AN HOUR BEFORE her Good Morning America interview, Reesa Teesa is texting her lawn guy. Focusing on the grass and shrubs back home in Atlanta is helping her "not freak out about this," she says while riding the elevator to hair and makeup. "This"-appearing on the country's No. 1-rated morning show, watched by millions of people-"is terrifying." The door opens backstage, where Robin Roberts is walking by. The anchor pulls Teesa to the side. "Thank you for having the courage to tell your story," she says. "Don't make me cry," Teesa responds. The TikToker then drops her luggage off in the greenroom, where she tries to calm herself with deep breaths: "My whole prayer right now is like, 'God, please, I don't want to sound like a babbling fool.""
Reesa Teesa, whose real name is Tareasa Johnson, is adjusting to her new reality as a folk hero for scorned women. Last month, the 39-year-old was still angry over an ugly divorce when she Stitched a TikTok video asking, "What's a f*cked up thing that your ex did to you?" Teesa told the internet that hers, a man she calls Legion, turned out to be a "pathological liar" who made up family members and forged documents in an attempt to buy a house. "In the end," she says in the video, "the only thing that turned out to be true was his name and his date of birth." Commenters said the story sounded like a Lifetime movie. So Teesa decided to record more videos. The result is a 50-part, nearly eight-hour series. As of press time, she has gone from 8,000 followers to 3.7 million, and part one of the saga has 39 million views.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Trapped in Time
A woman relives the same day in a stunning Danish novel.
Polyphonic City
A SOFT, SHIMMERING beauty permeates the images of Mumbai that open Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light. For all the nighttime bustle on display-the heave of people, the constant activity and chaos-Kapadia shoots with a flair for the illusory.
Lear at the Fountain of Youth
Kenneth Branagh's production is nipped, tucked, and facile.
A Belfast Lad Goes Home
After playing some iconic Americans, Anthony Boyle is a beloved IRA commander in a riveting new series about the Troubles.
The Pluck of the Irish
Artists from the Indiana-size island continue to dominate popular culture. Online, they've gained a rep as the \"good Europeans.\"
Houston's on Houston
The Corner Store is like an upscale chain for downtown scene-chasers.
A Brownstone That's Pink Inside
Artist Vivian Reiss's Murray Hill house of whimsy.
These Jeans Made Me Gay
The Citizens of Humanity Horseshoe pants complete my queer style.
Manic, STONED, Throttle, No Brakes
Less than six months after her Gagosian sölu show, the artist JAMIAN JULIANO-VILLAND lost her gallery and all her money and was preparing for an exhibition with two the biggest living American artists.
WHO EVER THOUGHT THAT BRIGHT PINK MEAT THAT LASTS FOR WEEKS WAS A GOOD IDEA?
Deli Meat Is Rotten