She ventured into posting cringe comedy videos during the pandemic as a way to continue working on her craft while venues were closed. An early TikTok video of her crying while applying clown makeup garnered hundreds of thousands of views and encouraged her to post more. She now has more than 3.8 million followers on TikTok — a following large enough that it can translate into lucrative brand deals, bonuses and merchandise sales. To craft the perfect CringeTok video, creators mine the depths of the internet and their own experiences for traits they can exaggerate. Cringe comedy creators often build time for dreaming up sketches into their schedules.

---

Persons: Cringe, William Esper, TikTok Organizations: William Locations: Potenza, New York