“A dynamic duo who work well together can be worth any three people working in isolation.” -Larry Constantine. Rhett and Link are the living embodiment of this statement.
It would not be wrong to quote that they are the true reigning kings of the entire media space. From having a popular YouTube series to an IFC series, a sought-after podcast, and a novel- this dynamic duo has something for everyone.
Their most popular stint is their YouTube channel- Rhett and Link. They host their talk show “Good Mythical Morning” on weekdays at 6 am EST. They are the co-founders of Mythical Entertainment.
Leading names like USA Today, Business Insider, Wired, and LA Weekly talk about their work, and in 2016, the duo received a Streamy Award for the Best Comedy Show.
In addition, their personal channels have 29.31 million subscribers, while Smosh channels have 45.9 million subscribers. Their personal channels have 10.58 views and their Smosh channels have 16.01 billion views.
Here is the link to their YouTube channel.
Let us dig deep into their world and unearth everything about them.
A Sneak-Peak into the Personal Life of the Internetainers
Rhett James McLaughlin was born on October 11, 1977, in Macon, Georgia, USA. After spending three years of his life there, his family found a new home in California. In 1984, they again shifted their base to Buies Creek, North Carolina. Rhett is 45 years old.
The other half of the duo, Charles Lincoln “Link” Neal III, or Link was born to Charles Lincoln Neal II and Sue Capps in Boone Trail, North Carolina, on June 1, 1978. He is 44 years old.
Rhett married Jessie Mclaughlin, an author and influencer, in 2001. The couple has two children- Locke, born in February 2004 and Shepherd, born in 2009.
On the other hand, Link married Christy White in 2000. Christy is also an author and a social media influencer.
Furthermore, Link met his sweetheart during his junior year of college while roller skating. The couple is blessed with three children, Lilian Grace, Charles Lincoln, and Lando James.
The stars brought the duo together when Link’s parents went through a divorce when he was two years old. His mother married Jimmy Capps, and the family moved to Buies Creek.
And Their Paths Crossed
The dynamic duo met on September 4, 1984, on the first day of their first grade at Buies Creek Elementary School, Buies Creek.
Ms. Reed Locklear (their first-grade teacher) punished Rhett and Links for writing on their desks. They misspelled the words “dam” and “hel”. Ms. Reed held them during recess and gave them coloring books to color the pictures of mythical creatures (like unicorns) and beasts. Little did they know that they would end up becoming best friends for life.
The name of their show, “Good Mythical Morning”, is derived from this incident. Later, after many years, they also penned down a song and made a documentary- “Looking for Ms. Locklear”.
Their friendship continued to blossom during middle school and high school (Harnett Central High School). They continued to study together at North Carolina State University and shared a room.
The best friends witnessed all the ups and downs of one another’s lives and shared many moments throughout their years in school and college. They often talk about the fond memories of their camping trips, first job, exploring Cape Fear River, having the same girlfriends, and more.
How It Started
They forayed into the enticing world of entertainment at the age of fourteen. The duo wrote a screenplay for “Gutless Wonders”, which was filmed for a while but never took wings. However, they read the screenplay in several episodes of Good Mythical Morning.
Later, in high school, they again united to shoot a 25-minute film parody on Oedipus the King. Rhett essayed the role of Oedipus, whereas Link played his father’s servant. In 1999, Rhett recorded the insights of Link’s snowboarding accident that broke his pelvis and caused temporary memory loss. He named it “The Tragedy”.
Additionally, they also incepted a Christian punk rock band, “Wax Paper Dogz”. Both Rhett and Link were the lead singers of their band until Rhett mastered his fingers on the strings of a guitar.
In 1996, both Rhett and Link went to North Carolina State University. Rhett studied civil engineering and graduated in December 2000, while Link studied Industrial Engineering and graduated in May 2001.
Rhett worked for Black & Veatch for some time before getting laid off. However, he was already planning to quit to become an entertainer. On the other hand, Link worked at IBM. Meanwhile, they also performed comedy sketches for Cru, a religious organization, and created videos for conferences and meetings. While working with Cru, they realized their true calling and developed their signature comedy style.
The YouTube Troupers
In the age and time of the internet, where cheap entertainment comes for free, Rhett and Links offer entertainment coated in quality to their audience. They proudly flaunt themselves as “Internetainers” (internet + entertainment), which is true in every sense given their spectacles dominate the internet.
Good Mythical Morning
Their most popular series on YouTube is Good Mythical Morning. However, before it, the duo launched “Good Morning Chia Lincoln” on January 3, 2011, which ended on February 28, 2011.
The duo moved to Los Angeles and launched “Good Mythical Morning” on January 9, 2012. The series ended on April 5, 2013, after three successful seasons.
They launched The Mythical Show in a weekly format. Their series was welcomed with open arms and received the Best Variety Series at the International Academy of Web Television Awards. The series ended on July 11, 2013.
The duo rewrote the success of Good Mythical Morning with seasons four and five. They introduced certain interesting elements that were loved by their fans.
Season six reached the screens on July 14, 2014.
Popular celebrities like Daniel Radcliff, Amy Schumer, Shay Mitchell, Mayim Bialik, and PewDiePie appeared on the show.
On October 13, 2016, exactly after four years, nine months, and four days from the launch of the first episode, the duo released the 1000th episode. The “1000th Episode Celebration Special” video received 3.1 million views.
Another feather in their cap is their YouTube Red Original show “Rhett and Link’s Buddy System”. The first episode of this show aired on October 19 on the Good Mythical Morning Channel.
The duo gave an interesting spin to GMM with Good Mythical Evening. The show was a pay-per-view live stream event. The duo managed to sell over 70,000 tickets for its first edition.
Check out their show on YouTube.
The Mythical Show
Apart from GMM, the entertainers also have other shows in their kitty, one of which is The Mythical Show. They released the first episode of The Mythical Show on April 25, 2013. It was a weekly 30-minute show and featured A-listers like KassemG, Hannah Hart, Jill Wagner, Toney Hale, Smosh, the Fine Brothers, Paul Scheer, Miranda Sings, Tessa Violet, Kat Von D, Grace Peele, and more.
Their “Breaking Bad: The Middle School Musical” video, a part of the “Middle School Musicals” segment of The Mythical Show won the 2014 People’s Choice Webby Award for individual comedy short or episode.
Mythical Kitchen
Mythical Entertainment announced the launch of its channel, Mythical Kitchen on December 20, 2019. With the prime focus on food, the channel is run by the Mythical Chefs, Nicole Enayati, Josh Scherer, Vianaj “Vi” Austin, and Trevor Evarts.
“Fancy Fast Food” and “Snack Smash” are some of its popular series.
Their podcasts Ear Biscuits, RhettandLinkast, and Ronstadt are also a hit among their fans. Moreover, they have also penned two books- Book of Mythicality and The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek.
When They Acquired Smosh
Mythical Entertainment decided to acquire debt-ridden Smosh in 2019. They made this announcement in their video “The rumors are true..”.
Interestingly, Smosh had collaborated with Rhett and Links a few times before it was acquired by the duo. Ian and Anthony collaborated with the duo on The Mythical Show Ep 4 (SMOSH & Star Trek) and made a guest appearance on an episode of Good Mythical Morning, titled “Duo-O and Don’t-O (ft. Smosh) and their podcast, Ear Biscuits.
The duo appeared with Ian and Anthony in the Epic Rap battles of History. Other members of Mythical Entertainment have also made appearances on Smosh channels.
Other Notable Works of the Internetainers
Apart from being successful YouTubers, having a podcast, novel, comedic songs and sketches, and Smosh, Rhett and Links have done a lot of work in the media and entertainment industry. They have several sponsored videos and appeared in many web advertisements.
They have allied with names such as McDonald’s, Cadillac, Alka-Seltzer, Wendy’s, SpyAssociated.com, etc.
Their free low-budget commercials for local businesses across the U.S. garnered the attention and praises of the world, and their videos became viral in a blink of an eye. Publication giants such as Advertising Age, AdWeek, Forbes, The New York Times, TMZ, CNN, and NPR featured the commercials.
The YouTubers also have several music videos to their credit.
Their Production Company
“Rhett and Link, Inc” came into existence in 2009. It was later renamed Mythical Entertainment in 2017.
They produce television shows, recorded music, online videos, podcasts, live tours, and books. They also sell related merchandise on their store and Amazon.
Their Net Worth
If reports are to be believed, the net worth of this YouTuber duo is $20 million.
Interesting Trivia
- Rhett has an elder brother. Cole. He is three years older than him.
- Rhett competed in three beauty pageants (as revealed by Link on their show, Good Mythical Morning). Interestingly, Rhett always denied his participation in any beauty pageant.
- As kids, Rhett and Links would interview each other as different characters.
Film, television, and music industry- this dynamic duo dominates every entertainment space.