So, uh, who exactly is Reesa Teesa and why do we care so much about her TikTok ex-husband series?
In a week, Reesa Teesa and her “Who TF Did I Marry?” TikTok series has earned millions of followers. What’s it all about and why does it have so much staying power? We explain.
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Forget reality TV, a recent 50-part video series on TikTok has viewers locked in on a first-hand account from a woman who claims she married — and divorced — a pathological liar.
TikToker Reesa Teesa (@ReesaMTeesa) has built a base of more than a million followers and millions of views as she breaks down the story of her tumultuous roughly year-long marriage.
Teesa was already a content creator, with videos about her day-to-day life and memes earning tens of thousands of views. But when she launched her “Who TF Did I Marry” series on Valentine’s Day, her profile saw a tremendous lift. Now everyone wants to know, who Teesa married, joining along for her part-Catfish, part true-crime journey.
“People are inherently nosy, and we love a good story,” Philly-based writer and host of the podcast Normal Gossip Kelsey McKinney said. “Reesa Teesa is providing both: She’s dolling out a ridiculous, gasp-worthy tale, and she’s doing a good job of it.”
» READ MORE: Kelsey McKinney is building a (socialist) gossip empire from Queen Village
Within the creator economy, Teesa’s videos are a phenomenon. Content creators strive to have their videos viewed from the beginning to the end, in hopes of earning incentives from TikTok and other platforms.
In recent months, TikTok has started championing longer-form videos and promising prioritized experiences for creators who play along.
But getting viewers to watch something for more than a minute is hard enough. In Teesa’s case, each of her 50 video is 10 minutes, making for 500 minutes of content with followers hanging off every word. (To put that into context, current Academy Award Best Picture front-runner Oppenheimer runs 180 minutes.)
Some comments to the videos reference this feat, jokingly saying that Teesa has “cured [their] ADD.”
That loyalty could prove to be lucrative.
Over the weekend, she began going live on the platform, answering questions and adding to the story. During the livestreams, users sent gifts, which content creators can eventually cash in for actual payouts. She also lists her CashApp info in her TikTok bio.
Fans are clamoring for more, asking for a Netflix docuseries or a TV deal.
Here’s what else to know about Reesa Teesa and her story.
Who is Reesa Teesa?
Even though her story about her marriage is very public, in general, Reesa Teesa is a pretty private person. Her legal name isn’t widely publicized and generally, not a lot about her personal life is known.
She lives in Atlanta and works for the state troopers, according to some of her videos.
In the 52-part series, Teesa outlines her year-long marriage to her now ex-husband, whom she describes as a pathological liar.
Who is Legion?
Teesa identifies her ex-husband by the nickname “Legion.”
His real name isn’t known, though rumors have circulated about his identity.
What’s the gist of her story?
In the series, Teesa says she met Legion in early 2020 and left him by mid-2021.
They met online just ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantined together. The pair got close quickly; Teesa became pregnant, but ultimately miscarried. They started house hunting. They got married in early 2021, but issues started bubbling when they tried to place a down payment.
Legion kept falling through on funding, she said. Teesa said a background check revealed that Legion was using a fake Social Security number. From there, she said, other lies began to unravel.
What were some of the lies?
Teesa said some of the lies Legion told throughout their relationship included:
Criminal history: Previously unbeknownst to her, Legion had been arrested for trespassing and impersonating an officer, according to Teesa.
Occupation: He told Teesa he was the vice president of a major condiment company, but in reality was a temp forklift driver, she says. She said he’d take fake phone calls to sound like he was speaking with employees.
Finances: He said he came from money, had an off-shore account, and owned a mansion and a yacht, but Teesa said Legion actually lived in a trailer park and sometimes out of his car. Teesa said the screenshots Legion showed her of his bank account and pre-approval letter were fake.
Education: Legion told her that he had a Ph.D. in business administration, even though he didn’t finish his undergrad degree, according to Teesa.
Family: Teesa said Legion’s family and friends had cut ties with him. She found out through his ex-wife that his allegedly late daughter, for whom they had paid funeral costs, was alive. She also said he’d fake phone calls with his estranged family members and friends.
There were many, many more lies, according to Teesa.
Teesa said she ultimately kicked Legion out and filed for divorce. She said the last time they spoke was in December 2021, when she threatened to file a restraining order.
Why do people care so much?
Teesa’s combination of a conversational — but thorough — tone has viewers hooked. Fans say they’ve consumed the series the way they would a podcast or TV show, listening to it in the background or while drinking a glass of wine.
McKinney of Normal Gossip said part of the draw is Teesa’s storytelling and an inherent need for closure.
“Once you’ve watched one video, you want to watch more, to know how it ends,” she said. “She’s a good storyteller, and people love to listen to stories.”
She added, “I think we have also become smarter about their consumption of reality TV. We know it’s manipulated by producers and staged and embellished at times. This is basically reality TV without that. It’s her story straight from her.”
Finally, McKinney rationalizes, “on a more theoretical level, we gossip to learn things about the world which we hope can help us in the future. We can hope that by watching her videos, we can save ourselves from the same fate, which in this case is marrying a scammer who ruins our lives!”