Watch A Teenage Boy Shove Stuff In His Mouth… But Not In Like A Weird, Creepy Way

By Andrew Sanford | TV | July 8, 2021 |

By Andrew Sanford | TV | July 8, 2021 |

Late-night talk shows aren’t just for celebrities plugging their latest movies or playing flip cup with Jimmy Fallon. In fact, they have a long history of featuring animal wranglers, sex therapists, and people with… odd talents. For brief moments, a late-night show can feel almost like a carnival act, and that’s not a bad thing. The newest episode of Jimmy Kimmel: Live is a perfect example.

Last night, the show — currently being guest hosted by Wanda Sykes — featured 16-year-old Minnesota resident Isaac Johnson. Isaac holds the Guinness World Record for *checks notes* World’s Largest Mouth Gape. So yeah, that’s what we’re working with, and Sykes reacts appropriately. Again, can’t stress enough just how good at this she is.

I’ll be upfront about two things:

1. I did not think I would like this segment. On its face, it seems weird.

2. I was right because I didn’t like this segment, I loved it.

There’s something so wonderfully “standard teenager” about Isaac. He’s got braces, his posture is a little off, he’s got kind of a meh attitude about the whole thing. But he’s on National TV! He presumably got flown out to LA just to do this, a silly thing he probably realized he could do in a high school cafeteria. The dude doesn’t even really get hyped until they give him a PS5!

The whole segment is oddly engaging. I started really cheering for this kid, marveling as he successfully shoved a VHS in his mouth. It was incredible. So there you have it. If I was converted, maybe you will be too!