Is This Part Of The Shtick? Talia Lichtstein Answers My Burning Questions
I sat down with TikTok star Talia Lichtstein in order to gain a clearer understanding of who the politically active (and highly opinionated) comedian truly is.
I’m here to unequivocally report that when it comes to Talia Lichtstein, the ultra popular content creator with over one million TikTok followers, there is far more than what might initially meet the eye. Online, Talia is a professional ‘hater’, for lack of a better word, a shtick that she purposefully leans into for comedic effect. Her TikTok bio, as a matter of fact, reads “Spread negativity”.
Talia speaks to the camera as if it were her close friend, revealing the niche things that piss her off, the intimate stories from her various romantic conquests and defeats, and her unfiltered opinions on politics, social media, and anything else that might pop into the brain of a twenty something living in New York City.
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When I interviewed Talia in person outside of an East Village coffee shop last month, I would have never guessed in a million years that she gained internet stardom for ‘spreading negativity’. As a matter of fact, in stark contrast to her pessimistic online persona, she could not have been more pleasant to speak with even if she had tried. After our conversation, I think that I have a clearer picture as to who Talia Lichtstein really is. Let me try to explain.
Talia Lichtstein, when you get down to the crux of it, is a comedian. Her comedic idol is Larry David and, despite the age difference, they have a plethora of similarities.
I really do resonate with Larry David. As a kid, when I would watch Curb Your Enthusiasm with my parents, I would always find myself agreeing with everything that he was saying... I would always be on his side for all of the ridiculous hijinks that he got himself into. I didn’t even think that the show was that funny; I was just frustrated for him.
Like Larry David, Talia is very particular about certain things and enjoys leaning into those idiosyncrasies for comedic effect. Talia’s dislikes include, but are not limited to, slow walkers, yogurt cups with wet fruit at the bottom, white cars, Jerry Seinfeld, people who post a photo of you on instagram without asking if you like said photo, cuffed jean shorts, heated car seats, and guided meditation.
Toilet Read: You’ve talked a lot about things that you dislike; what are some niche things in this world that you absolutely love?
Talia Lichtstein: I love Slim Jims; I think that they have the power to turn vegans into meat-eaters. I love Subway sandwiches. I love the TV show Lost and other long stories like that and Harry Potter that allow me to theorize about all of the different characters and their relationships with one another. I also hate the heat so I love air conditioning.
While Talia is primarily a comedic creator, she often comments on politics and pop culture, as well. From Kanye West’s racist and antisemitic tirades to the recent Los Angeles mayoral election, Lichtstein rarely shies away from sharing her opinion regarding controversial topics. In fact, she says that one of her favorite parts about having a platform is being able to use it in order to share important information and resources.
I think that the best thing to come out of me having this platform is feeling justified in being political. I never wasn’t political, even when I was in high school with only 500 Instagram followers, but now I understand that it’s my responsibility and I love it. I think that a lot of other creators are very right to assume that they have a responsibility now that they have a platform, but they don’t really enjoy having to get political online. For me, though, it really is the best part.
Because of Talia’s fearlessness when openly discussing controversial topics, she is often faced with a deluge of misogynistic and antisemitic backlash in her comment sections, direct messages, and elsewhere. Lichtstein has not only refused to cower away from this type of vitriol, but she has even found a way to benefit from it. When comments like this appear, Talia faces them head-on, oftentimes creating videos breaking down the deeply-rooted misogyny behind the comments and even poking fun of the people, mostly men, who are silly enough to cross her. (See below)
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Beyond her courage and comedic prowess, I also admire how Talia Lichtstein, who is somehow simultaneously an influencer and an anti-influencer, handles sponsored content. Oftentimes sponsored content can be remarkably boring because of all of the brand-specific hoops that creators are forced to jump through. Talia, on the other hand, maintains the same comedic tone that her millions of viewers know and love, which makes every ‘unboxing’ or sponsored post feel nearly identical to her other videos.
I don’t know why brands don’t learn this shit. If you make a video that is original and in the creator’s voice, then the video has a better chance of being seen by a larger amount of people and not messing up the flow of the rest of my content. The creator knows best. You don’t want it to look like an ad. You want it to look like this creator just genuinely loves your product and is mentioning it among other things.
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To conclude our interview, I asked Talia if she had any advice for folks aspiring to succeed in a creative sphere.
Have no fear; don’t worry about how you’re being perceived. Also, in the olden days, you had to be accepted to USC Film School in order to make a film because they had the equipment. You couldn’t do it by yourself.
Now, it’s like, what excuse do you have? You have to do it yourself if you want to get your foot in the door. You can’t just apply anymore; you need to make the damn video. The first question that these entertainment jobs are going to ask you is “What’s your TikTok account?” It’s hard advice to swallow, but there’s no excuse anymore; you have a camera in your hand. It doesn’t have to be great, but you have to start.
As I said earlier, there is so much more to Talia Lichtstein than what initially meets the eye. People online might be quick to assume a lot of things about Talia, perhaps most notably that she is perpetually pessimistic. In reality, though, Talia is extraordinarily thoughtful when it comes to her content, she is hilarious, and, much like her wise advice to aspiring creatives, she is a true go-getter.
I was nervous to approach Talia when I first met her on the sidewalk a few weeks ago, but I’m very glad that I did because it showed me that when it comes to Talia Lichtstein, and many of the other online personalities like her, viewers are merely scratching the surface of who these people truly are.
To watch Talia Lichtstein spread laughter, unique opinions, and, yes, perhaps a little bit of negativity here and there, check her out on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter.