Magazine: “I wanted to hide. I was going to be next to Bowen, like, ‘Let me just stand next to you.’ He was like, ‘No, you’re going to go to the front,’ and I was like, ‘Oh my God,'” she recalls. “It felt real. Also, hearing Paul Mescal be like, ‘Thank you Trisha Paytas,’ like, what did I do? That was crazy.”
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