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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m sure you’ve heard of Reesa Teesa, the internet’s newest main character. Based in Atlanta, of course, Teesa took to TikTok with the riveting 50-part video series “Who TF Did I Marry,” about her relationship with a “pathological liar” she calls “Legion.”
The nearly eight-hour play-by-play (yes, that long) has amassed more than 1 million views on each video and has been covered by Rolling Stone, Time magazine, The Cut and countless others. HuffPost audience editor Cambria Roth maintains that it’s worth sitting through and watching the videos.
“She’s a fantastic storyteller,” Roth said. “I listen to it like a podcast.” Now, some good Samaritans have taken it upon themselves to write SparkNotes for the rest of the class, but let this be a lesson for all of us to use discernment in our relationships and pray that we actually, deeply know the identities of the people we marry.
Teesa called her experience with Legion “the United Nation of Red Flags,” and I cannot express how much of an understatement that is.
Let me be clear: You will rarely see me, a woman raised in Macon, Georgia, defending an Atlanta man. However, it’s not the... brightest idea to move in with someone one month after you met them, even if it was during the early onset of the coronavirus pandemic. But Reesa, girl, if you like it, I love it.
The story is laden with twists and turns, deceit and drama. There’s a fake CEO plot, impersonation of twin brothers, fabricated bank statements and more. It reminds us of the days when long-running television series were king, before streamers and networks were constantly canceling shows after two seasons.
What this really harkens back to, though, is Zola.
In 2015, A’Ziah “Zola” King originated the Twitter thread format we know and love today. She walked so Teesa could run! You may remember when King crafted a viral 2015 Twitter thread about a wild two-day trip to Florida. That thread became the source material for Janicza Bravo’s A24 movie “Zola” (2021), starring Taylour Paige, Colman Domingo, Riley Keough and “Succession” star Nicholas Braun.
Here’s hoping Teesa earns some sort of financial compensation for bravely sharing her trauma online, although social media users have mixed opinions. Some fear that her story will lead to a wave of people fishing for deals by concocting elaborate lies. Others are worried about making a spectacle out of a Black woman’s pain.
For many, Teesa’s narrative is a master class in the power of authenticity, vulnerability and good storytelling. But the jokes and memes are still hilarious.
One Twitter user wrote: “The government saw yall watching 500 minutes of a story on Tiktok and cut everybody service off,” a reference to AT&T’s nationwide outage on Thursday.
But a few unique opportunities are rolling in already. Susan Yara, founder of the skin care brand Naturium, offered to send Teesa to London on Yara’s own dime. “There are no strings attached,” Yara said on TikTok. “I just want to treat her!”
Delta Airlines and Hilton Hotels & Resorts have commented on Teesa’s videos, nudging her to take advantage of their free travel and lodging for the trip. After everything Teesa has been through, she deserves more than a little treat, but the path ahead is hers and hers alone.