09/22/2024

Josh Johnson Has Become the Funniest Guy on the Internet

That is not a joke

The thing about family, Josh Johnson wants me to know, as he scoots closer and angles his phone in my direction, is that they suck at boundaries.

It's morning in New York City, a pinch shy of noon, and we are on the subject of family because Johnson's phone won't stop buzzing. At first, I assume it's work, and I want to ask if this is a common occurrence now, if his recent rise to semi-stardom has prompted a wave of attention. I want to know how he's handling it, or not. I want to hear what has changed for him, and if his dad’s passing, in 2016, afforded him any perspective.

But Johnson, being the acute observer and anticipator that he is, explains the situation before I can get words out: Drama is brewing in the group chat. The saga involves, as these things often do, a crazy cousin. "It's really bad," said Johnson, caked in the soft lighting of a chic disco (transformed into a video- and photo-set today) in midtown Manhattan. Because said cousin keeps flooding the chat with bizarre QAnon propaganda no one wants or asked for, the family started another group chat without him. Except he found that one. And the one after that. He somehow keps getting added to them, Johnson said, because "crazy finds a way."

Please select this link to read the complete article from WIRED.