Photo: The Chit Show via YouTube
A cartoonish man stands in the doorway of a drab-looking office. Between his fringeless bowl cut, thick mustache, and drug-store glasses that magnify his eyes like Bubbles from Trailer Park Boys, he looks like the sketch on a “Wanted” poster come to life. But he’s not deranged or menacing; he’s just off. “Is there a Black person here?” he asks in an unassuming, midwestern murmur. His three co-workers, one of whom is a Black woman named Linda, stare at him agape. “What’s the big deal? I’m just trying to find the Black person here,” he repeats undeterred. “You found her, okay?” replies Linda, aggrieved at the apparent microaggression. Just then, the man bends down, retrieves a black handbag from the floor, and proclaims, “Here it is!” It finally dawns on his colleagues: He wasn’t on a racist scavenger hunt; he was trying to find “a black purse in here.” The man in question is Chit, TikTok and Instagram’s latest comedy obsession, and this Amelia Bedelia–esque mix-up is the basis of a video that currently has over 63 million views across both platforms.
Chit is the star character of a new short-form comedy series co-created by Jay Renshaw and Kiel Kennedy of the Groundlings Theatre in Los Angeles. Renshaw plays the aforementioned Chit, a bizarro office worker who, as many have noted, looks and sounds a lot like a character Will Forte might have played on SNL. Kennedy plays Kiel, Chit’s rarely seen co-worker who vocally documents Chit’s antics from behind his phone with a mixture of bewilderment, irritation, and amusement. The basic premise of each video — What if this weirdo worked in an office? — is instantly conveyed by Chit’s broad construction. He might spend all day drinking White Claws while oblivious to their alcohol content. Or he might drown out a scolding from his boss by blasting “Pink Pony Club” in hidden earbuds. But watch more of these videos, and an extensive lore starts to unfold around Chit that deepens the jokes and subverts the narrative. Despite his appearance, he’s a deceptively jacked former model, and he has a long history of letting his obsession with Chappell Roan interfere with his work.
Since launching the series in late May, Renshaw and Kennedy have posted 25 Chit videos, the least popular of which have over a million views. The instant success of the series speaks to a willingness on the part of Renshaw and Kennedy, uncommon on social media, to lay groundwork that pays off down the line. Their videos are full of recurring side characters with distinct personas, catchphrases, and callbacks. In one video, Chit prepares for a birthday celebration for his colleague Janice by writing a confusing message in her birthday card — “Do it lady!” — that sparks debate in the office about whether it’s empowering or off-putting. It’s since become a fan-favorite refrain that has popped up in no fewer than three subsequent videos. Meanwhile, in the following video, where Chit and company surprise Janice for her birthday, Chit hands her a familiar black handbag and says, “I found your purse.” Linda stares deadpan into Kiel’s camera.
All of this culminates in an elaborate workplace-comedy universe with the potential for growth but the flexibility to stay bootstrapped as needed. Should Renshaw and Kennedy ever get the opportunity to adapt the series into a half-hour television show, as their fans are constantly requesting, they’ll be well positioned for it. And should the marketing department of that theoretical show want to clip the show into bite-size chunks for TikTok and Instagram, they’ll be well positioned for that too. The duo have found a way to combine the instant gratification of online sketch comedy with the delayed gratification of narrative television. They’ve tapped into an audience with an appetite for the comforting familiarity of workplace sitcoms but an attention span diminished by a lifetime spent online. Sometimes all it takes is one memorable character to break through, and they’ve found that in Chit — assuming he doesn’t get fired for being drunk at work.
If you haven’t stumbled onto Chit on your feed yet, here are five great videos to serve as an introduction to your newest and oddest work husband:
Chit Rules