Raising a family of three isn't easy. Now try to be a new father in front of 20 million social media followers. Taylor Dudley and his wife Kay Dudley have grown their accounts—and their family—all at the same time. The couple first met in Oklahoma, but in 2022, they decided to record and post their everyday life as an experiment. It wasn't long before things took off under the moniker of "Kay and Tay." Upworthy spoke to him about all things "Dad" for Father's Day.
Upworthy: How do you wrap your mind around all this popularity? Is this what you envisioned happening, or do you view it more as a happy, wonderful miracle?
Taylor: I think there's definitely some strategy to it. I don't lean too heavily into trying to grow a raw follower count or anything—that's not my end goal. For Kay and me, the ultimate goal is to document our day. I think that's what resonates with people. Your intentions come through in the content, whether you want them to or not. If you're just thirsty for followers, it's going to show up. And since we're not that way, I think that people feel that genuine connection.
Upworthy: Lately on your channels, we've seen everything from finding a crack in your home's window frame to teaching one of your daughters the alphabet for the first time. It made me wonder: do you have a "typical fan" who tunes into you? And who would that be?
Taylor: When you get to this size of following, it kind of hits everyone at that point. We have grandparents who watch us, teenagers, parents—it's kind of all over the place. There are no expectations. We could find something by our window that needs to be remedied, and the next day, we're just playing with a new toy. The way Kay and I like to do it, we just post the most fun moment of the day. The rest of the day becomes our stories on Instagram, and that is less edited. It does well because it's natural.
Upworthy: How do you wrap your mind around all this popularity? Is this what you envisioned happening, or do you view it more as a happy, wonderful miracle?
Taylor: I think there's definitely some strategy to it. I don't lean too heavily into trying to grow a raw follower count or anything—that's not my end goal. For Kay and me, the ultimate goal is to document our day. I think that's what resonates with people. Your intentions come through in the content, whether you want them to or not. If you're just thirsty for followers, it's going to show up. And since we're not that way, I think that people feel that genuine connection.
Upworthy: Lately on your channels, we've seen everything from finding a crack in your home's window frame to teaching one of your daughters the alphabet for the first time. It made me wonder: do you have a "typical fan" who tunes into you? And who would that be?
Taylor: When you get to this size of following, it kind of hits everyone at that point. We have grandparents who watch us, teenagers, parents—it's kind of all over the place. There are no expectations. We could find something by our window that needs to be remedied, and the next day, we're just playing with a new toy. The way Kay and I like to do it, we just post the most fun moment of the day. The rest of the day becomes our stories on Instagram, and that is less edited. It does well because it's natural.
4 months ago
