TJ Mack, the character created by actor and comedian Brian Jordan Alvarez, loves many things. He loves pickles. He loves his wife. He loves TJ Maxx. And maybe most of all, he loves sitting.
Using face filters, Alvarez has created a cast of intricately woven characters, from the spiritual scammer Marnie T. to the gym-obsessed Australian Rick to the earnest MBA student known only as the Studempt.
But none of Alvarez's videos have taken off like TJ Mack and his song "Sitting" — which is fitting, considering the character's dreams of pop stardom.
"Sitting" song has sparked concert covers, remixes in every genre imaginable and radio appearances. How did this happen? We asked the mastermind behind the unlikely hit.
'Sitting' is huge (and objectively better than standing)
Since the song's release on TikTok on Sept. 10, "Sitting" has become something like a people's anthem, leading to covers both on the internet and in real life.
Pop, country, Japanese jazz fusion, electronic, and even heavy metal renditions of "Sitting" popped up on TikTok. Professional artists like Remi Wolf, actor and classical singer Isabel Schwartzbach, and the Gaia Music Collective all posted their own versions, too.
"Sitting" crossed over to the real world when producer Josh Mac's remix made the Australian radio on Sept. 20, and the band Mt. Joy performed a version at their Sept. 29 Boston concert.
"It has been a big shift, it's been a big moment," Alvarez tells TODAY.com. "And I just feel so grateful."
For Alvarez, the internet has briefly become a tribute page to one of his zany creations. It's wonderful, and it's overwhelming.
“Do I just need to make a 'Sitting' Instagram page so that we can just do this for years, so that people can be constantly submitting to the 'Sitting' page and new versions of ‘Sitting’ can come out every day?” Alvarez asks.
“Because I’m getting to a point of professional business where I can’t field all of this. I feel bad sometimes. People send me a beautiful cover of 'Sitting' and I’ll think, ‘Wow, this person doesn’t know how much I liked this,’ and I just don’t have time to post it right now.”
Why did 'Sitting' become so popular?
What's fueling the song's popularity?
The lyrics are somehow laughably simple, undeniably affirming and a tad bit profound at the same time: "Sitting / sitting is the opposite of standing / Sitting is the opposite of running around / Sitting is a wonderful thing to do." The song is giving us permission to relax.
Some covers play up the lyrics' emotion, like voice actor Noble Son did in his rendition.
The appeal might also go back to Mack and his many lovable quirks, more evidenced in other front-facing videos. He aggressively laughs at random points, leading into an abrupt silence as he collects his thoughts. He has an obscure and idiosyncratic accent, leading him to pronounce "sitting" as "sittim."
The song itself is a simple enough blank slate, allowing others to express their creativity in covers.
Alvarez chalks it up to the mystery of the algorithm.
"(The videos) are all good, in my opinion, but some of them really have this X factor that makes them viral, and others are just sort of me solidly chugging along," he says.
The man behind the TJ Mack mask
TJ Mack is hardly Alvarez's first character, even if he is, right now, the one getting the fan art treatment.
Alvarez’ 2016 YouTube series "The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo" was critically acclaimed for its fantastical yet borderline-realistic characters. He's also appeared in the "Will & Grace" reboot, "Grace & Frankie," "80 for Brady" and "M3GAN."
More recently, Alvarez has created over 10 characters in his new "universe," each paired with difference face filter, and each with deep lore: the Rich Southern Aunt, the very gullible Timothy, an alien and of course TJ Mack's fierce but devoted wife.
Alvarez is happy that TJ Mack, of the whole crew, has gotten the viral moment. Like seemingly the rest of the internet, Alvarez is a fan of the loyal father and husband.
"One of the coolest parts of the experience is how much I also love TJ Mack. I forget that’s me because he’s such a cute little guy," Alvarez says.
He says the internet has been an outlet for creativity and for seeing what sticks.
"I’m going for like, ‘Hey, you’ve never seen this before, check this out,’ and that’s what excites me," Alvarez says. "And so often a good place to do that — to try things out — is on the internet because you can kind of post things and then find out afterward if people are responding to it or not, which makes it a very cool playground."
With him blowing up to reel pop stardom right now, it would be cool to see how far we can take that. Can TJ Mack perform at the Grammys?
Brian Jordan alvarez
While Alvarez's TikTok characters have seemingly structured histories, they're hardly rehearsed — Alvarez films almost every video improvised and in one take.
"There's a method to how I live my life in general and show up to my work in general, which is very consistent," he says.
"But as far as which characters I do, and when and how I do them, and what they're going to say, that is freewheeling and improvised and just pure fun for me," Alvarez says. "That's what people feel. They can feel that I'm having fun making something up on the spot for a world that they're all tracking."
What does TJ Mack think of his own stardom?
TJ Mack made his first TikTok appearance on Nov. 30, 2021, describing his awe-inspiring first experience going to TJ Maxx. Fans loved his mannerisms and swift movements from somber to laughter.
His wife made her debut on March 28, 2022, in response to the many concerns fans had about the control she has over Mack — and so a modern sitcom was born.
“I think (TJ Mack) is loving it. I think he was having a moment,” Alvarez says around Mack's recent fame.
“He’s had a couple moments recently, and just real reflections on how far he’s come. TJ Mack used to be fully supported by his wife — she gave him an allowance. Now here he is as the breadwinner, and she’s managing his finances aggressively. And some people don’t think it’s cool.”
TJ Mack's wife, who has yet to be named, has since become a staple in the Alvarez-verse, fighting with fans over parts of their marriage while also showing off the more lavish lifestyle she has been living since Mack has become a famous pop star.
"I just don't think you understand how long it took for the man that I love to become successful," the wife said in a video. "And how I always knew."
The wife is right, as Mack's rise to pop stardom is not due to "Sitting" alone. He has been posting songs for years, such as "Splashing" and "Coffee." Last year, his heartfelt ballad "Laser Tag" led to a duet with none other than Joe Jonas. The two singers even met up for a video, though the album they promised has not yet been released.
Alvarez says that Mack's friendship with Jonas may have been the turning point in his musical career.
"That put into my mind this idea maybe that TJ Mack was becoming a pop star," Alvarez says. "He was friends with pop stars, so maybe it was his moment to become a pop star as well."
TJ Mack has long believed that he was a destined for fame. And now that he's an actual undeniable force in the music industry, dropping more songs with million-plus views, his potential is limitless — and so is Alvarez's opportunity for meta moments.
"There's this idea that he’s a pop star that’s been in his character for like two years and with him blowing up to reel pop stardom right now, it would be cool to see how far we can take that," Alvarez says. "Can TJ Mack perform at the Grammys?"
