Going viral with Jake Schroeder
Jake Schroeder and I discuss TikTok fame, pop-stars, and the terror of seeing yourself live on Fox News.
When I sat down to talk with Jake Schroeder, I figured we’d chat about internet virality, maybe his now-infamous Luigi Mangione ballad, and definitely the musicality of being deeply unserious online. I did not expect to discuss Nazi-Jew family dinners, slow-motion cow videos, or the Pope’s death via body percussion. And yet — here we are
If you’ve ever stumbled across a TikTok of a piano ballad about sauvignon blanc or a sincere ode to White Lotus characters, you’ve likely already fallen into Jake’s world. He’s a former software engineer, lifelong theater kid, and current internet phenomenon, writing and performing songs at a breakneck pace about everything from Uber surge pricing to Charli XCX. His videos feel like if Forbidden Broadway, Bo Burnham, and your gay best friend’s Notes app had a baby.
Since graduating college last year, Jake has bounced between tech freelancing and full-time comedy limbo, racking up views while trying to make sense of this weird little thing called internet-fame. We talked about all the important things: the existential horror of posting Reels, the delicate politics of dating men who follow you on TikTok, and his plan to become “the Adele of brunch cabaret.”
Below, Jake breaks down how he writes, why he posts, and the delicate art of not taking yourself too seriously.
Olivia Tauber: Hi! Thanks so much for speaking with me!
Jake Schroeder: Of course!
Olivia: I’m running on post-Coachella fumes—I just got back yesterday.
Jake: Oh, period. Still coughing up dust?
Olivia: Unfortunately.
Jake: I grew up in LA, so I know the vibes. Who was your favorite?
Olivia: Gaga, obviously.
Jake: I was at a gay bar that live-streamed Gaga’s set on loop. It was a religious experience.
Olivia: I need a Homecoming-style doc stat. Anyway—let’s dive in!
What’s your go-to elevator pitch when someone asks what you do post-grad?
Jake: So I studied computer science and worked as a software engineer right out of college. I was at Grindr, which, yeah, I have a lot of thoughts on that…It was the gag of all time. Honestly, I kind of did it for the bit, and then the bit turned into a real coding job. And I was like, wait… this isn’t funny anymore. I don’t like the bit!
Olivia: Suddenly the bit is W-2 employment.
Jake: Exactly. But the culture at Grindr was amazing. All my coworkers were gay men, and we’d be running around West Hollywood. It was perfect.
After that, I worked at a startup doing iOS engineering for about six months. That’s when I started posting videos for real, around December. I’d had a few viral moments before, even in middle school, but December was when I started posting consistently. My second video was the Luigi Mangione ballad—and it blew up. It made it to Fox News, and suddenly my account exploded. That’s when I started monetizing.
I’m still doing some light freelance tech stuff. I’m helping an old man build a website for his amateur paintings. I’m helping a woman with a yoga studio set up her site. But I’m in this floating space right now, trying to decide whether to get a full-time entertainment job or just lean into the instability of this weird internet moment.
Olivia: Has music always been a core part of your life?
Jake: Definitely. I started with piano when I was super young. Both of my grandparents played. Okay, this story might be a lot, but one of my grandparents was a Nazi and the other one was Jewish. Wild family story.
Olivia: Wait what?! That’s insane. How do they even sit at the same dinner table?
Jake: My dad’s side was the Nazi, my mom’s side was Jewish. It’s actually hilarious. They just kind of sit there like, “Well… at least we’re all here now!”
[Laughs].
Anyway, both grandparents played piano. So I started at age four and got really intense about it. Then I did theater in high school, but COVID shut everything down. I graduated during the pandemic—I’m 23 now—so performing took a backseat.
I went to UChicago, which is big on comedy—Second City, sketch, improv. I started doing improv there, and by senior year, I was leading the sketch group and putting on musicals. But these were like, completely unhinged shows. One was about the guard who accidentally let in the Trojan horse and had to sing about it. Another one, called Indigestion, had every character play a body part. The appendix was a main character. She just wanted to be helpful.
Olivia: That’s so iconic.
Jake: It was a blast. And the balance with computer science was weird but kind of fulfilling. I do like being analytical. I like crunching numbers. I randomly picked CS during COVID because I figured the online classes would be best from that department. That’s how I ended up double-timing as a coder and a sketch comic.
Olivia: What was the transition like from graduation straight into going viral? Did it feel overwhelming, or were you just riding the wave?
Jake: I was like, this is so fun. I mean, when I make a video, it’s really just me. I’m not putting on as much of a character as you might expect from someone trying to go viral. Maybe that’s wrong, I don’t know. But like, when people were like, “Oh my god, I saw your video,” I was literally just in this shitty Troye Sivan shirt, in my shoebox apartment in Brooklyn, singing about a murderer who was hot.
And then Jesse Watters is like, “Here’s this twink.” And it just felt right. Like I was meant for this. I remember thinking, why am I coding? If I can gag the internet, I should just keep gagging.
And honestly, the fun part was reconnecting with people from middle school. They’d DM me like, “This is so funny.” That might give some people anxiety, but I live for it. I’m very social.
Olivia: Let’s get into the Luigi video. How did you find out it had made it to Fox News? What was the reaction like from your friends and family—and where does that whole saga stand now?
Jake: I have so much to clarify about that. So I was walking home from the Franklin Avenue Station in Crown Heights, where I live, and I got a call from my sister’s best friend’s mom. She’s this very conservative, Goop-vibes, LA tees-but-MAGA type. Scary.
And I’m like, why is this mom calling me? I pick up, and she’s like, “Turn on the TV. You’re on Fox.” And I’m like… oh no. What did I do?
Then she says, “It’s your song.” And I’m like, okay, this is crazy. I have to capitalize on this. And I don’t think anything really would’ve happened if I hadn’t kept going with it. That’s kind of the deal with virality: you have to keep sewing the thread, bit by bit. Same thing happened with White Lotus. I did the Carrie Coon song and then was like, wait…do more.
My mom was really nervous for like a week. She was like, “I feel like I’m gonna throw up.” My parents are very LA. They were just like, “Is this dangerous? Are you going to attract creeps?” Which we did. We got some weird stuff in the mail.
Olivia: Like what?
Jake: Someone sent me a jar of pickles. There were some letters. Just… stuff.
So, the gag is that about half the Luigi videos are real, and half are fake. I did that on purpose, just to keep it playful. The truth is: I sent Fox a bunch of emails. I sent an invoice. I sent like five follow-ups using my uncle as my lawyer. Haven’t heard anything.
I mean, it’s not that serous. I didn’t care about suing them, I just thought it was funny to build out the bit. Keep elevating the story. Like improv: “yes, and…”
But it’s kind of dead now unless something big happens with Luigi. The trial hasn’t even started. But I’ve attached myself as the lustful ballad singer of Luigi, so we’ll see.
Olivia: Can you recite the Fox News bit from memory?
Jake: Of course. He said, “The internet is in love with Luigi Mangione, some even demanding conjugal visits.” And he stuttered on “visits.” Incredible.
Anyway, that was the first time I was navigating virality as myself. And I think I did a lot of things wrong.
Olivia: What do you mean?
Jake: I don’t know how to explain it. I just felt it. Compared to White Lotus, where I was like, “I nailed it,” the Luigi moment didn’t feel quite right. I think I waited too long to respond to it. It felt more creepy than funny to me. But it’s fine.
Olivia: Let’s talk about your creative process. What makes something “song-worthy” to you?
Jake: I’m so chronically online. It’s horrible. My screen time is, like, nine hours. So that definitely influences the ideas.
But honestly, I just try to post a song whenever I can. If you scroll through my lesser-known videos, I have songs about literally everything. Like, the other day I made one about scallions—because I cooked this really weird dinner that was just tofu and sauce, but then I put scallions on top and was like, wait. It’s gourmet.
So yeah, I’m always writing. It sharpens the skill. And I’ve developed a sense of when something has viral potential—usually if the internet is exploding about a certain topic. That’s when I jump in.
For example, when the Pope died, I made a Pope song with body percussion. Like, “The Pope is dead.” So stupid. It didn’t go over well—probably for the best—but I still threw it out there. It’s like the lottery. I’ve kind of boiled it down to: I can make stuff fast, I know what I like, and I know what I’m good at. So I toss in my ticket for the digital lottery of the day, and then I move on.
Olivia: Do you have a posting schedule?
Jake: No schedule. I’m so un-regimented. I try to post at least once a day, but sometimes it’s three a day. Sometimes I vanish for three days and then come back with one. I’m a hot fucking mess, just figuring it out.
Olivia: What’s your favorite video you’ve made?
Jake: Oh my god. Before I started posting songs, I had this bit in college where I pretended to be Amy Klobuchar’s nephew on TikTok.
It started during the election. My friend made a video like, “You’ve seen Joe Biden’s grandson, but have you seen Amy Klobuchar’s nephew?” and used a clip of me. So I ran with that for, like, a year. It was so much fun. I had videos like, “Thanksgiving was so awkward after she lost the primary. She wouldn’t talk to anyone.” Loved that.
As for songs—my favorite is probably “My Uber Home from Bushwick.” I got a $15 Uber from Bushwick and was so happy I made a song about it and posted it.
Olivia: Walk me through how you actually make the videos. Are you writing lyrics ahead of time? Do you record on your phone?
Jake: So bootleg. I have one Google Doc where I write everything. I prop my computer up, put my phone on top, and hit record. Sometimes I don’t even write the chords—I just riff. I press play and try. Sometimes the first take works. Like the Carrie Coon song? First take.
Olivia: That was one of my favorites. My sister and I are genuinely your biggest fans.
Jake: Wait, I’ll write you both a song. That’s so sweet. I’m so happy. I love having fans.
…And he did 🥹
Olivia: Okay, rewinding for a second—what made you move to New York? You grew up in LA, went to school in Chicago… why here?
Jake: Broadway. I think my goal is to write something like Oh, Mary! That’s the North Star. Most of my college friends are here too. I’ve got the gays, the Jews, and the coastal elites all pulling my hair.
Olivia: That’s a perfect sentence.
Jake: No, it’s horrible. That could be misquoted into something awful.
[Laughs].
Olivia: Okay, let’s talk platforms. If your social media usage were a Dance Moms-style pyramid, what’s at the top for you?
Jake: Top right now is TikTok—but Instagram will always be my girl. That’s middle school trauma. So yeah, Instagram and TikTok are at the top.
I go on Grindr for fun—just to see who’s gay. I deleted Twitter about a month ago, but I still technically have the app. It was getting too political. Like, my feed kept showing me Elon Musk tweets, and I was like… I don’t even care. So I just deleted it. And honestly, I don’t think I use any other apps.
Olivia: Do you ever get anxious about posting? Like, do you ever put something up and immediately regret it—or feel like, “I look awful, why did I do that”?
Jake: Oh my god. All the time. I’m riddled with anxiety.
In the beginning, I was really nervous. But then I was like, if I don’t try that hard, people can’t judge me that hard. So now, I honestly look kind of slovenly in a lot of the videos. I’m not put together at all. But it’s fine. I don’t gaf. And no one else should either. Or they can scroll. The one thing that does make me want to throw up? Posting Reels.
Olivia: Why’s that?
Jake: I just started last week, and it’s horrific. Like, I’ll get a comment from a second-grade friend I haven’t spoken to in 15 years that says, “These are good 🥰.” And I’m like… what does that mean? You’re perceiving me?
TikTok feels anonymous. Reels feels like everyone you’ve ever met is watching. Plus, the numbers are so different. I have 4,000 followers on Instagram and 70,000 on TikTok, so it’s just embarrassing to post on Reels.
Olivia: Are you posting there because you feel like you have to?
Jake: Kinda. Right now my rule is: if a TikTok gets over 10,000 likes, I’ll post it as a Reel. That’s my system. Except for a few. I combined all the Luigi videos into one and posted that. And then I posted the full Carrie Coon song. But I didn’t bother posting the other White Lotus ones, because the moment had passed.
Olivia: Do you feel like you’re part of the “creator scene” in New York? Or do you kind of exist outside of that world?
Jake: I definitely exist outside of it. I have no influencer friends. I have mutuals—I’m friends with a few guys who do little TikTok bits. But I don’t go to parties. I’ve never been invited to any of those creator events. Like, I’m not signed anywhere. I’m not represented. I’m floating.
Maybe that’s by design, though. I think I’ve subconsciously opted out. I don’t want to feel trapped in a “brand.” I want to do Broadway. I want to do theater. If I’m known for just being an “internet person,” I feel like I’m gonna have to post constantly or I’ll disappear. That’s terrifying.
I’ve gotten emails from agents, but they’ve all been like, “We love your voice! We think you’d be perfect for…” and then it’s a brand I would never work with in a million years.
Olivia: Like what?
Jake: I got one that was like, “We love your musical parodies. Would you be interested in doing one for…” I swear to god, it was Navy Federal Credit Union. And I responded like, “I can’t tell if this is an SNL sketch.”
But then again, I just did a brand deal for Bluey. So I really can’t say anything. I’ll do anything for money. Let’s be real.
I’ve also done a few brand deals with this girl who makes these insane satirical fake brands. Like one of them was called “Box Water for Sluts.” I was like, yes. I’ll make that jingle.
Olivia: Okay, a little pivot—are you on any dating apps?
Jake: No. I deleted Hinge because I didn’t want anyone to recognize me. I had it for like a week and this guy messaged me and was like, “Oh my god, you’re so funny. I love your videos.” And I was like, no. No no no. Can’t do this.
Olivia: What’s your go-to “brain off” media right now? Something you watch or listen to when you don’t want to think.
Jake: Dance Moms. Always. I’m obsessed. Like, you don’t understand. I rewatch that show like it’s Fleabag or something. Like it’s a one-woman show. Just Abby Lee screaming about pyramid rankings. I eat it up.
But the truth is, I don’t actually watch that much TV. I watch Love Island sometimes. I like Girls. That’s one I pretend to have finished. I’ve seen Season one probably five times and then I fall off. I’ve seen the pilot so many times. But I love the characters, and I love Lena. I think it’s a great show.
I also watch a lot of stand-up on YouTube—just to see how people pace jokes. Like Catherine Cohen, Zach Zucker, Sam Morrison. That’s more research than relaxation though.
Olivia: What music are you listening to right now?
Jake: I love Laufey. I love Remi Wolf. And I was a big Brat fan, obviously. I also really like this girl—her name is Rachel Chinouriri. She’s so good. Not that big yet, but incredible voice.
Olivia: You’re giving correct pop taste.
Jake: Thank you. That’s all I want in life.
Olivia: Which pop stars do you think are winning right now? Who gets it?
Jake: Charli. Duh. She gets it. Gracie Abrams is also winning in her own way. She’s tapped into that millennial-sad aesthetic that people love. Not for me, but I respect it.
Sabrina Carpenter obviously gets it. Like, she knows what she’s doing. She’s so calculated, but in a good way. Like, the Espresso rollout was genius. And she’s funny.
Olivia: Who doesn’t get it?
Jake: Ugh. This is gonna be mean. I don’t think Tate McRae gets it. She’s trying to do Charli-lite. And it’s not working. She’s talented, but something about it feels forced.
And then there are people like Reneé Rapp. I think she gets it, but I also feel like the industry’s trying to make her happen so hard. Like, let her breathe! Let her figure out what she actually wants to do before you throw her into every single award show performance slot.
Olivia: Who are your favorite people to follow right now? Like, whose content do you look forward to?
Jake: Honestly? Cow TikTok. Like, those slow-motion cow videos? Where they’re just galloping in fields with classical music? I’m obsessed. That’s my safe space.
I also follow a bunch of restaurant TikTokers. There’s this one guy in Paris who reviews every pastry he eats. He’s so dramatic. I live for it.
I also love this creator named Jimmy Fowlie. He does a bunch of sketch stuff that’s super funny. And there’s a guy who does fake movie scenes—like, “the scene from the Oscar-winning indie film where the main character breaks down while cutting onions.” Just really specific, theatrical stuff. That’s my algorithm.
Oh, and there’s this random guy who only does covers of Broadway songs but like… with intense vibrato. He’s amazing.
Olivia: I need your entire For You Page. It sounds elite.
Jake: It’s a weird mix. But I love seeing what people make when they’re not trying to be famous. Just people who want to make funny, good stuff.
Olivia: If you weren’t writing songs on TikTok right now, what do you think you’d be doing instead?
Jake: I think I’d be writing a musical. And I kind of am doing that? I’ve started writing something that’s basically Dorian Gray but with 27 characters. Way too ambitious. I’m overwhelmed. But I can’t stop thinking about it. I want it to be a little like Cabaret—like, sexy and dark. And funny. That’s the sweet spot.
It’s gonna be called The Selfie. Like, the portrait? I just want to write something that’s smart and unhinged and a little gay and a little sad and then somehow get it to Broadway. And I want to star in it. Obviously.
Olivia: What’s your dream version of where this could all lead? Do you want to be the next Bo Burnham? Or go full Lin-Manuel?
Jake: Honestly, I’m torn. Part of me wants to just have a normal job—something stable—and do cabaret on the side. Like, be a data analyst by day and then perform songs about Luigi at Club Cumming at night. That sounds perfect.
But then the other part of me is like… maybe I could write a musical that goes to Broadway. Or act. Or write comedy for TV. I just don’t want to get pigeonholed as “that TikTok guy.” I think I’m funnier than that. I think I can write things that matter. That’s what I’m trying to figure out right now.
Olivia: Do you feel like people underestimate you?
Jake: Yes. But also… no. I think the people who get it, get it. And the people who don’t—whatever. They can scroll. I just want to keep making things. That’s the goal. I want to make stuff that feels good. That’s it.
Olivia: That’s such a healthy mindset. Very rare.
Jake: Don’t worry—I’m still spiraling constantly.
Olivia: Well thank you again for doing this. Truly one of my favorite conversations.
Jake: Same! And tell your sister I love her.