Rhett & Link | |
|---|---|
 Rhett (left) and Link (right) in 2020 | |
| Born | Rhett James McLaughlin (1977-10-11)October 11, 1977 (age 47) Macon, Georgia, U.S. Charles Lincoln Neal III (1978-06-01)June 1, 1978 (age 46) Boone Trail, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Alma mater | North Carolina State University (BEng) |
| Occupations |
|
YouTube information | |
| Channels | |
| Subscribers |
|
Rhett James McLaughlin (born October 11, 1977) andCharles Lincoln "Link"Neal III (born June 1, 1978) are an Americancomedy duo. Self-styled as "Internetainers", they are known for creating and hosting theYouTube seriesGood Mythical Morning.[1] Their other notable projects include comedic songs and sketches, theirIFC seriesRhett & Link: Commercial Kings,[2] theirYouTube Premium seriesRhett & Link's Buddy System, their podcastEar Biscuits, their YouTube seriesWonderhole, and their novelThe Lost Causes of Bleak Creek.[3]
Associal media influencers with numerous channels, they have a combined total of over 30 million subscribers, as the second most influential content creators in 2024 according toRolling Stone.[4]
Rhett and Link met on September 4, 1984, the date they started first grade at Buies Creek Elementary School inBuies Creek,Harnett County,North Carolina. They subsequently wrote a song and made a documentary about this meeting:Looking for Ms. Locklear. In an interview onThe Tonight Show, they stated that they had to stay in duringrecess because both of them had writtenswear words on their desks. They were given coloring books to fill out with mythical creatures (such asunicorns), hence their YouTube channel name, Good Mythical Morning.[5]
At age fourteen, they wrote a screenplay entitledGutless Wonders and began shooting a film based on it. They shot only a couple of scenes, and the film was never finished.[6] This screenplay ultimately was read in multiple episodes ofGood Mythical Morning. In high school they shot a 25-minute film-parody on the tragedy ofOedipus Rex. Rhett was Oedipus, and Link was his father's servant.[7] Rhett and Link were both members of aChristian punk rock band as teenagers known as "The Wax Paper Dogz".[8]
In 1996, they started college[9] and were roommates atNorth Carolina State University, where Link studiedindustrial engineering and Rhett studiedcivil engineering.[6] Rhett graduatedmagna cum laude in December 2000,[10] and Link graduatedsumma cum laude in May 2001.[11] They worked in their respective fields for a time, Link atIBM and Rhett atBlack & Veatch.[12] They also made videos and performed comedy sketches for a religious organization,Cru.[6] During their time at Cru, they began developing their signature comedy style as a duo, subsequently deciding to become full-time entertainers.[8]
Rhett & Link quit their jobs asengineers soon after graduating from college to shift their focus to their Christian evangelism withCru. They made comedic videos for meetings and conferences after being inspired by the host at the first weekly Cru meeting they attended as freshmen at North Carolina State University.[13] Later, they transitioned to making comedic YouTube videos full-time, without Christian ministry.
Under their production company Mythical Entertainment, the duo run a number of media properties, some starring themselves and some featuring other performers.
On January 3, 2011,[26] the duo launched a morning talk show, "Good Morning Chia Lincoln" in their studio, located inFuquay-Varina, North Carolina, with anAbraham LincolnChia Pet as a centerpiece, where they picked a topic, usually a personal experience or news story, and stated their opinions on it. The series ended on February 28, 2011, as a result of half of the Chia Pet dying.[27]
After the move to Los Angeles[28] and the cancellation of their TV show,Commercial Kings, the duo launchedGood Mythical Morning on January 9, 2012.[29] The series took the same format as their previous show and added a "Wheel of Mythicality", containing suggestions from fans on how they would end the show, usually with a brief improvised scene.
Good Mythical Morning ran its first three seasons ending on April 5, 2013, as the duo took a break from the daily videos to start a new show with a weekly format,The Mythical Show.[30][31] The series won the Best Variety Series at the International Academy of Web Television Awards in January 2013.[32]
The fourth season ofGMM introduced the "Taste Test" series where the hosts guess the food in blindfolds, challenge themselves to eat something or compare a particular type of food across different brands. Some of the most popular videos inGMM from this series are the "Bug War Challenge", the "Ghost Pepper Challenge", the "Carolina Reaper Challenge" and the "Sriracha Challenge". Season 5 ofGMM brought in "Will It" series, where the hosts try and invent different varieties of a famous type of food with unusual and often increasing levels of disgusting ingredients. The first episode was aired on May 5, 2014, onCinco De Mayo titled "Will it Taco" where they tried pine needles, baby shampoo and pork blood tacos. The series was also featured inThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon with episodes of "Will it Tea",[33] "Will It S'more",[34] "Will it Hummus",[35] and "Will It Hot Dog".[36]
.jpg)
After the end ofThe Mythical Show on July 11, 2013, the duo continued with theGood Mythical Morning series, now with an addition to the mainGMM episode—Good Mythical More ("the show after the show") uploaded simultaneously to a separate channel in addition to theirGMM channel. The 'Good Mythical More' episodes held on to their 'improvised on the spot' nature from earlier season of GMM while the main episodes became more and more structured.[citation needed] Season 6 ofGood Mythical Morning premiered on July 14, 2014, with a new introduction sequence with animation by Digital Twigs and music byPomplamoose.[37] Several notable personalities, includingPewDiePie,Mayim Bialik,Shay Mitchell,Bill Hader,Amy Schumer,[38] andDaniel Radcliffe[39][40] have been guests on the show.
The 1000th episode ofGood Mythical Morning was uploaded on the morning of October 13, 2016 (4 years, 9 months, and 4 days after the first episode aired on January 9, 2012). The video was titled "1000th Episode Celebration Special" and has received 3.33 million views as of October 17, 2024. On October 19, the first episode of the YouTube Red original showRhett & Link's Buddy System aired on the Good Mythical Morning channel. On July 23, 2021, the 2000th episode ofGood Mythical Morning was uploaded, marking 9 years, 6 months and 14 days since the first episode aired on January 9, 2012, and 4 years, 9 months and 10 days since the premiere of the 1000th episode on October 13, 2016. The video was titled "2000th Episode Celebration Special" and has received over 1.88 million views as of October 17, 2024.
In October 2021, they debuted a spin-off ofGMM titledGood Mythical Evening, a pay-per-view livestream event that was not available on YouTube. Rhett & Link described the show as a "decidedlyR-rated spin on 'Good Mythical Morning' [...] featuring cursing, drinking, and adult situations galore." The first edition sold more than 70,000 tickets. The event was announced to be returning in September 2022, available onMoment House.[41]
On April 25, 2013, Rhett & Link released the first episode ofThe Mythical Show on their second channel – a weekly 30-minute variety show on YouTube Thursdays at 5 pm (EST).[30] Each episode contained a multitude of shorter videos starring Rhett & Link with other actors and YouTube personalities as guests, includingTony Hale,Jill Wagner,Kat Von D,Smosh,Grace Helbig,Shay Carl, theFine Brothers,Tessa Violet,Hannah Hart,Paul Scheer,Key & Peele,Miranda Sings, andKassemG. The duo also published individual segments ofThe Mythical Show as standalone videos on their main channel.The Mythical Show ended on July 11, 2013, after 12 episodes.
They won the 2014 People's Choice Webby Award for individual comedy short or episode for their "Breaking Bad: The Middle School Musical" video that was a part ofThe Mythical Show's "Middle School Musicals" segments.[42]
On December 20, 2019, their company, Mythical Entertainment, announced their new channel,Mythical Kitchen. The channel is a hub for all food featured videos, and it is run by the Mythical Chefs, Josh Scherer, Nicole Enayati (née Hendizadeh), Trevor Evarts, Vianai "Vi" Austin, and Lily Cousins. It contains several series such as: "Fancy Fast Food", which takes famous fast food items to the next level and "Snack Smash", a food series that combines two snacks to create one creative concoction.[43] The series “Last Meals” features Scherer doing long form interviews with celebrities over a meal that they would choose as their last on earth, with guests includingTom Hanks,Gordon Ramsay,Post Malone,Terry Crews,Meghan Trainor,Hank Green,Margaret Cho,Serj Tankian,Becky Lynch,Jason Kelce,Karamo Brown,Ella Purnell,Karen Gillan,Bert Kreischer,Padma Lakshmi,Matty Matheson,Steve-O,Emma Chamberlain, andJohn Boyega.
.png)
YouTube Rewind videos have included Rhett & Link since 2012.Rewind YouTube Style 2012 featured the duo and the Dope Zebra[44] (who was part ofLMFAO music video for "Sorry for Party Rocking"), YouTube Rewind: What Does 2013 Say?, YouTube Rewind: Turn Down for 2014 and YouTube Rewind: Now Watch Me Rewind had them dancing in ridiculous manners.[45][46] However, they weren't included inRewind 2018.
Rhett & Link have been guests in threeEpic Rap Battles of History. On February 16, 2012, the duo was featured in a Season 2 episode of the series, playing theWright brothers, battling theMario Brothers.[47] On July 14, 2014, Rhett & Link, along withSmosh, appeared in the season 3 finale of the series, in which they played two of the fourRenaissance artists battling against theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.[48] Link played the role ofLeonardo da Vinci and Rhett the role ofDonatello. Their latest appearance was on May 25, 2015, opening Season 4.5 with the battle ofLewis and Clark vs.Bill and Ted.[49][50] Link played the role ofMeriwether Lewis and Rhett the role ofWilliam Clark.
Rhett & Link have also appeared in several videos by theFine Brothers for theYouTubers React series, as well as being the subject of one episode of theKids React series.[51]
Rhett & Link's first sponsored video, "Cornhole Song", was made for AJJ Cornhole in 2007, and since then the duo have integrated other small brands like Smule, with "I am a Thoughtful Guy" and iRESQ.[52][53] Many larger companies have since sponsored the duo's videos includingAlka-Seltzer,McDonald's,Wendy's andCadillac among others.[52]
In January 2008, they worked as web correspondents on theSundance Film Festival for IGotShotgun.com in partnership withCadillac. Summer of the same year they spent releasing videos for theAlka-Seltzer Great American Road Trip. The series won the Gold award in the Consumer Goods category at Advertising Age's 2008 W3 Awards, as well as best online campaign at Adweek's 2008 Buzz Awards. The series also picked up two Golds (Best Campaign, Best Single) and a Craft award (Music) at the 2009 Bessies[54] and received two golds in the interactive category for Viral Marketing and Business to Consumer website at the 2009 Advertising & Design Club of Canada Awards.[55]
Also in 2008, Rhett & Link released web series "Seaborne and Roach", sponsored by SpyAssociates.com, and "Surrogate Sharers" series advertising Starburst candy.[56][better source needed]
In 2009, the duo started to create free low-budget commercials for small local businesses throughout the U.S. in the web series "I Love Local Commercials", sponsored by Microbilt.[57] At first they made 4 commercials for local businesses in their home state North Carolina – TDM Autosales, Bobby Denning Furniture, and Redhouse Furniture. These videos quickly went viral on YouTube, especially the Redhouse video, with its controversial jingle "Where Black People and White People Buy Furniture".[58] The success of these commercials spurred Rhett & Link to continue creating commercials and for that they offered people across U.S. to nominate their favorite local businesses to take part in the web series. One such commercial was forButt Drugs, adrugstore inCorydon, Indiana. The popularity of the duo's commercials garnered the attention of major advertising publications such asAdvertising Age andAdWeek, and their commercials were featured onCNN,NPR,The New York Times,Forbes, andTMZ.[58][59][60][61][62][63] A commercial for Cullman Liquidation Center won Best Local Commercial at the 2010 Ad Age Viral Video Awards.[64][65] In 2010, Rhett & Link produced a commercial for Donut Prince,George Lopez's favorite donut place.[66] Later they appeared in his showLopez Tonight, where he called them "undisputed masters of bad local commercials".[67]
The success of the web series led to Rhett & Link's television show,Rhett & Link: Commercial Kings onIFC. Every episode, Link's Epic Fail is featured, where Link trips over a cement pyramid and scrapes up his hip and arm.[68][69]
In 2009, Rhett & Link produced "Fast Food Folk Song" as a web commercial forTaco Bell, and in 2010 it won the Contest of Awesome for the Best Comic Music Video of 2009. The contest awarded them a trip to Los Angeles and a cameo in aWeezer music video.[70][better source needed]
In 2010, Rhett & Link created astop motion video "T-shirt War" as a commercial for T-shirt printing company Rush T-shirts, in which they used 222 T-shirts with unique designs.[71] The video already had 2 million views after only two weeks of being online, and quickly reached 4 million. "T-shirt War" also won in Best Online Promotion at the Apparel Industry category at the 2010 Spirit Awards. After the success of this commercial Rhett & Link received a call fromMcDonald's andCoca-Cola asking them to make a TV commercial with a T-shirt War theme. The commercial was also uploaded on YouTube, and this video, entitled "T-shirt War 2", reached 1 million views in two weeks.[72][73][better source needed]
Also in 2010, Rhett & Link released an online music video sponsored by SleepBetter.org – "2 Guys 600 pillows".Time listed the video as one of the Top-10 Talented Web Videos of 2010, and the video also won Best Editing category and Peoples' Voice Award at the 2011Webby Awards.[74][75] Rhett & Link continued working with SleepBetter.org, and in November 2012 they made another music video, "Sleep Tight".[76]
In 2011, Rhett & Link made a commercial for Ojai Valley Taxidermy, owned byChuck Testa, as part of their TV show,Rhett & Link: Commercial Kings. After the episode featuring the commercial aired, Chuck Testa uploaded the commercial to his company's YouTube channel. The ad went viral, topping 18 million views (as of December 2020) and spawning the "Nope! Chuck Testa" Internet meme. The Chuck Testa ad was included inTime's Top 10 Memes of 2011.[77] Also in 2011, Rhett & Link released a music video entitled "PHOTOSHOP Song" which was sponsored by Canvas on Demand.[78]
In September 2012, the duo released the video "Epic Rap Battle of Manliness" sponsored byBuild.com.[79][80]
In October 2013, Rhett & Link released a music video entitled "Epic Rap Battle: Nerd vs. Geek" which was sponsored byTigerDirect. They have made other rap battles, featured on their second channel, along with all their other music videos.[81][better source needed]
In December 2013, the duo released a music video in partnership withBuick's "In the Moment" campaign entitled "Get Off the Phone".[82][better source needed]
In May 2014, a new segment sponsored byGillette was included onGood Mythical Morning for the week subscription campaign, as well as with the release of the "Kissing Your Face" video on the main channel.[83][better source needed]
In May 2015, the duo released a new music video, "Just Being Honest", sponsored byWendy's new beverage "Honest Tea".[84] As well asSip Me Up, a streaming marketing campaign on June 18 where the duo created personalized content for the fans in real time.[85][86][better source needed]
On May 6, 2015, Rhett & Link teamed up withHot Pockets and released the "Will It Hot Pocket?" episode in their popular "Will It" series onGood Mythical Morning where the Hot Pocket crust was replaced with odd items based on fan suggestions.[87][better source needed]
On June 5, 2015, a new segment onGood Mythical Morning was announced called "The Back Up Plan" sponsored byGEICO, where the duo explore different career opportunities. As of August 2016, there are 10 released episodes. Episodes have featured the duo trying the jobs of beekeeping, real estate sales, commercial cereal production, glassblowing, commercial flavor manufacturing, becoming potential "Marstronauts" at the Jet Propulsion Laboratories, aquatic animal keeping, ice sculpting, livestock auctioneering, and baking pies. The final segment served as both an episode of "The Back Up Plan" and an installment in their "Will It?" series. The segment subsequently ended within the season.[88][better source needed]
In 2007, Rhett & Link created theRhettandLinkast for iTunes. Originally filmed in a backroom atCru, the two soon relocated to a spare property belonging to Rhett's father-in-law inLillington, North Carolina.[13]
On September 27, 2013, Rhett & Link launched an audio podcast oniTunes,Spotify, andSoundCloud calledEar Biscuits, which airs every Sunday. The podcast debuted in the US on the iTunes charts at No. 22.[89] and it is described as intimate discussions with each other such as how they becameblood brothers, their close encounters with death, and more. They also interview other notable Internet personalities and celebrities such asGrace Helbig,[90] Julian Smith,[91]Philip DeFranco,[92]PewDiePie[93] andRainn Wilson.[94] They've had live recordings on VidCon[95] as well as Rhett-and-Link-only episodes each month.[96]
As of July 2015, the podcast was number No. 14 on the iTunes US Comedy Charts.[97] The podcast has won them a Shorty Award for Best Podcast in April 2016.[98]
On March 27, 2017, the podcast returned from a hiatus with a new video format on their latest channel,This Is Mythical, and had moved to theGood Mythical Morning channel. The podcast continued to be released on iTunes and SoundCloud, as well as Spotify.
On January 7, 2019, the podcast was moved from theGood Mythical Morning channel to its own separate channel.[99]
On May 13, 2021, Rhett & Link announced they would be co-producing and starring in a scripted podcast titledRonstadt, set to release on June 1. McLaughlin portrays the eponymous character, a9-1-1 call center responder who handles supernatural cases. The podcast consisted of 9 episodes aired in June and July 2021.[100]
McLaughlin plays guitar and Neal plays the recorder, pan flute, and harmonica; they both sing. Rhett & Link perform live musical comedy and have completed two albums. In 2001, Rhett & Link independently releasedJust Mail Us the Grammy, featuring the popular song "The Unibrow Song".[101] In 2005, Rhett & Link independently releasedI'm Sorry, What Was That? (Live in the Living Room), a live album featuring "The Wal-Mart Song". The album is available at theiTunes Store. In April 2007, Rhett & Link placed 3rd in theTurboTax TaxRap Contest, a contest judged byVanilla Ice.[102] In 2008, Rhett & Link independently releasedWebsongs Vol 1, an online album featuring "Facebook Song", "Cornhole Song" and "Velcro Song".[101] On February 1, 2009, Rhett & Link independently releasedSecret Songs, a collection of songs that were previously only available to winners of their monthly "Community Building Exercises", a part of their "Quest for the Seven Keys" contest.[103]
On December 4, 2009, Rhett & Link teamed up withDFTBA Records and created a new album calledUp To This Point.[104]
On October 4, 2013, Rhett & Link released "Epic Rap Battle: Nerd vs. Geek" which gained 50 million views onYouTube and triggered severalinternet memes. The video followed anerd and ageek inTigerDirect rapping to see who is better. After the video was released, their second channel,Good Mythical Morning, released the video "NERD vs GEEK: How to Tell the Difference", which was explaining differences betweennerds andgeeks.[105]
In May 2015, Rhett & Link released a new album with the songs from their series, "Song Biscuits", which involved them writing a song with a guest (or just themselves) within an hour and performing it. This album is entitledSong Biscuits: Volume 1 and is available on iTunes.[106]
To correspond with their YouTube Red show,Rhett & Link's Buddy System, the duo released the albumBuddy System (Music From Season 1) which includes seven songs, one from each episode. It was released a week before the premiere date in October 2016 and is available on Google Play Music and iTunes.[107]
In July 2022, McLaughlin released a single titled "Believe Me" under the name "James and the Shame." McLaughlin announced he would be releasing a full album titledHuman Overboard .[108][109] On August 19, a second single titled "Where We're Going" was released, with the music video being released a day earlier. The song is a duet with his wife Jessie.[110][111] The full album was released on September 23, 2022.[112] The album was recorded at Finn-land Studios in Burbank, California with Derek Furhmann producing. The album is acountry music album, with McLaughlin citingJason Isbell,Tyler Childers andSturgill Simpson as sources of inspiration.[112]
McLaughlin performed live at his and Neal's 2022 fan convention, Mythicon.[113] A follow up EP, titledNothing Left to Love, was released on November 3, 2023.[114]
In 2006, Rhett & Link began work on a documentary about their search for their first grade teacher, Ms. Locklear, entitledLooking for Ms. Locklear. The film released in 2008 and won the Southern Lens Award from South Carolina Public TV, which led to the film screening onPBS in South Carolina.[115] The film also won audience choice awards at the ACE Film Festival and the Secret City Film Festival, and won 2nd place documentary at the Secret City Film Festival. The documentary was an official selection at the Real to Reel Film Festival, the Landlocked Film Festival, the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, BendFilm Festival, Asheville Film Festival, and theCucalorus Film Festival.[116][117] On September 9, 2009, the duo released the movie on DVD, distributing it over the Internet.[118]
Rhett & Link were among the first group ofInternet personalities who attempted transitions from the Internet into network television.[119] In 2007, along withStevie Ryan and Joy Leslie, Rhett & Link hosted the short-lived seriesOnline Nation, a show that featured the bestviral videos from the Internet, part of the 2007 fall lineup on theCW Network.[120][121] The premiere episode was seen by 1 million people,[122] but the show was cancelled after only four episodes.[123] As the hosts, Rhett & Link responded with an Internet video.[123]
Rhett & Link starred in theIFC original series,Rhett & Link: Commercial Kings. The show chronicled the quest of Rhett & Link as they traveled the country making local commercials for small businesses. Having premiered Friday, June 24, 2011, at 10:00pm ET/PT on IFC, this ten-part docu-comedy is based on their successful web series I Love Local Commercials and features Rhett & Link helping local businesses achieve their goals by creating eye-catching local commercials using local talent. The show was, however, canceled.[68][124][non-primary source needed]
Rhett & Link served as musical correspondents forBrink, hosted by Josh Zepps, on theScience Channel. They wrote and produced three music videos including "My Robot Girlfriend",[125] "Space Junk",[126] and "TheS.E.T.I. Song".[127]
They appeared as guests onLopez Tonight[128] where they were interviewed, made a commercial for George's favorite doughnut place, and were back-up dancers for the remainder of the show after their interview. They have also appeared onLast Call with Carson Daly[129] andConan.[130] Rhett and Link performed on season 7 ofAmerica's Got Talent as a novelty act, being eliminated in the first round. As of August 2018, the duo have also appeared five times onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[131]
Rhett & Link also produced segments forPhil Vischer's "What's in the Bible". In that, they were a singing duo named "The Fabulous Bentley Brothers" performing teaching songs about different books, or topics, in the Bible.
Rhett & Link appeared on the WWE Network original seriesLegends House, judging the WWE Legends' custom commercials, replacingAdam West.
Rhett & Link appeared in the edutainment web seriesWonder Quest, and guest starred in 2 episodes asThomas Edison (McLaughlin) andWilliam Hammer (Neal). Most recently, Rhett & Link created, wrote, produced, and starred in their show,Rhett and Link's Buddy System, which was released on YouTube Red (now known asYouTube Premium). Buddy System was featured inVariety as the most talked about digital show, beating out Netflix'sOrange Is the New Black and Amazon'sThe Man in the High Castle.
In January 2022, it was announced that Rhett & Link would star in a show onFood Network titledThe Taste Buds. The show was renamedInside Eats with Rhett & Link before its premiere on April 24. The show ran for four episodes.[132][133]
In August 2024,Rhett and Link's Wonderhole premiered on the original Rhett and Link channel, a show independently financed and distributed by Mythical Entertainment. While still being released on YouTube, the show acted as a departure from their traditional content, opting for a more experimental and ambitious tone.
Rhett & Link unveiled their book, to be published byCrown Archetype,Rhett & Link's Book of Mythicality: A Field Guide to Curiosity, Creativity and Tomfoolery[134] on February 13, 2017.[135] It was also made available for pre-order from several major online retailers on the same day. The front cover was shown for the first time during an interview with the duo onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on March 24, 2017.[136] Rhett & Link have described the book as "a hilarious blend of autobiography, trivia and advice" and will include the story behind their friendship and career, as well as tips on how to "add Mythicality" to the reader's life, supported by anecdotes from their own past. The book was officially released on October 10, 2017, and then made it ontoThe New York TimesBest Seller List in the "Advice, How-To and Miscellaneous" section for the week ending October 14, 2017.[137]
The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek was published on October 29, 2019.[138] It is a thriller novel co-written by Rhett & Link and Lance Rubin, largely based on Rhett and Link's experiences in their home town ofBuies Creek, North Carolina. The book reached No. 13 on theNew York Times Best Sellers list.[139][140]
It was announced on May 16, 2017, that Rhett & Link would be going on tour around the United States in order to promote their upcoming book, performing at 16 theatres around the country.[141][non-primary source needed] Tickets were made available for pre-sale the same day. The demand was so high that second shows were added to five of the theatres, bringing the total number of shows up to 21.[142][non-primary source needed] Tickets were made available to the general public on May 19.[143][non-primary source needed] A further two early shows were added to theatres in New York and Los Angeles on August 12, with the duo confirming this would be the last addition to the lineup,[144][non-primary source needed] the final total number of shows at 23. Every theatre sold every ticket for all of these shows.
In 2018, it was announced that Rhett & Link would be performing three shows in Australia at the end of July. These shows were performed in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane on July 27, 29 and 30 respectively.[145]
Additionally, following the announcement of their Australian tour dates, the duo announced three further North American shows: Toronto, Atlantic City and Mashantucket on November 8, 9 and 10 respectively.[145] It was also confirmed that these would be the last shows in 2018; however, there has been no confirmation that they would be the last tour dates ever.
The November 10 show was the final show of the Tour of Mythicality. In February 2019, Rhett and Link held a concert in London as part of VidCon London. They had a number of other concerts in spring, summer, and fall 2019 under the title Rhett and Link Live.
In the summer of 2024, Rhett and Link went on the Good Mythical Tour.[citation needed]
.jpg)
| Formerly | Rhett & Link, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | 2009; 16 years ago (2009) |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | Burbank, California |
Key people |
|
| Subsidiaries | Smosh (2019–2023) |
| Website | mythical |
Rhett and Link founded "Rhett & Link, Inc." in 2009.[149] The name was changed to Mythical Entertainment, LLC in 2017.[150] Mythical Entertainment, LLC is managed by Mythical Holdings, LLC which itself is managed by Lillington Basement, Inc. Mythical Entertainment produces the online videos, television shows, podcasts, books, recorded music, and live tours, as well as the related merchandise sold through their store and onAmazon.[151][152]
On February 22, 2019, it was announced that Mythical Entertainment had acquired theSmosh brand (Smosh, Smosh Games, Smosh Pit, and others) after the channel's former parent company,Defy Media, had gone intoliquidation.[153]Ian Hecox, the co-founder of Smosh, explained that under the Mythical Entertainment banner, the channel would have full creative freedom and launch its own podcast, known as theSmoshCast.[154] In July 2021, Rhett and Link announced the launch of the "Mythical Accelerator Fund", five million dollars they plan to use to continue to acquire ownership stakes in other social media stars’ businesses. The first investment made with the fund was a minority stake in content creatorJarvis Johnson's company.[155] The second investment made with the fund was in musicianDaniel Thrasher's channel in April 2022.[156][157][158]
Starting on March 14, 2023, Rhett & Link launched "Mythical 24/7", astreaming television channel onRoku. The channel included episodes ofGood Mythical Morning,Good Mythical More,Mythical Kitchen, andEar Biscuits, among other Mythical productions.[159]
In June 2023, Hecox andAnthony Padilla jointly repurchased a majority stake in Smosh from Mythical Entertainment, with Mythical retaining a minority stake.[160]
In August 2023, the third investment made with the Accelerator Fund was in The Sorry Girls.[161]
In December 2024, Mythical Entertainment was part of the investment group that purchasedFirst We Feast, the company behind the YouTube talk showHot Ones fromBuzzFeed. The group also includedSean Evans, Chris Schonberger,Crooked Media, andSoros Fund Management.[162]
| Title | Release | Status | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good Morning Chia Lincoln | January 3, 2011 – February 28, 2011 | Finished | Web series | 41 episodes |
| Commercial Kings | June 24, 2011 – August 26, 2011 | Finished | Television series | 10 episodes |
| Good Mythical Morning | January 9, 2012 – present | Ongoing | Web series | 2500+ episodes |
| The Mythical Show | April 25, 2013 – July 11, 2013 | Finished | Web series | 12 episodes |
| Ear Biscuits | September 27, 2013 – present | Ongoing | Podcast | 450+ episodes |
| Good Mythical More | January 8, 2014 – present | Ongoing | Web series | 1100+ episodes |
| The Hey Hey Show | November 18, 2014 – July 10, 2015 | Finished | Web series | 124 episodes |
| Rhett & Link's Buddy System | October 19, 2016 – November 29, 2017 | Finished | YouTube Red series | 2 seasons, 16 episodes |
| Let's Talk About That | August 25, 2018 – December 21, 2019 | Finished | Web series | 54 episodes |
| Smosh | February 22, 2019 – June 2023 | Sold | YouTube channel | Sold June 2023, maintain minority stake |
| Rhett and Link Vlogs | January 18, 2020 - January 16, 2021 | Finished | Web Series | 18 episodes |
| A Hot Dog Is a Sandwich | March 4, 2020 – present | Ongoing | Podcast | 90+ episodes |
| Ronstadt | June 1, 2021 – July 20, 2021 | Finished | Podcast | 1 season completed |
| Trevor Talks Too Much | February 1, 2022 – December 13, 2022 | Finished | Podcast | 45 episodes |
| Best Friends Back, Alright | March 7, 2022 – December 16, 2022 | Finished | Podcast | 34 episodes |
| Inside Eats with Rhett & Link | April 24, 2022 – May 15, 2022 | Finished | Television series | 4 episodes |
| Rhett and Link's Wonderhole | August 23, 2024 – present | Ongoing | Web series | 6 episodes |
In 2009, Rhett & Link were named No. 22 on Business Insider's Top 25 Most Creative People in Advertising List.[163] In September of the same year, they joined the Collective, a media company in Los Angeles.[164]
In 2014, the Rhett & Link YouTube Channel was listed onNew Media Rockstars Top 100 Channels, ranked at No. 35.[165]
| Year | Title | Nominated | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Webby Awards[166] | 2 Guys, 600 Pillows (Backwards Music Video) | Best Editing | Won |
| 2013 | Webby Awards[167] | Rhett & Link | Online Film & Video – Variety Channel | Honoree |
| IAWTV Awards[168] | Good Mythical Morning | Best Variety Series | Won | |
| LA Web Awards[169] | Shift It | Funniest YouTube Video | Won | |
| 2014 | Streamy Awards[170] | Good Mythical Morning | Science and Education | Nominated |
| Webby Awards | Rhett & Link[171] | First Person | Honoree | |
| Breaking Bad: The Middle School Musical[172] | Comedy Individual Short or Episode – People's Voice | Won | ||
| Shift It, Shift It[173] | Viral | Honoree | ||
| 2015 | Webby Awards | Epic Rap Battle: Nerd vs. Geek[174] | Viral (Branded) – People's Voice | Won |
| Good Mythical Morning | Variety (Channel) – People's Voice[175] | Won | ||
| First Person – People's Voice[176] | Won | |||
| Streamy Awards[177] | Rhett & Link | Comedy | Nominated | |
| Good Mythical Morning | Non-fiction | Won | ||
| Show of the Year[177] | Nominated | |||
| 2016 | Shorty Awards | Ear Biscuits | Best Podcast | Won |
| Good Mythical Morning | Best Web Series | Won | ||
| Webby Awards | Best Web Personality (Channel)-People's Voice | Won | ||
| Online Film & Video – Variety (Channel) | Honoree | |||
| BFFs[178] | Comedy: Individual Short or Episode | Honoree | ||
| The Backup Plan – Rhett & Link for Geico[179] | Series | Honoree | ||
| Streamy Awards[180] | Good Mythical Morning | Comedy | Won | |
| Best Writing Drew Champion, Edward Coleman, Lizzie Bassett, Kevin Kostelnik, Daniela Hamilton, Chase Hilt | Nominated | |||
| Show of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Reality TV Awards | Digital Reality Series[181] | Nominated | ||
| 2017 | Webby Awards | Good Mythical Morning | Web Personality (Channels and Networks)[182] | Nominated |
| Best Web Personality/Host[183] | Honoree | |||
| Make-A-Wish | Rhett & Link | Chris Greicius Celebrity Award[184][185] | Won | |
| 2018 | Shorty Awards | Rhett & Link | Creator of the Decade[186][187] | Nominated |
| Rhett & Link's Buddy System | Best Web Series[186][187] | Nominated | ||
| Webby Awards | Good Mythical Morning | Best Web Personality/Host (Film & Video)[188] | Nominated | |
| Streamy Awards | Good Mythical Morning | Show of the Year[189] | Nominated | |
| Rhett & Link's Buddy System | Comedy Series[189][190] | Nominated | ||
| Ear Biscuits | Podcast[189][190] | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | Shorty Awards | Good Mythical Morning | Best Web Series[191][192] | Nominated |
| Webby Awards | Ear Biscuits | Best Host (Podcasts)[193][194] | People's Voice Winner | |
| Streamy Awards | Food Fears | Food[195][196] | Nominated | |
| Good Mythical Morning | Show of the Year[195][196] | Won |
Rhett and Link currently live inLa Crescenta-Montrose, California,[197] where they run aBurbank-based production company named Mythical Entertainment. Rhett and his wife, Jessie, have two sons.[198] Link and his wife, Christy, have two sons and a daughter.[199]
McLaughlin and Neal were both raised as Christians and previously worked as full-timemissionaries while attending college.[113] In 2020, both described their changes in faith in separate episodes of their podcastEar Biscuits. Both said they are no longerevangelical Christians, with Rhett saying he would call himself "a hopefulagnostic" and Link saying he would call himself "an agnostic who wants to be hopeful".[200][201]
{{cite web}}:Missing or empty|title= (help)The deeper I have dug into Christianity, with a thirst for the truth, the more difficult it has become. In fact, for me, it has become impossible[...] So I would call myself a hopeful agnostic, meaning, I don't know, but I hope. I hope there's something.
If I were to label myself, I think I would say I am an agnostic who wants to be hopeful. I think I have made a decision to be open; I do want that. I don't want to be [...] an atheist. So I am hopeful that I can be hopeful.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
