Jett and Campbell “Pookie” Puckett can’t really go out anymore. In Manhattan, Jett says they get stopped for a selfie every 30 seconds. It’s not that different in Nantucket, Paris, Florence, Aspen, or wherever their life as a jetsetting TikTok power couple takes them. “It’s way too overwhelming, especially with Pookie being pregnant,” Jett, 34, explains via Zoom from his hunting lodge-style Atlanta home office. “When we go to restaurants, we need to arrange with management to have a more secluded table. Some even put security near us. And certainly, if we go to any sort of sporting event or concert, we have to be in a box or VIP area. As wild as it is, we can’t really be in the general public anymore.”
All it took was a big helping of Wife Guy Energy. The genteel content creators — he’s a finance guy with an JD-MBA from the University of Pennsylvania, she’s a former flight attendant who’s been posting style content since 2017 — went viral this year for their adoring date-night videos in which Jett gushes over his wife’s getups with one instantly memeable catchphrase: “Pookie is looking absolutely fire tonight.” Viewers were captivated by their Barbie-and-Allan dynamic, as well as their lavish lifestyle, full of Hermès-heavy lewks and five-star getaways. Pookie herself, though, has a different take on what keeps her followers (1.2 million on TikTok, 1 on Instagram) coming back.
“What resonates with people is that we love each other out loud and we’re proud of that,” says Campbell, 32, Zooming from the same office on a different day. “Being a beacon of hope and inspiration for other couples to be more romantic, it just makes you feel like you have purpose.”
They met in their early 20s when Jett, then a grad student, approached “the prettiest girl at a wine bar in Philadelphia,” as he recalls in one origin-story video (80,000 likes). They were inseparable within days and engaged within months. Now they’re expecting their first baby, due around Thanksgiving. “I don’t even know how it’s possible to love Jett more than I do now,” says Campbell. “But I know I’ll love him even more as Dad.”
Does that Hallmark-worthy sound-bite make you cheer or cringe? If you’re not sure, welcome to the party. That ambivalence is part of the Pucketts’ success: Everybody who looks at them — and almost everybody does — sees a projection of their own desires and values. Many viewers praise their near-decade-long relationship as “the definition of couple goals,” with comments like “I manifest this type of love” and “When you look up green flags, you’ll see Jett.” Others are turned off by their unabashed pursuit of influencer fame and wonder if they’re just hamming it up for the camera. But those people are still watching and leaving comments, which means the Pucketts are smooching all the way to the bank.
“We generate over 200 million views a month combined between Instagram and TikTok,” Jett says. “So you're talking a couple billion views over the last nine months. When you’re at that sheer level of views, there’s just gonna be some negativity. It’s just the nature of being famous and successful in any endeavor.”
And Campbell swears their IRL life is exactly how it appears online. “We’re genuinely attached at the hip. We're totally obsessed with each other,” she says. “Anyone in our life that’s close to us will tell you the same thing.”
“We definitely have to be careful. I don’t need people showing up at the hospital. And people are so quick to judge and put you down as a parent. It’s so scary out there.”
With the imminent arrival of Pooklette/Jett Jr., she plans to stay unbothered: “It’s so important to give everyone grace, whether they are on social media or not. The world needs more love and positivity and building each other up, not tearing each other down.” She’s also not planning a major pivot with the content she makes. “I don’t know that I’ll ever consider myself a mom influencer per se,” says Campbell. “But I definitely want to share family values and show how we navigate parenting. Coming from a divorced family, it is really important for me to show our kids the love we have between each other and raise them to believe that is possible.”
“We are excited to push more into the baby space from a business standpoint,” Jett says of their brand evolution, “but for Campbell and I, it’s not just about the fame and money. It’s most exciting [that the baby] gives us another opportunity to put more family values, love, and positivity out into the world.”
There’s that term again. What does “family values” mean to them? “Some people struggle with competing with their spouse or partner,” Jett says. “Campbell and I are the total opposite. We think of ourselves as a union. We are a team. There really is no individual Jett and Campbell. There is only us together.”
Right now, they are less mired in the minutiae of co-sleeping and car seats and Snoo life than they are reveling in joyful anticipation. A 24-hour baby nurse is on the way to help them through the early days. “Her references said that there’s really no reason to read any baby books because she is the ultimate baby book,” says Jett. “And she will teach you everything you need to know in real time.” Adds Campbell, “I believe that as a mother, you’ll have that instinct and know what's best. You have to trust yourself. You would spiral otherwise.”
It’s hard to argue with her. Until we become parents, none of us has a clue about what postpartum shitstorm may befall us, no matter how much T. Berry Brazelton or Emily Oster we can quote. The couple’s vibe is hardly warts-and-all, though — will they be posting about the challenging parts of life with a newborn? “I want people to be able to see all the sides of parenting, the ups and downs,” Campbell says. “I’m not scared to share the rough times. I want to be vulnerable. I’ve watched my friends go through it, so I know becoming a mom is a roller coaster.”
“Some people struggle with competing with their spouse or partner. We are a team. There really is no individual Jett and Campbell. There is only us together.”
Privacy is another concern. “People feel the need to be in the know. They want to be able to see everything,” Campbell says. They won’t keep the baby’s name a secret, nor will they keep their kid off-camera. (“Yeah, I don’t believe we will be putting emojis over their face,” she adds.) But beyond that? “I truly don't think any human knows what they'll be comfortable sharing until they actually have a child, whether they have a platform or not,” she continues. “We definitely have to be careful. I don’t need people showing up at the hospital. And people are so quick to judge and put you down as a parent. It’s so scary out there. But we're going to lean on each other, and our relationship will get us through anything.”
On brand as ever, they’ll be hyping each other up every step of the way. “The way Jett speaks to the baby even now is so sweet, it literally brings me to tears,” says Campbell. “He just has that protective dad persona already. But it’ll be hard for him to not spoil them. He thinks he will be the disciplinary one. I think he’s gonna really be surprised.”
“Since the beginning of our relationship, I’ve been excited about Campbell being pregnant, what she would look like pregnant,” Jett says. “I always thought she would be even more beautiful pregnant. And she has been. I mean, all my dreams have come true.”
For Pookie, family life will be fire. Just you watch.
Photographs by Lelanie Foster
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