TikTok cults are a thing, because we’re bored in the house and in the house, bored, duh. And we’re not talking about TikTok influencers who have amassed a “cult-like” following — we mean actual cults with cult leaders who ask their followers to worship them. It’s a genuine, actual phenomenon happening on social media, and it’s beyond bizarre.
Who are the Step Chickens?
The most popular cult is The Step Chickens, and it’s led by TikTok user @chunkysdead, aka 26-year-old Melissa who posts dark and hilariously weird (and definitely inappropriate) TikToks. Step Chicken members have blue profile photos of a zoomed-in Melissa face to indicate that they’re part of the Step Chickens cult. It all started in early May, when @chunkysdead asked her fans to come up with a catchy name for her cult, and apparently “Step Chicken” won.
Why Step Chickens? @chunkysdead, who already had a pretty large following before it went “cult” status, has a thing for chickens and wears a shirt with a chicken on it and also owns a chicken suit she sometimes dresses up in for TikToks. @Chunkysdead only initiation requirement is that you change your TikTok avatar to hers. And be a devote follower for life, of course.
Aside from leading a massive TikTok cult, @chunkysdead posts pretty weird videos that will either make you cackle and or wonder WTF is happening. She sells, we’ll just say, very interesting merch.
Even Gary Vee (Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO of VaynerMedia, a big-time ad agency) has declared that he has a cult, too. It’s called the Vee Fam, but honestly, Gary Vee should probably just stick to LinkedIn as his primary social media platform.
If you do decide to join a TikTok cult, use it as a platform to engage with others in a positive way. Don’t bully people. Have fun. We all need distractions these days, and if a TikTok cult serves that purpose for you, then so be it.