How TikTok’s Madison Humphrey recreates her viral video parodies

Even if you’re not familiar with Madison Humphrey’s work, you still may recognize her name, especially if you like to pass the time scrolling through the comment section of TikTok videos waiting to be parodied.

Many social media users tag the creator in happenstance videos of wedding proposal mishaps, unusual gender reveal parties, and other relationship-based content. Known for her skits and recreations of viral moments, Humphrey’s name is almost guaranteed to be dropped in the comment section.

Humphrey began making skits and content on social media full-time about two years ago and has since garnered 4.7 million followers. But the parodies started from humble beginnings: recreating funny viral moments with her friends and family, such as cake-cutting mishaps or awkward bouquet tosses at weddings. Those videos did well, and people started tagging her in other clips they wanted her to remake.

“I feel like it’s really taken on a mind of its own,” Humphrey told USA TODAY in January. “It’s been really fun because it’s kind of like a little community that I have with my followers, and they’re so supportive, and they love to see the recreations.”

Humphrey’s most recent parody, a video of a man throwing up in some bushes after proposing to his girlfriend, has over 1 million likes.

Humphrey’s work consists of reviewing thousands of messages and tags, seeking permission from original video creators and balancing humor with teasing. Here’s how she gets it done.

How are the parodies recreated?

The majority of Humphrey’s content consists of original skits that she creates and writes. Parodies make up about 30% of her videos, she said. While people tag her in dozens of videos every day, Humphrey tries to pick recreations that are authentic moments caught on camera.

“I try to be really cognizant of, is this a skit? Is it not a skit? Sometimes I can’t tell; sometimes people lie. I’ve learned that,” Humphrey said. “If it’s obviously a pre-planned skit, what’s the point of me recreating it?”

It’s the authenticity of those moments that makes the videos funny to viewers, Humphrey said.

“I think the main reason I get tagged in a lot of those wedding proposals is just the obscurity of some of them and how they happen and that they want to see me try my best to recreate it compared to someone just running into the wall or something that’s an accident and funny on its own,” Humphrey said.

With love, romance, and sincerity often behind the original videos, Humphrey gets permission to parody from the owners beforehand, she added. Sometimes Humphrey will reach out to recreate a video before realizing the original creator already messaged her, giving permission and tips on how to parody the moment, she said.

“I always tell people I want to be laughing with them, I don’t want to be laughing at them. That’s kind of my motto. If permission is granted to recreate it, we do it. And every time I’ve done a recreation after asking permission, the original creators have absolutely loved it,” Humphrey said. “Most of the time, a lot of them are very in on it… which makes it way more fun.”

Plane wedding, pool cake-cutting among craziest parodies

Some of the more outlandish recreations by Humphrey deal with the locations of the original videos. In one January video with over 14 million views, Humphrey, her husband, family and friends are aboard a plane to recreate a viral moment where a couple got married on a Southwest Airlines flight. The original video shows the bride and groom walking down the plane’s aisle and getting married at the front of the aircraft alongside a Southwest Airlines flight attendant.

Humphrey, determined to recreate the video as accurately as possible, worked with Southwest to film her parody on a real plane with the same flight attendant from the first video. She was on the plane within two days of reaching out to the airline, the creator added.

“The plane wedding, for example, one of the reasons I think it went viral is because you don’t see people getting married on a plane every day,” Humphrey said. “And so, I think the comedy comes from just trying to recreate getting on a plane, getting people on a plane, making it seem as exact as possible.”

Other recreations of Humphrey’s − including a video of her cutting a cake in a pool with jet skis in the background, getting married in a sauna, and a couple exchanging wedding vows in an ambulance − have earned thousands of views and likes.

Some people have criticized Humphrey’s videos for being too accurate to the original video, arguing they lack new material. But the creator said it’s her way of honoring the moment she’s recreating.

“I think part of the way I want to remain respectful to the original videos is just trying to recreate it exactly as possible,” Humphrey said. “I know that that comedy isn’t for everyone, but it’s funny to me and I feel like it’s the way to pay most respect to the original video while also keeping it funny,”

The ever-changing landscape of social media often changes Humphrey’s content week-to-week, she said. She usually plans out her parodies at the beginning of the week and doesn’t have any specific recreations planned ahead of Valentine’s Day. But that won’t stop her from parodying a viral love-centered video should it arise on social media.

“A lot of the times with these parodies, what’s funny about it is the turnaround time, too,” Humphrey said. “We’ll see what comes up. You never know. There’s always something on the internet. There’s always something going on.”

Kate Perez covers national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected] or on X @katecperez_.