Darcy & Jer share what it's like living out their love story on the internet
The married Canadian comedy couple explain how going viral changes a relationship
Darcy Michael and Jeremy Baer (or Darcy & Jer as they're known online) say they never really decided to make viral videos about their marriage — it just kind of happened.
When the Canadian comedy couple started their TikTok channel at the height of the pandemic, Michael was a retired stand-up comedian and Baer had a corporate job that didn't make him happy. They found an audience of millions of fans across the internet after they began sharing candid moments from their life together in British Columbia.
One of the biggest reasons people keep coming back to their content is because Michael and Baer are a healthy example of a happy, queer relationship. Fans turn to the couple for their advice on everything from parenting to navigating conflict.
"I do actually credit our comment section to reigniting our love," Baer tells Q's Tom Power in an interview alongside his husband. "We got to see our love through other people's eyes just by their comments on our things. And it made us step back and look at each other in a different way as well."
Now, in two new projects — the stand-up special No Refunds and the documentary Happily Ever Laughter — Michael and Baer are opening up about what it's really like to live out their love story in public.
We don't want to lose the soul of our relationship for the dollar bills coming in.- Darcy Michael
It's about much more than just a couple finding social media fame. It's about how much comedy has changed in the past decade, how a mysterious algorithm can completely change your life, and why — despite all the sarcasm on the internet — people really love love.
Though Michael and Baer say their online success has helped them realize just how happy they are "living a normal existence" in the suburbs, they've also had to contend with the dark side of viral fame, including stalkers and death threats.
"We also didn't realize, 'Hey, if you film every inch of your house during Covid and put it out … people could map out every part of it,'" Michael says.
"Our new property we're very protective of. And we have sections of the house that are never allowed to film. Even friends aren't allowed to take pictures because we're like, 'Hey, we have to be realistic here.' I think we have issues with parasocial relationships and people don't know boundaries anymore."
Baer adds that their online fame has also helped them learn to communicate better and more frequently. He and his husband have agreed to a strict rule: if one partner is uncomfortable with something that's filmed, they immediately nix it, no questions asked.
"We don't want to lose the soul of our relationship for the dollar bills coming in," Michael says.
The full interview with Darcy Michael and Jeremy Baer is available on our YouTube channel and on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. Listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts.
Interview with Darcy Michael and Jeremy Baer produced by Vanessa Greco.
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