Michael Chen
Michael Chen is proof that hard work pays off. Working tirelessly on YouTube videos for years beforehand, Chen later joined TikTok, his earliest videos dating back to January of this year. With 391 videos uploaded, @mcplaygt (his former gamertag and YouTube name and current TikTok username) boasts almost 94 million likes. Big things continue to come for Chen: He just hit 125k on Instagram, 3 million on TikTok, and got verified on the latter. Known mainly for his pranks on his mother, Chen quickly gained traction for his mother’s personality and reactions, with many even commenting that they wished Chen’s mother were their own. Besides his pranks, you can be sure to catch Chen dancing with his mother, most recently to “WAP,” telling jokes with her, and even doing the occasional giveaway. We recently spoke with Michael Chen about what inspired his comedic niche, his mother’s reaction to their joint TikTok fame, and more!
Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Michael Chen, I’m currently 16 years old and I love making content! I joined TikTok about 5 months ago in February.
Did you have any specific plans or ideas when you joined TikTok?
I started it for fun because people were telling me to hop onto the app.
You seem to take a comedic route with much of your content. What inspired you to pursue that niche?
I started off doing regular trends and built up about 300-500k followers. One day, I decided to switch up my content and do something a little different, and my video with my mom went viral with 14 million views. So, I decided to keep doing it.
Some of your most popular videos include those with your mom. What does she think of your content and how did she react to your initial internet fame?
She didn’t understand how the media worked and what I was doing. When she found out, she was really supportive and wanted to allow me to make content and travel around if I needed to.
How has the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic affected you, both as a TikToker and in your personal life?
Well, my fame started during the pandemic. I made videos at home because I respected social distancing and was being quarantined, so I had to make videos with the only person that stays home, which was my mom. My videos were suppose to be public pranks; but now it’s just my mom. Future wise, when the pandemic is over, I’ll be making content outside for other people’s reactions.
Who are you teaming up with in a dream TikTok collab?
I want to collab with RiceGum, JustMaiko, or Ryan Higa one day. They’re my biggest inspirations and how I want to turn out to be.
If you could have one super power, what would it be?
The ability to go invisible.
What are some of your favorite things you do outside of social media?
I love to hangout with friends, go to meetups with people, and travel to different states!
What is your favorite song out right now?
So far I’ve been liking “LMK” by Lil Xxel. I was a OG supporter and now we’re mutuals!
Anything special planned for the future?
I want to be super big. I want to make music, make YouTube videos, and just have the American dream that everyone wants. I wanna work with creators that I’ve watched since I was little. And I’m 100% sure it will happen soon.
