Social Distancing: Quarantine Curls Go viral

Local Comedian & Dad's Clip Ends Up In National Commercial

We’ve been trying to show how you’re living your lives during this pandemic.

This morning, a comedian here in our region is being seen by more people than ever before while we’re all social distancing.

A bit he filmed with his kids that we showed you last month here on the morning show is now in a commercial airing across the country.

Jon Roberts talked with me over Zoom. He told me what it’s like when you go viral while trying to protect you and your family from the coronavirus.

Life hasn’t changed too much during the pandemic for comedian Jon Roberts on the Red Lake Nation.

He says, “It’s actually no different from the life we usually have where I was just home with the kids anyway, laying low, staying out of trouble.”

He’s got 10 kids at home, including 8 adopted. And since gyms are closed and he’s got a lot of little ones to entertain, he found a solution to both.

Roberts explains, “I didn’t have anywhere to go or nothing to do so I just grabbed my two youngest boys and just started curling them.”

He posted the video on social media. I found it and ran it on the KVRR morning show on March 23rd.

He says, “You were the first one to ask to use that on your newscast, and I say go ahead. And then about a day after you asked for it I got a call from Jukin Media.”

They got permission to use the video and said they’d keep in touch.

Roberts says they told him, “‘We’ll let you know when something happens’, which, they didn’t. I found out about the Samsung commercial Monday.”

The ad is titled “Stay apart, stay together” and shows how people are taking on the pandemic while social distancing. Now, Roberts is the star of his social circle.

He adds, “Everywhere I go now…I was taking out garbage, I got called a movie star. I went to the Post Office, I got called royalty. To the store this morning I got called ‘That famous guy.’ So, I’ll take it.”

He hopes the platform will help him find a larger audience for his comedy.

He says, “Kind of why I got into comedy, to try and get my life experience out to the world. Adopting kids like that it’s pretty much everyday life. You gotta find something to do to keep busy.”

As for his kids, well, fame may not be their calling.

He adds, “They seen it. They took a look at it then took off playing again.”

Now Roberts has all that exposure, but is he getting paid for it?

He says not yet, but Jukin Media told him something is coming. He doesn’t know how much. they told him it’s taking longer to process payments during the pandemic.

Maybe your clever quarantine clip will be the next to go viral in our region. Send it on over to us. We love sharing the ways you’re making life more fun during this pandemic.

Find me on Facebook and Twitter.

If you want to see more from Jon Roberts, check him out on Twitter by clicking here.