Instagram/@jessemccartney
The McCartney-Peterson relationship strikes me as inarguably the most functional celebrity couple relationship. As in, there is little to no relationship balance issues between Katie Peterson and Jesse, and it is evident by the way they conduct their relationship publicly. Jesse gets to be the ‘ham’ in the relationship, Katie gets to be the ‘referee’ and the public gets a sanitized view into their relationship, which is a performance to be entertained by. McCartney’s content about having ‘no days off’ certainly rings true; if anyone thinks that is the case, Jesse certainly provides enough content to prove otherwise.
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Much commentary has been centered on how many people throw out the specific quote from Holes in the comments, with one person saying “I quote this line often at work” and the other calling it “one of my favorite things to quote.” In this sense, it is amazing how a random line from a children’s movie has turned into a well-recognized phrase of frustration.
McCartney’s transformation has been a journey, but one that has been captivating. Instead of attempting to hold on to relevance by chasing trends, he has built a brand revolving around his relationship and willingness to be the ‘butt of the joke.’ His constant Holes—a film he wasn’t part of—references make him more likeable. There is a sense he knows what makes his specific audience tick and understands millennial nostalgia.
Taking it a step further, this ties into McCartney’s long-time habit of sharing his private life with his performative life. Unlike others, who might post couple pictures now and then, McCartney is sharing forays of his marriage while treating it as a comedy show. He is actively ‘performing’ skits and playing different characters, which, to some viewers, seems to attract people. It “works,” and even with the openly insincere couple chemistry, they still manage to pull viewers in.
The clip captures McCartney executing the joke perfectly—borrowing Shia LaBeouf’s iconic line from Disney. Katie is on the other side wearing a deadpan expression and holding a light fixture, which makes her look like she’s part amused and part exhausted from her husband’s endless content. She is the straight character to McCartney’s clown, and her fans love watching that.
Today marks the release of another humorous video Jesse has made about his marriage with Katie, tailor-made for the internet to feast on. The actor-singer mime the famous grandpa tired of at Holes (2003) rant, this time replaced by an equally dramatic ‘I’m tired of this’ line. Jesse, as always, uploads the mini video on Instagram, this time tagging it, “No days off in this marriage,” with his wife standing by ready to keep him in check.
What’s especially fascinating is how the remark section instantly split into Team Jesse and Team Katie. A user wonderfully explained this behavior, “My favorite part of this fandom is that we support Jesse but we ride or die for Katie,” and with that, I agree. Katie’s long-suffering wife attitude fuels the comedic relief of the videos, allowing viewers to relate. She is in the mix, but she is really “enduring,” which is why it is comedic gold.
It’s remarkable how a single quote from a twenty-year-old movie can ignite a nostalgic feeling for so many, as is evident from the multiple comments about the classic movie from which the Holes quote was derived. “This is so funny. I recognize this quote from my favorite movie Holes,” and “There are so many ways to do this Holes quote!” are two examples of that. The wonder of it is that the feeling of remembrance is sparked instantly.
Upon viewing the husband abruptly and absurdly attempting to reenact movie scenes, the most befitting reaction without saying a word comes from one comment stating, “Is this man bothering you, Katie?” Because, honestly, it is one of the most relatable and funny reactions to what I assume is frustration. The mental picture of Katie finally tearing into the nearest thing with a tennis racket and the light being described as, “she Looks like she’s about to tennis racket that light,” was also a funny way of expressing the frustration of the homemaker.
The TikTok content paints a picture of a working wife, which prompted one viewer to remark, ‘I hope she gets paid well,’ a sentiment, no doubt, shared by many watching the madness of Jesse’s TikToks. Another person stated, ‘A wife’s work is never done..we need the content to be flowing for Jesse’ which is utterly absurd but comes with the territory. The man’s got to feed his fans, and apparently, it’s through the never-ending participation of a wife called Katie.
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The clip captures McCartney executing the joke perfectly—borrowing Shia LaBeouf’s iconic line from Disney. Katie is on the other side wearing a deadpan expression and holding a light fixture which makes her look like she’s part amused and part worn out by her husband’s endless content. She is the straight character to McCartney’s clown, and her fans love watching that.