Leslie Jordan’s Instagram Videos Saved Us During the Pandemic

When we needed him most, Leslie Jordan was there for us.

The Will & Grace and American Horror Story actor passed away at the age of 67 on Monday, following a fatal car crash in Hollywood. He’ll be remembered for his acting roles, a fav-favorite appearance on RuPaul’s Drag Race, and, of course, his endearing pandemic videos, which pulled us all out of a pit of despair just over two years ago.

Jordan’s delightful, often free-wheeling videos first started to take off in 2020. As more of his clips went viral, his follower count on Instagram grew from 80,000 to over a million. His fame exploded in return, leading to more high-profile acting opportunities. His follower count quickly flew past five million. He was a true star.

After the news of his passing hit the world on Monday, fans of the comedian took to Twitter to remember some of his finest videos. The most popular, by far, is a clip of him twirling and shouting, “DADDY! Daddy, watch me twirl! Daddy! Watch me!” It’s a brilliant ode to attention-seeking toddlers—or, rather, anyone who might be seeking the attention of an attractive older gentleman they call “daddy.” Jordan left that up for interpretation.

Another iconic clip: Jordan listens to “WAP” by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion for the first time, gasping the first time the singers sing the full song title. “Well, that is just shocking! Oh, my god,” he exclaims in the clip. “There’s some whores in this house, oh my lord. I don’t judge, to each his own.”

Jordan also went viral after posting videos watching porn while eating breakfast, singing Lizzo’s song with Sia’s voice, and just generally being a goofy guy during quarantine. It’s exactly what we needed during quarantine, when our spirits were down and our phones were fixed on Instagram and TikTok.

Even as his following grew and his fame skyrocketed, Jordan stayed humble. In an interview with the Washington Post, he attempted to explain why he had grown so popular—in his own lovable, hilarious way:

"I'm not sure what happened. The shutdown, of course, we all had to hunker down and stay at home, and my number started—I would just notice, oh my gosh, I've got like 20,000 more," Jordan said when the videos started blowing up. "Who are these people? I had no idea. It's all of a sudden becoming popular, and how is this happening?"

The comedian has since expanded to TikTok, including a video of himself wearing a brilliant tank top that reads “STOP BEING NOT MY BIRTHDAY,” one in which he is sporting a royal blue bedazzled tuxedo, and a belly dancing video captioned “Little Fatty goes round n’ round” that amassed over 40 million views. One of his final TikToks is a sweet video about his “coming out story.”

“In high school, I would tell people that I had this secret. I’d sit them down and say, ‘Listen, I have a secret.’ And I would tell them, ‘I’m gay,’” he said. “They’d look at me and say, ‘Yeah. What’s the secret? You’re gay and you murdered somebody?’ It’s pretty obvious.”

Rest in peace, Leslie. May you be immortalized in the brilliant humor of your pandemic videos.

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