If there’s one thing Darcy Michael and Jeremy Baer can take away from their 35-day road trip across America, it’s that, under no circumstances, will you actually use the portable barbecue you originally insisted on packing.
Late May, the Ladner-based TikTok-famous husbands – who are now nearly at three million followers – embarked on an impromptu road trip with their dog Yuma to Indianapolis to watch friends race in the Indy 500.
Packed in their truck, the three headed out on the open road and, of course, recorded the shenanigans they got into along the way for their latest YouTube series, “Darcy & Jer Do America.”
“Time is a very valuable currency, and COVID taught us that we want more of it together,” says Michael. “Instead of being in a 2,000-square foot house, [we thought], ‘let’s put ourselves in a four-square foot environment for 35 days with a panting golden retriever behind us.’”
The trip was full of laughs, luxurious dog parks and long nights of video-editing, but it also highlighted how much fun the two still have together after 18 years of marriage.
It also emphasized how the two have recently reversed roles since Baer left his corporate job in January to become a full-time content creator with Michael, who is also a comedian and actor.
“If you would’ve asked me last year if I ever saw myself leaving work to be an idiot on the Internet, I would have laughed in your face,” says Baer.
Their TikTok content centres around queerness, body positivity, gardening, parenting and living with Michael’s ADHD. On their account, Michael now endearingly refers to Baer as the “house husband”, in addition to his longstanding title of “ADHD wrangler.”
Together, they’re trying to find a balance between content and work commitments and simply living their lives. Stepping into longer-form content, like their Darcy & Jer Do America series, could be one of the ways they take a step back from creating content all day, every day, they say.
But both continue to be astonished at how large their platform has become, nearly doubling their number of followers on TikTok since last year when they spoke to the Optimist.
“As an artist, I’ve wanted to reach people and make them feel good for a long time. It’s nice to see the comments reiterating that we’re doing that ... I think it’s cool that we are able to show young queer people that it’s okay to dream about having a healthy relationship that can last. Jer and I are far from perfect, but we balance each other nicely,” says Michael.
To watch their “Darcy & Jer Do America” series, visit their YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/DarcyMichaelComedy.
