I’m Rhett. And I’m Link.
And this is the Wired Auto Complete Interview.
(country music)
I thought you were gonna do it.
But then right when he came up here
and we spoke, we decided that you were gonna do it.
I was looking at his shoes.
What?
What did Rhett and Link
do before GMM?
We graduated from college.
We became engineers. Yes.
We made the logical transition
to full-time Christian missionaries.
(Link) Yes.
Then we made the logical transition
to full-time YouTubers.
We made music videos,
we made…
internet stuff
and then we made Good Mythical Morning.
So that’s it. Yeah.
What degrees do Rhett and Link have?
I tend to run a little bit cooler
than the average person.
Legitimately-
He has a degree in comedy.
Can you tell?
I have an industrial engineering degree.
I designed not how any, not the make.
What is that? What did I do?
He has a civil engineering degree.
I have a civil engineering degree.
What rings do Rhett and Link wear?
People call this our friendship ring.
It’s an Oura Ring, not a sponsor.
But we did invest in the Oura Rings.
Yeah, we did. We did.
So, I mean, they’re not paying us to say it.
It says Wear it on your index finger.
So we both got these rings
and we both put ’em on the same finger
and people think that it’s a friendship ring.
And we’re fine with them thinking that.
And we’re fine with ’em thinking that.
But it doesn’t seem like I am.
This is my wedding ring.
This is my wedding ring.
We’re each married to a wife.
What time do Rhett and Link film GMM?
We begin filming at 2:00 AM Pacific Time every single day.
Right.
Live to tape. It is edited.
It is spit out on the internet immediately.
At least that’s what people seem to want to believe
so that’s what I’m telling you.
But we get to start our weekends early.
Right. For that reason.
What do we have here?
(Rhett) When did Rhett and Link-
When did Rhett and Link get popular?
I mean, that’s better than How on Earth
did Rut and Link get popular?
Well, you don’t know. That might be next.
I think it was freshman year in high school.
(Link) Yes.
When we somehow talked those sophomore girls,
Tabitha and Jamie, into being our girlfriends.
And everybody was like, Well, hold on now.
And Rhett’s parents had to drive us to the movie theater.
All four of us in the back seat.
How do you fit four high schoolers
in the back of a Dodge Dynasty?
I don’t know. We did it.
Hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little smoosh action
on a first date.
You know what I’m saying?
And then when we were on the way back from the movie,
it got a little bit quiet.
No one knew what to say.
And Link said, It sure will be nice
when they make this road four lanes.
And you know what?
They did make it four lanes and it was nice.
It was nice.
But it’s not like you made it happen.
Pull the next one. Okay.
(Link) And read it to me ’cause I can’t read it.
When did Rhett and Link deconstruct?
When did Rhett and Link spiritually implode?
You wanna be serious about this for a moment?
Sure will be nice when they make this road four lanes.
(Rhett laughs)
Our spiritual deconstruction was a long grueling process.
Painful in many ways. The most difficult thing
I’ve ever done in my life.
Me too.
We were steeped in Southern Bible Belt Evangelicalism,
like the tea bags that we were.
Please continue with this analogy.
Well, we brewed for a long time
and then we started,
then we started to weaken and seep out.
It was a long, painful, scary process.
And I’m glad I was there for Rhett through the whole thing.
Yeah.
Because I don’t think he would’ve made it
without me. Thank you, Link.
I’m very grateful for where I came from
and who it made me to be,
but also the parts that I shed over the years.
So I’m in a good spot now.
Me too.
When is Rhett and Link’s birthday?
Well, we don’t have the same birthday.
We don’t have the same one.
I mean, we did have the same first girlfriend.
We also lost our virginity in the same hotel.
Not at the same hotel room though.
Right. I don’t think.
And not at the same time.
Not at the same time.
One year apart. One year apart.
Link had to get Tim, one of our friends,
to go to the CVS
to get three types of lube.
Why do you need three?
Why?
I was like, Bring options!
(Rhett) Okay.
And a lot of it.
I sort of made things happen that, you know,
we didn’t need a drug store to be involved.
God.
(Rhett) When will Rhett and Link retire?
How can you retire if you don’t have a job?
That’s good, Link.
I mean, we’re sitting here living the dream.
At a young age,
we were literally dreaming about this in abstract,
not really knowing what YouTube could be
or that anyone else would think we were capable
of being entertaining or engaging.
Well, I think that every YouTuber
is on a collision course
with either retirement or irrelevance.
And we’ve been running-
From both. Forever. Right.
So we’ll see which one gets to us first.
Yes!
Would you like to peel?
(Link) How are Rhett and Link as bosses?
Well, I would say, A, figuring it out as we go along.
But there did come a point where we were like,
I think we’re running a company.
Maybe we should read a book about that.
Right.
(Rhett laughs)
We were not just leading our audience of fans,
but we were leading a group of employees
and building a culture.
I mean, once you start to realize
that the actions you take have ripple effects
through people’s livelihoods,
it becomes very intimidating
and it makes you read a few books.
It makes you hire some coaches.
Why did Rhett and Link
sell Smosh?
You know, their future was extremely uncertain.
We ended up buying Smosh
and creating an environment
where they could stay on their feet and and grow.
Anthony came back into the picture.
Met with with Ian.
They came to us and said,
Hey guys, what if we bought this thing back?
And we were like, We think that would be amazing.
We continue to want to be a positive force
in the creator community and share what we’ve learned
and expand what Mythical means,
but also benefit other creators
and kind of show the way as we’re fumbling forwards.
Lots of times, honestly.
Are Rhett and Link no longer best friends?
Or just friends, don’t even say best.
You added a little best in there.
I think that people have this tendency,
they want to believe that it is an impossibility
for two people who have been friends
since they were first graders
who have worked together all this time
to still actually be friends
when their friendship has become monetized.
I think I understand why people would think,
well really, isn’t it just a business now?
What we ended up realizing
is that we actually have to focus on the friendship
apart from the business
in order to make sure that the friendship
doesn’t just exist for the business.
I actually think it’s a really healthy thing
that we have to keep coming back together
and we have to keep having a good time together
because then we end up having a good time together.
We can’t help ourselves, can we?
Yeah. Right. You gotta saddle that horse.
That’s right.
(Link chuckles)
(Link) Rhett and Link inspirational quotes.
Okay. What?
A man once said-
I just need some inspirational quotes.
(Both) At the intersection of doubt and hope-
Is where growth happens.
When life gives you lemons,
make orange juice and let the world wonder how you did it.
Wow. I’m actually kind of inspired by that.
(Link laughs)
Yeah. I can’t help myself.
Oh.
Oh, I get to rip ’em again.
Who owns Rhett and Link?
(Rhett laughs)
In the context of Good Mythical Morning,
using the parlance of our times,
I would say that Stevie owns us quite frequently, you know?
Puts us in our place.
Yeah.
She called us boys for a long time
and then Rhet had a problem with that.
So then she started calling us everything else
under the sun.
I think she called us queef biscuits once.
Yeah, she did.
She did that. I actually kinda liked that one.
Nobody owns us.
Mythical Entertainment is an independent organization
owned by…
Me. Us.
And him.
Who’s Rhett?
And who’s Link?
Our first thing that we ever did
was perform live comedy music.
I played the guitar.
I’m right-handed.
The neck of the guitar goes this way.
It would be right here.
So I didn’t like that.
And then we went and performed at this place.
But we were always known as Rhett and Link.
Yeah. Even then.
But they had a Rhett and Link logo on a screen
behind us one time when we were performing
and we we’re like,
Oh no, I realize that they’re gonna think
that you’re Rhett and I’m Link.
And that’s the last thing I want
is for people to think I’m Rhett.
Right. And so we switched places
and we have stayed that way ever since.
When you get stopped in public,
what do people call you?
They call me Rhett.
They call me Rhett, too.
Yeah.
(Link) Why don’t Rhett and Link-
(Rhett) Oh that’s a long one.
(Link) Feed themselves.
(Rhett) Oh yeah.
Why are these grown ass men
getting employees to reach on the camera and feed them?
Yeah, that’s a great question.
Speed.
We thought it was funnier that way.
Even when we’re on another channel.
Right.
There’s a hand ready to feed us.
KG has very, very clean hands.
I don’t. Link doesn’t as well.
And when you’ve got dirty hands
and you eat food, what happens is,
is you taste your hands.
You just wanna taste the food.
You don’t want to taste hand.
Rhett and Link handshake.
Our senior year we went to prom.
And we didn’t dress up much in those days.
So when we put on tuxes,
especially tuxes with tails,
when you’re dressed in that fashion,
you feel like you need to shake hands with someone
who’s also dressed in that fashion.
I bet you we didn’t even talk about it.
I bet you it’s just something that just happened.
You know, it’s like, hey, my girlfriend’s dad
taking our picture and we got tuxes on.
So I don’t know. You just lift a leg.
Every time we take a photo.
Every time we dress up.
On like a red carpet, you know?
‘Cause I mean we practically live on a red carpet.
(both chuckle)
We always do that pose.
It’s the pose.
Rhett and Link blood oath.
This was when we were, between 14 and 16,
we went out to the cow pasture that we frequented.
We basically had this discussion back and forth
and we decided we were gonna do something big together.
But we wrote it down sheet of paper
and then we got a sharp rock.
That was all that was available.
And we cut our fingers and we signed a oath in blood.
And because people are now Googling this,
I feel like we should create an image for people
so when they search Rhett and Link blood oath
they can actually see it.
(Crew Member) We have a box cutter.
(Rhett) Okay.
We’ll do it. We’re gonna do it later.
(Rhett) Okay, Link.
You got your own board.
This is what people are wondering about Link.
(Link) People wanna know about me, not about you.
Neal III.
Three Is.
Link Neal I I I. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Charles Lincoln Neal III. That’s me.
I’ve always gone by Link
except my nana would call me Little Link
’cause her husband was Lincoln.
Pull me off.
I mean, just, let’s keep going.
(Rhett) Why can’t Link Neal use knives?
(Link chuckles)
Yeah. What’s up with that?
Because sometimes I get my hand on a knife
and things go sideways.
Sometimes we do let him use a knife.
We gave him a knife on his birthday.
It was like giving a little baby a cake.
It was beautiful.
Is Link Neal a DJ?
Oh, enough about me!
A little more about me!
I am not a DJ, but my alter ego,
Elk Hound Snuggle Baby is a DJ.
He’s not charging money for the parties that he DJs
’cause he just doesn’t think he can.
What does Link Neal’s tattoo say?
This tattoo says ahoy bagoric.
It’s Elvish.
It says You’re special.
It’s a matching tattoo that I have with my daughter.
She was like, Dad, I want to give you the gift
of us getting matching tattoos for my birthday.
I believe it was.
And that’s how I got talked into getting a tattoo.
And then I couldn’t stop.
I can talk about me forever, but.
Oh no, the Rhett board. My turn.
What shoe size does Rhett McLaughlin?
Answer that, man.
Oh. Wear. Wear?
(both laugh)
I don’t know if this is gonna disappoint you,
but it’s only 12 1/2.
You’re lying, dude.
You wear an 11!
What are you talking about?
(Link) We have the same shoe size.
I wear a 12 1/2.
Are you crazy?
Take the shoe off.
What size is it?
Well, hold on.
Just what size is the shoe?
This is a 12 because not every brand makes a 12 1/2.
I’m just, I just stand up for the truth.
I’m all about justice.
Rhett McLaughlin basketball record.
Oh God.
How much time do you have?
(Link scoffs)
I mean, I can’t go outside
without people coming up to me and saying,
Hey, are you the guy that holds the single season
three point record at Harnett Central High School
from the year 1996?
77 made three pointers in one season?
What?
You’re so tall you have a 12 1/2 shoe.
How does a guy like that make 77 threes?
Wow!
(Link) Rhett McLaughlin smile.
I can also smile with my mouth open
but you won’t see my teeth.
I think that’s what it should be.
Rhett McLaughlin teeth.
Does he have any?
Rhett McLaughlin hair routine.
My hair routine is wake up, put a little water on it,
put some Curl Trigger on it, walk out the door.
You gotta get the Curl Trigger
if you want to get the girls triggered.
You know what I’m saying?
I’m just, that’s just what it says on the bottle.
(both laugh)
That’s all the boards.
Hopefully we won’t regret anything that Link said today.
I am just flattered that people Google us.
Thank you for being interested in me
and him a little bit.
Yeah. And me.
(gentle music)
