AGE is but a number when it comes to social media and the comedy field.
Creators of TikTok’s Retirement House account are on a mission to reimagine the role of seniors in the entertainment industry.
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Is TikTok’s Retirement House real?
TikTok’s Retirement House is definitely a legitimate thing.
With over 3.5million followers, the account is doing better than ever expected on a social media platform geared towards the younger generations.
The senior-citizen TikTok account was founded back in 2021 with the goal of showing that age is but a number and that seniors can also be influencers on social media sites.
The account aims to “age gracefully” while creating weekly content that will keep users engaged – no matter their age.
Who are the creators of Retirement House?
Adi Azran and Brandon Chase, content makers at the Gen-Z media brand, Flighthouse, came up with the idea of a senior-citizens TikTok in September 2021.
After realizing that social media was saturated with youngsters, they dared to think outside the box.
“What if we had a crew of older people to pierce through the noise?” Azran told Business Insider in an interview. “That would be a sick idea.”
The pair decided to launch the Retirement House account on TikTok with the help of six senior citizen actors based in Los Angeles who are made to take part in funny skits all for the sake of gaining some laughs.
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Since then, however, Azran and Chase, have signed deals with brands like Virgin Voyages, Snickers, Ancestry, and Solitaire Grand Harvest – all looking to have their goods and services featured on the popular account.
Although content is pumped out weekly by the Retirement House team, creating unique content is definitely not as easy as they make it seem.
“I wish I could say that we had like 100 scripts in the vault, but the trends can be so transient, and they can flip like two days later,” Chase told the outlet.
Who is cast in TikTok’s Retirement House?
The cast of TikTok’s hit account includes:
Chuck Lacey
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Lacy, 70, is cast as Eugene.
He is from Marblehead, Massachusetts and has dabbled in improv, stand-up, and has made appearances on shows like Baby Daddy, according to his IMDb profile.
“I just play myself, but I take it one step deeper and stupider,” Lacey told BuzzFeed.
Patti Yulish
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Yulish, 82, is cast as Bubbe.
She is from California and has not acted much before her role in Retirement House.
Gaylynn Baker
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Baker, 85, is cast as Mabel.
According to BuzzFeed, she worked as an actor and model for three years while in her early 20s.
“I come into work and laugh all day long. I just can’t stop laughing,” she told the outlet.
“We’re changing people’s minds about what it means to age by having fun.”
Jerry Boyd
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Boyd, 77, is cast as Curtis.
He is originally from Alabama but found himself in Hawaii after serving in Vietnam. He was featured in Hawaii Five-O, according to BuzzFeed.
Monterey Morrissey
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Morrissey, 71, is cast as Larry.
He is originally from San Francisco and tried to make it in the entertainment industry before his son was born and his wife became ill.
“I was always doing goofy things as a kid, like wandering into an industrial building and seeing how far I could make it without someone stopping me, then I’d run from the cops,” he told BuzzFeed.
“I tried radio theater and voiceover work, but when I had a son, I knew I had to get serious.”
Reatha Grey
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Grey, 73, is cast as Rose.
She is originally from Los Angeles and has made appearances on a number of films and TV shows including Shameless and How I Met Your Mother, according to her IMDb profile.
“I have grandkids who don’t even understand TikTok. They’ve never understood my acting, either, because I’ve never done traditional things,” she told BuzzFeed.
“The sketches are so unlike who I am in real life. They give me license to act out.”
