+
Sign up for
The Upworthiest
Our top stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox.
upworthy
Internet

'Retirement House' on TikTok shows you're only as young as you feel

They may be senior citizens, but that doesn't stop them having fun.

retirement house, tiktok, grandfluencers
Retirement House/TikTok

Retirement House on TikTok is so much fun.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if your grandparents made content on TikTok? As far-fetched as it seems, there are older people who are finding success on the app. Two of the most popular "grandfluencer" accounts are The Old Gays and @ourfillipinograndma. Each account has millions of followers, which proves that old people are just as interesting as younger influencers. And it was because of their popularity that Retirement House was born.

Retirement House is a semiscripted account that stars six actors between the ages of 70 and 85. And while some of it is staged, the actors who play the parts are clearly having a blast. Why shouldn't they? We have so many preconceived notions about what it means to be over the age of 70, and these six are here to show us that what we believe to be true doesn't actually have to be. That's probably why they have more than 3 million followers.

@retirementhouse

We’re baaaack! Welcome to season 2️⃣💜🤪🅿️

♬ original sound - Retirement House

It feels like the account popped up out of nowhere, but that's not entirely true. Retirement House is the brainchild of 27-year-old Adi Azran and 25-year-old Brandon Chase. “Seniors have been left out of the spotlight in the entertainment industry,” Azran told BuzzFeed News.

They originally conceived the show as something more scripted, as you can see in some of their earlier videos. According to the BuzzFeed article, Azran and Chase haven't entirely given up on that idea, but they're currently focusing on building a more solid platform. The videos are very typical TikTok content—the retirees do their own takes on popular TikTok trends.

So, who are these adorable senior citizens? There's Larry, Curtis, Mabel, Eugene, Rose and Bubbe. They "live" (rent by the hour) a mansion in West Hollywood where they seem to cavort around, getting into shenanigans. They pretend they have a clue what's happening in the world of pop culture, which is really cute.

“I don’t know about ‘sick’ and ‘dope.’ My character and I are not hip,” Chuck Lacey, who plays Eugene, told BuzzFeed. “I mentioned the Fonz and no one knew who I was talking about, but I didn’t know who Jack Harlow was.”

In one recent video, they do their own take on the "gentleminions" trend, where they declare "good thing we're not teens" as they strut down the street in their finest. Rose is even eating a banana, the favorite treat of the Minions. They may not have a clue what exactly their videos mean, but it's fun to watch them.

@retirementhouse

we got y’all 😈

♬ Rich Minion - Yeat

Honestly, why would a bunch of septuagenarians know anything about current pop culture? I'm in my 30s and I don't even understand most of these TikTok trends. That doesn't mean I don't find it adorable to watch a bunch of seniors pretend to know what the new Drake album sounds like. You will find it endearing to see Bubbe do the splits or watch Eugene dance. (I won't share it here, but there's a whole video of Mabel and Rose flipping each other off, and it's hilarious.)

“You see so many stories of older people that are not happy, because as you get older, you lose friends, you lose relatives, you don’t have people to share your life with,” Reatha Grey, who plays Rose, told The New York Times. “We’re actually building shared memories together — and it’s on videotape.”

@retirementhouse

making tiktoks for 3.8 million of you and being featured in new york times, abc news, good day LA. love you all! my grandkids know im cool now 😉

♬ Cool Kids (Sped-Up Version) - Echosmith

That's one of the best things about Retirement House. You get to see a bunch of older people having a good time together. Who cares if they don't know who Jack Harlow is? They've lived long enough and been through enough that they get a pass. What we find entertaining is that they're willing to put themselves out there. Society keeps telling us that there's something shameful about aging—we're supposed to be afraid of getting older and life changes. But these six people are living their best lives right now, and it feels like they're thumbing their noses at the establishment in a way that's reserved for people much younger.

"you're the bomb. I'm 52 and you give me hope," one user commented on TikTok.

"I dont know what I did good in life to deserve this side of TT but I’m grateful to be here and I’m never leaving 🥰🥺😅" said another.

Scripted or not, they're having a good time, and that's all that matters.

From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
tiktok
Badge
Prudential
Prudential
Sponsored

Meet the 18-year-old advocating for teen mental health, one inspiring podcast at a time

All images provided by Prudential Emerging Visionaries

Collins after being selected by Prudential Emerging Visionaries

True

A changemaker is anyone who takes creative action to solve an ongoing problem—be it in one’s own community or throughout the world.

And when it comes to creating positive change, enthusiasm and a fresh perspective can hold just as much power as years of experience. That’s why, every year, Prudential Emerging Visionaries celebrates young people for their innovative solutions to financial and societal challenges in their communities.

This national program awards 25 young leaders (ages 14-18) up to $15,000 to devote to their passion projects. Additionally, winners receive a trip to Prudential’s headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, where they receive coaching, skills development, and networking opportunities with mentors to help take their innovative solutions to the next level.

For 18-year-old Sydnie Collins, one of the 2023 winners, this meant being able to take her podcast, “Perfect Timing,” to the next level.

Since 2020, the Maryland-based teen has provided a safe platform that promotes youth positivity by giving young people the space to celebrate their achievements and combat mental health stigmas. The idea came during the height of Covid-19, when Collins recalled social media “becoming a dark space flooded with news,” which greatly affected her own anxiety and depression.

Knowing that she couldn’t be the only one feeling this way, “Perfect Timing” seemed like a valuable way to give back to her community. Over the course of 109 episodes, Collins has interviewed a wide range of guests—from other young influencers to celebrities, from innovators to nonprofit leaders—all to remind Gen Z that “their dreams are tangible.”

That mission statement has since evolved beyond creating inspiring content and has expanded to hosting events and speaking publicly at summits and workshops. One of Collins’ favorite moments so far has been raising $7,000 to take 200 underserved girls to see “The Little Mermaid” on its opening weekend, to “let them know they are enough” and that there’s an “older sister” in their corner.

Of course, as with most new projects, funding for “Perfect Timing” has come entirely out of Collins’ pocket. Thankfully, the funding she earned from being selected as a Prudential Emerging Visionary is going toward upgraded recording equipment, the support of expert producers, and skill-building classes to help her become a better host and public speaker. She’ll even be able to lease an office space that allows for a live audience.

Plus, after meeting with the 24 other Prudential Emerging Visionaries and her Prudential employee coach, who is helping her develop specific action steps to connect with her target audience, Collins has more confidence in a “grander path” for her work.

“I learned that my network could extend to multiple spaces beyond my realm of podcasting and journalism when industry leaders are willing to share their expertise, time, and financial support,” she told Upworthy. “It only takes one person to change, and two people to expand that change.”

Prudential Emerging Visionaries is currently seeking applicants for 2024. Winners may receive up to $15,000 in awards and an all-expenses-paid trip to Prudential’s headquarters with a parent or guardian, as well as ongoing coaching and skills development to grow their projects.

If you or someone you know between the ages of 14 -18 not only displays a bold vision for the future but is taking action to bring that vision to life, click here to learn more. Applications are due by Nov. 2, 2023.
From Your Site Articles
heroes
Joy

An 8-year-old snuck his handwritten book onto a library shelf. Now it has a 56-person waiting list.

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel— written by "Dillon His Self"—captured the hearts of his local librarians and their patrons.

KTVB/YouTube

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel captured the hearts of his local librarians.

Writing a book is no easy task, even for adult professional writers. Many would-be authors dream of a day when their work can be found on library shelves, unsure if it will ever come.

But for 8-year-old Dillon Helbig, that day has already arrived—in truly unconventional fashion—thanks to his own determination to make it happen.

Dillon wrote his 81-page graphic novel, "The Adventures of Dillon Helbig's Crismis" (written by "Dillon His Self") in a hardcover journal with colored pencils over the course of a few days. He even put a label on the back of the book that reads "Made in Idho" [sic] and put an illustrated spine label on it as well. Then, without telling anyone, he brought it to his local library in Boise, Idaho, and slipped it in among the books in the children's section.

Keep ReadingShow less
family
Family

Parents share their kids' hilarious reactions to learning about how sex works

Kids really do say the darndest things.

Photo by Cassidy Dickens on Unsplash, @meganmuircoyle/Twitter, @Laruazaugg/Twitter

One of the greatest parenting milestones is the day you get to explain to your children the basics of sex. Sometimes that day arrives because a kid bluntly asks how babies are made, sometimes parents bring it up so their kids to hear it from them before they hear it from other people, and sometimes it's a result of an unexpected encounter (like a kid walking in on their parents doing the deed).

However you arrive at it, that initial conversation is always interesting. No matter how prepared you think you are, some awkward hilarity is inevitable as you navigate those new waters. Sex is pretty simple on the one hand, but quite complicated on the other, and figuring what details to share at what stage is a tricky balancing act.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joy

Video of two 90-year-old sisters saying goodbye shoots straight to the heart

“If we don’t see each other again on this earth, we’ll see each other in heaven."

@stephanieatkinson/TikTok

Don't say goodbye.

A video making the rounds online is reminding us all that love transcends all time and distance.

94-year-old Barbara Carolan of Seabrook, Massachusetts, hadn’t been able to see her 90-year-old sister Shirley, who lives in Nevada, since 2020.

When it became clear to Barbara that she might not have much time left to spend with her beloved sister, she prepared to make the 2,700-mile cross country trip to say goodbye.
Keep ReadingShow less
family
Family

Dad had no idea he was auditioning for 'Britain's Got Talent.' He brought the house down anyway.

His two little girls called him up on stage to perform the song he wrote for them.

Singers Got Talent/Facebook

Nick Edwards had no idea he was going to be singing for Britain's Got Talent until his mom and daughters showed up on stage.

We've seen some moving America's Got Talent stories before, but a recent viral audition absolutely requires a tissue warning. I tried to steel myself in preparation when I saw the "Admit it, we were *all* in tears after this" caption on the Facebook share of it, but I failed.

In a video that's been shared more than 95,000 times, the "Britain's Got Talent" audition shows two tiny little girls onstage with their grandmother. They introduce themselves as "Cally" (age 4) and "Savannah" (age 3) and "Nanny" (their "daddy's mummy") then the girls share that they are there to surprise their dad.

Dad—also known as Nick Edwards—is sitting in the audience. He thought the family was there to watch the audition on a fun outing; he had no idea that they had arranged a surprise audition for him, so when his girls and mom showed up on stage, he wondered what was going on.

Keep ReadingShow less
britain's got talent
Pop Culture

The last surviving witness to Lincoln’s assassination lived long enough to share his story on TV

Samuel J. Seymour was 95 years old when he appeared on “I’ve Got a Secret.”

via Wikimedia Commons and Wikipedia

Samuel J. Seymour witnessed the assassination of President Lincoln.

Samuel J. Seymour was one of the approximately 1,700 people at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865, the night President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. He was also the last to live long enough to talk about that historic night on television.

Seymour was 5 years old when he went to see the play “Our American Cousin” with his nurse, Sarah Cook, and Mrs. Goldsboro, the wife of his father's employer.

When Booth shot Lincoln, he pulled the trigger during the biggest laugh of the night so that it wouldn’t be heard. What caught Seymour’s attention was when Booth fell from the balcony after a scuffle with Henry Reed Rathbone.

Keep ReadingShow less
history
Family

Mom reacts perfectly to daughter who disinvited a friend from a trip because of her weight

She didn’t want the girl to “ruin” her photos of the trip.

via Cottonboro Studios/Pexels

A mother confronts her daughter for judging her friend's weight.

A 42-year-old mother wondered whether she did the right thing by disciplining her 18-year-old daughter, Abby, who disinvited a friend from vacation because of her weight. The mother asked people on Reddit for their opinion.

For some background, Abby had struggled with her weight for many years, so she went to her mother for help. The two set up a program where Abby was given a reward for every milestone she achieved.

“Four months ago, she asked that I don't get her any more rewards and add it up to her birthday gift, and for her gift she wants a vacation I will pay for, for her and her friends instead of the huge party I had promised for her 18th. I said OK,” the mother wrote.

Keep ReadingShow less
parenting
Trending Stories