{{Short description|American stand-up comedian and social media personality}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2023}} {{Infobox comedian | name = Ben Brainard | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1996}} | birth_place = Ormond Beach, Florida | years_active = 2017–present | medium = {{hlist|Stand-up|TikTok|social media}} | education = Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University | genre = {{hlist|Sketch comedy|political satire|observational comedy}} | notable_works = ''The Table'' | website = {{URL|benbrainard.com}} | module = {{Infobox social media personality | child = yes | tiktok_handle = ben_brainard | tiktok_display_name = Ben Brainard | tiktok_years_active = | tiktok_genre = | tiktok_followers = 3M | youtube_handle = Ben_Brainard | youtube_display_name = Ben Brainard | youtube_years_active = | youtube_genre = | youtube_subscribers = 994K | youtube_views = 719M | stats_update = 13 March 2026 }} }}
'''Ben Brainard''' (born 1996) is an American stand-up comedian and social media personality. He gained attention on TikTok and other social media with his sketch series ''The Table'', in which he acts out conversations between various U.S. states. As of 06 May 2024, he has 2.9 million TikTok followers.
== Early life == Brainard grew up in Ormond Beach, Florida.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Pederson |first=Joe Mario |date=2021-03-27 |title=Orlando social media stars: Comedian Ben Brainard channels his own Florida man in viral videos |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/gone-viral/os-ne-orlando-social-media-stars-ben-brainard-florida-man-tiktok-the-table-20210327-jpbe5sd5dvealdgsz4vdhjhxtq-story.html |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=Orlando Sentinel |language=en-US}}</ref> He attended Daytona Beach's Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, studying physics, computer-aided design and manufacturing in the school's mechanical engineering program.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Hale |first=James |date=2022-06-08 |title=Creators On The Rise: Florida man brings state-themed standup to YouTube |url=https://www.tubefilter.com/2022/06/08/creators-on-the-rise-ben-brainard/ |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=Tubefilter |language=en-US}}</ref> Bored with his calculus studies, Brainard dropped out of Embry-Riddle and joined the United States Army Reserve as a specialist, where he would use his talent for impressions to prank other soldiers.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Winkie |first=Davis |date=2020-10-20 |title=Stand-up comic, Army reservist sounds off on weekend drill, military's love of PowerPoint |url=https://www.militarytimes.com/off-duty/military-culture/2020/10/20/stand-up-comic-army-reservist-sounds-off-on-virtual-battle-assemblies-militarys-love-of-powerpoint/ |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=Military Times |language=en}}</ref> One of his early TikTok videos poked fun at his unit's use of Microsoft Teams and Microsoft PowerPoint for virtual briefings.<ref name=":3" />
== Career == Brainard's army service brought him to Orlando, where he began his comedy career in 2017, performing several open mics at the Drunken Monkey.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> After a planned comedy tour in Georgia was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Brainard began posting comedy sketches to TikTok in 2020, after a friend had suggested he join the app.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last1=Haneline |first1=Amy |last2=Segarra |first2=Edward |last3=Avila |first3=Pamela |date=Aug 1, 2022 |title=How these comedians are earning laughs on TikTok — and changing the industry |url=https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/entertainment/celebrities/2022/08/01/comedians-tiktok-who-to-follow-comedy/7570956001/ |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=USA Today |language=en-us}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Bostick |first=Jacqueline |date=Dec 2, 2021 |title='Florida Man' comedian Ben Brainard takes stage at House of Bourbon |url=https://www.newsherald.com/story/entertainment/local/2021/12/02/florida-man-comedian-ben-brainard-returns-panama-city-friday/8796705002/ |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=Panama City News Herald |language=en-US}}</ref> He initially planned to only do a video a day for a few weeks during quarantine, posting sketches as well as participating in TikTok trends.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Lane |first=Tiffany |date=2021-11-24 |title=Comedian Ben Brainard interview |url=https://news3lv.com/news/videos/ben-brainard |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=KSNV |language=en}}</ref>
Brainard's first viral video, posted March 30, 2020 and captioned “The first COVID-19 meeting in America. FL was also there.,” was a sketch in which he acted out the states of Washington, D.C., New York, Texas, California, Florida, and West Virginia sitting around a table to discuss the pandemic's impact on larger cities.<ref name=":0" /> This sketch became a series entitled ''The Table'', in which Brainard acts out the various U.S. states arguing with each other.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" /> His Florida character, depicted as absent-minded, indifferent, and party-obsessed and modeled on the Florida Man meme, became a fan favorite.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" /> The series often satirizes politics and current events, including issues related to COVID-19, the George Floyd protests, hurricane parties, the 2020 United States presidential election, and the decisions of the Florida State Government.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" /> Brainard summarizes the series as "I dress up like the states of America, sit down at a table, and talk about how nobody's doing well".<ref name=":5" />
Brainard saw rapid success on TikTok, gaining 1 million followers and verification within six months.<ref name=":1" /> As of August 2022, he had reached 2.7 million followers on the app.<ref name=":2" /> His content has also found success on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube (including YouTube Shorts);<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Thompson |first=Dillon |date=2022-03-25 |title=Professional comedian reveals how much money he makes on YouTube compared to TikTok: 'Love this transparency' |url=https://www.intheknow.com/post/how-much-do-tiktokers-make-per-view-brainard/ |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=In The Know |publisher=Yahoo! Inc. |language=en-US}}</ref> on the latter platform, he had over 480,000 subscribers in June 2022.<ref name=":1" /> Brainard's comedy was noticed by Orlando Rep. Anna Eskamani, who collaborated with him on a 2021 TikTok skit critiquing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's anti-protesting legislation.<ref name=":0" /> The video gained over 1 million views on TikTok and 50,000 on YouTube.<ref name=":0" />
As a content creator, Brainard earns revenue from video advertisements, Patreon, and the TikTok Creator Fund.<ref name=":1" /> In a 2021 video, Brainard joined fellow TikToker Hank Green in criticizing the app's system for paying creators, noting that he had made more money from YouTube and Facebook the previous December despite having more views on TikTok.<ref name=":6" />
Since finding success on TikTok, Brainard has performed at Margaritaville Resort Orlando, The Funny Bone, and Red Rock Resort, and opened for comedian Drew Lynch.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":5" /> == Personal life == Originally based in Orlando,<ref name=":0" /> Brainard moved to Los Angeles's North Hollywood neighborhood in late 2021.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" /> He has ADHD.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Brainard has expressed hope that his ''The Table'' videos can "help people realize that they’re not that different from the people on the other side of the country."<ref name=":2" />
== References == {{Reflist|2}}
== External links == * {{Official website|https://benbrainard.com}} * {{IMDb name|id=nm12171244}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brainard, Ben}} Category:American stand-up comedians Category:United States Army reservists Category:Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University alumni Category:American TikTokers Category:People from Ormond Beach, Florida Category:People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Category:American people with disabilities Category:Living people Category:1996 births Category:American male comedians Category:21st-century American comedians Category:Comedians from Florida