Kelon Campbell (born July 17, 1995), known online as Psyiconic, is an American influencer and comedian. He is best known for portraying the satirical character of Terri Joe, a homophobic, Southern, and Christian woman, who rose to fame by being portrayed on TikTok livestreams starting in 2022.
Psyiconic | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kelon Campbell July 17, 1995 |
| Other names | Itzpsyiconic[1] |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2020–present |
TikTok information | |
| Page | |
| Followers | 3 million |
| Likes | 65.3 million |
Last updated: February 15, 2024 | |
Life and career edit
Kelon Campbell[2] was born on July 18, 1995,[3] and raised in Humble, Texas[4] and has three brothers, among whom he has described himself as the "odd one out" for his affinity for pop music and other "gay stuff".[5] He has also said that he was "very shy" growing up.[6]
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he began livestreaming on his TikTok account under the name Psyiconic[7][8] in a "grandma costume" he wore for a previous Halloween on TikTok.[6] While working for a technology startup, he began livestreaming on TikTok as the character Jeorgia Peach, a party girl from Los Angeles, in 2022, improvising his interactions with others on the platform. He later started livestreaming as the satirical character of Terri Joe, a "devout Christian, Caucasian, heterosexual woman" who wears a floral print dress and a cross necklace. He based her on characters from the television series True Blood, particularly Maxine Fortenberry. As Terri Joe, he appears in front of a green screen and roasts those who joined his livestreams as "homaseggyuhs" (a Southern pronunciation of "homosexuals") and frequently breaks character by laughing.[9][4]
Clips of his livestream highlights, uploaded by fans, went viral on Twitter. By April 2022, he began doing TikTok livestreams full-time. Also in 2022, he did livestreams as Terri Joe with various celebrities, starting with Doja Cat and later including Madonna, Hunter Schafer, James Charles, Bob the Drag Queen, Ziwe, Kali Uchis and Baby Tate.[5] Kaiya Shunyata wrote in 2022 for The Daily Dot that Campbell had "attracted a largely queer, and sometimes famous, fanbase".[1] By late 2022, he had over one million followers on TikTok.[6] Campbell was included on TikTok's inaugural Visionary Voices list, which honored Black creators on the platform.[10] In March 2023, Campbell created and began portraying the British character Amoura Rose on TikTok.[11] By June 2023, Campbell had more than 2.4 million followers on TikTok.[12] He appeared as Terri Joe in a promotional video for a Victoria Monét remix of the Summer Walker song "Girls Need Love" in October 2023.[13]
Public image edit
In 2023, Tobias Hess of Paper called Campbell "a staple of TikTok".[5] Alexander Cole of HotNewHipHop described the character of Terri Joe as "very quick-witted" and "irreverent", also writing, "If you are someone who watches a lot of TikTok, then you have certainly heard of Terri Joe at some point."[14] Queerty's Charlie Grey similarly wrote in 2023, "Anyone's who's scrolled through their TikTok 'For You' page and come across a Live video has likely seen Kelon by now," and compared Terri Joe to The Boondocks character Uncle Ruckus.[15] Campbell has compared his roasting style of comedy to that of drag queen Bianca Del Rio.[6] He identifies as queer.[4]
References edit
- ^ a b Shunyata, Kaiya (September 29, 2022). "'Are you a hommasexyuh?': Itzpsyiconic is TikTok Live's hilarious and bizarre rising star". The Daily Dot. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ Tinoco, Armando (November 20, 2023). "Billboard Music Awards 2023 Photo Gallery: Mariah Carey, Peso Pluma, Karol G, TikTok's Terri Joe & More". Deadline. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ @_psyiconic_ (July 18, 2023). "28 years down 2 more to go! Because I'll be DAMNED if I have to run around here telling people I'm 🤢 thir- 🤮" – via Instagram.
- ^ a b c McKenzie, Zach (June 2, 2023). "Going Live with Terri Joe". OutSmart. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ a b c Hess, Tobias (January 26, 2023). "Terri Joe Isn't Iconic, She's Psyiconic". Paper. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Zhan, Jennifer (22 December 2022). "It's Terri Joe's World, But Kelon Is Running It". Vulture. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ Bustard, Andy (October 26, 2023). "Diddy & Lil Uzi Vert Catch Strays As City Girls Get Roasted By Internet Comedian Terri Joe". HipHopDX. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ Twersky, Carolyn (October 13, 2022). "Madonna Sings an Ode to Balenciaga In a Wild TikTok Live". W. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ Kavi (November 1, 2023). "Kavi: the 10 funniest things I have ever seen (on the internet)". The Guardian. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ Victoria, Kenyatta (January 31, 2023). "Meet TikTok's 2023 Visionary Voices Honorees". Girls United. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ McCafferty, Kenna (March 10, 2023). "Introducing Amoura Rose, Terri Joe's New Alter Ego". Paper. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ Mahadevan, Tara (June 13, 2023). "Soulja Boy in Shock After Being Told He Ate TikTok Star's Ass While on Percs". Complex. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ Kelly, Tyler Damara (October 3, 2023). "Summer Walker is teasing a 'Girls Need Love' remix with Victoria Monét". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ Cole, Alexander (October 26, 2023). "TikTok Star Terri Joe Questions Diddy & Lil Uzi Vert's Sexuality In Front Of Yung Miami & JT: Watch". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ Grey, Charlie (February 27, 2023). "Even among A-listers, TikTok star Kelon is his own icon". Queerty. Retrieved February 16, 2024.