(Crazy Update!) TikTok’s Kevin (@strangek3vin) Is Showing What It Means To Be Hot

[UPDATE: If you’re wondering where Kevin went, he’s no longer on TikTok. Here’s a breakdown of the controversy and why we no longer stan Strange Kevin.]

Have you heard about Kevin? If you’ve been scrolling through TikTok and your FYP is anything like mine, he’s likely popped up in your feed. You either saw his original viral TikTok or you’ve seen countless men duetting it or women analyzing why the duets are so out of touch. Just in case you haven’t met the phenomenon that is Kevin (@strangek3vin), here’s a rundown on the man, myth, and TikTok legend.

The Viral TikTok Moment

It all started with this TikTok that the enigmatic Kevin posted on November 10, 2022:

All he’s doing is lightly lip-syncing to the song. At least, that’s the way it seems at first. He starts out so awkward, the kind of guy you wouldn’t look twice at. But then he levels a look at the camera and suddenly half of TikTok is swooning over this otherwise unassuming guy. Head to the comments and you’ll see how much of a hold he has on his female audience:

And that one simple video now has over 20 million views and 3 million likes. So of course, people did what they do, and a bunch of the TikTok F-boys who normally flood the app with thirst traps flashing their abs tried to capture the magic of Kevin…

Those F-Boy Duets

Wanting a little piece of the massive views that Kevin is getting on that and other TikTok vids, the e-boys and F-boys have tried to capture some of what Kevin has.

Anyone who tries to do it is getting appropriately roasted in the comments. It brings up a fundamental breakdown that people have been talking about for some time. To put it as generally as possible, men don’t always understand what women find attractive. And so when one of those men try something like this, they get it all wrong.

Why is Kevin so hot?

In addition to the sad F-boy duets, there have been women analyzing and explaining exactly why what Kevin is doing is so hot.

She brings up some great points. There doesn’t feel like anything predatory with what Kevin’s doing, but the other guys who are trying to turn this into their own thirst traps, riding on Kevin’s coattails, feel icky and wrong. While it’s certainly about confidence, it’s the feeling that he shows how he feels about you only briefly before reining himself back in. There are two comments that I think sum this up beautifully:

And don’t we all want someone who feels lucky to have us? Who invites us in, rather than invading our space?

Who is Kevin anyway?

All this clamoring for Kevin content, but who is he anyway? Much of Kevin’s content is more of the same–videos of him looking longingly at the camera and everyone swooning. Intermixed are classics that everyone does on TikTok like reacting to other people’s videos or just sharing his opinions. Otherwise, while he’s been the talk of TikTok lately, his presence is mostly pretty quiet. In addition to his TikTok, he also has a presense on YouTube, Twitch, and Instagram. If you’re a Kevin Fan, you might want to follow him. Or you could just save the viral video and go back to that any time you need a boost.