Kay and Tay Dudley — the Couple Behind Target Shopping TikTok — Explain What It’s Like to Go Viral (EXCLUSIVE)
Published Dec. 7 2022, 3:00 p.m. ET
Nearly every romantic relationship has a particular activity solely designated for each other. While some opt for a scheduled date night or a shared TV show, other couples have become closer after launching joint TikTok accounts. Since the video app’s success, many couples who are dating, engaged, or married post about different experiences that might arise during their everyday lives.
One couple, Tay and Kay Dudley, started their TikTok account, @kayandtayofficial, after getting married in 2016. While many of their videos have been successful, one TikTok of Tay sneakily filming his wife shopping at Target gained more traction.
In an exclusive interview with Distractify, the couple explained why they think the TikTok video was so successful.
Kay and Tay weren’t on TikTok long before their “man sneakily films wife shopping at Target” post.
In November 2022, Tay recorded himself sneaking up on Kay during one of her Target runs. The influencer told her husband she was going to the store to get milk, but Tay’s phone confirmed that was a lie.
During Target sleuthing, Tay noticed Kay shopping for items that weren’t milk. She started her mission in the cosmetics aisle, and Tay found her playing with her hair in the mirror. Relatable content. Then Kay strolled down to the home decor aisle and didn’t notice she bumped into one of the store chairs.
The hilarity continued when Kay shopped for a spatula, and Tay informed fans that they “already have four of those.” She went on to look for other obscure items, like a wreath decorator, despite the couple not having a wreath.
After Kay began shopping for candles and other Christmas-themed goodies, Tay busted his wife and asked her, “What are you doing?” He then reminded her that she was only supposed to get milk, not her adorable “meowy Christmas” mug.
The post resulted in thousands of comments from fans who were either the “Kay” or “Tay” of their relationship. The couple told us why their real-life situation resonated with fans.
“I think people were interested in seeing what wives do alone at Target!” they said, adding, “I don’t think this video grabbed more attention than past viral content of ours!”
Tay and Kay Dudley describe themselves as a “cringe couple.”
Kay and Tay’s viral TikTok is just one of the couple’s popular posts. The couple, based in Plano, Texas, opened their TikTok account at the beginning of 2022. They post something daily, which Kay said they “made a New Years' resolution” to do in 2022.
“We began creating content on social media as a way to share our memories!” they shared with Distractify. “We made a New Year’s Resolution that we would post every day for the year of 2022, and that resolution was really the start of our virality!”
Since launching their TikTok account, the couple has over 900,000 followers on their platform and often have over 1 million views on their posts. They shared that their secret to success is “consistency,” “following trends,” and pranking each other. Kay and Tay also don’t mind being goofy on camera, as they’ve now deemed themselves the “cringe couple” of TikTok.
“Well, we are both a little cringe, and rather than try to hide it, we just own it!” they said of their title.
Kay and Tay’s fans seemingly don’t mind a little cringe as the couple continues making strides online. Tay shared with us that Kay will be a full-time TikToker in “a couple of months” and will resign from her current job as a dentist. The entrepreneurial life will likely give Kay more time for Target runs while Tay is away!