office hours with montessori boy

part one - the origin story

Montessori Boy sketches have gotten 20 million+ views across TikTok, Instagram, etc. They’ve amassed 100K followers across all of their platforms and are recognizable enough now to get noticed in public on occasion (and yes, we’re swooning).

Having known these three since college, Julia, Diego, and JT have always just been some of the funniest people we know - it’s been fabulous seeing the internet also get on board.

In this issue, we’ll cover:

• How Montessori Boy was formed

• The sketch that blew up

• The group names that didn’t make the cut

• What’s on the horizon

Meet Julia, JT, and Diego of Montessori Boy

Julia and Diego met in Northwestern Spanish class (where they both tested out of one quarter of Spanish ayyy) and they quickly realized they were also members of Northwestern’s Sketch Television group (NSTV).

Once JT joined the next year, sparks flew between the trio ;) and the rest became history. The three started to work together, dealt with their haters, and embraced the process of writing polarizing sketches here and there before the right ones landed. The stakes were low and the three realized they just really loved writing and riffing together.

When was Montessori Boy formed?

Fast forward to the pandemic and Julia, JT, and Diego were scattered across all different cities doing odd jobs - some odder than others. Julia was hostessing at a Yard House in Miami, JT was still roughing it his senior year doing COVID classes, and Diego was cleaning bathrooms and checking patients’ temperatures at his dad’s urology clinic in NC (oh!).

It wasn’t glamorous, but it was honest work and each of them realized they still had the desire to explore the comedy scene, now more than ever. They’d all been trying their hand at stand up or submitting writing packets (15 min late to an SNL call for one of the three :/) during this period, but nothing seemed to be really clicking. They needed something else.

How did the group look when it first started?

The boys credit Julia as being the ringleader, recalling that she had faith that the group could go viral long before they saw it to be true. Back in high school, Julia had gone viral with her ex boyfriend (rip </3) through a satire website on Twitter. So, she had faith that if they kept writing material they found funny and putting in a real effort, something would eventually hit.

By the time the first Montessori Boy sketch came out in November 2022, they’d already toggled with a name, logos, and some initial drafts. Once the first sketch was out, they committed to cranking out as much content as possible - whether it was a hit like the first one, or a couple duds in the middle - they knew they needed to just keep at it.

How did they land on a name?

Ironically no one went to Montessori school - “it just sounded good coming out of the mouth, and no one had a big issue with it.” It was neutral and easy to search.

Honorable mentions not chosen:

• Asian, Gay, Normal - still lives on as their bio

• Cousins - great, but horrible SEO

• Wet Pants Contest - funny only the first couple times

• Goose Egg - not hated, not loved

*Drop your fave alternative name in the comments*

What was the first sketch that really popped off?

The “Gray M&M” sketch was their first real hit and, funnily enough, there was no script. It started with an initial idea Julia had because of the Tucker Carlson segment on the green M&M being a lesbian (fascinating lol). Then, Diego and JT kept building off of the bit to give the sketch more depth and ultimately, it became one of their best early sketches.

When did they make the transition to live shows?

They always knew TikTok was not their forever focus - they ultimately wanted to build something that people could go and see in person. Their shared dream was (and still is) television, but live shows felt like a good bridge towards that goal. When starting their live show, they also weren’t super ingratiated yet into the Brooklyn comedy scene so the live show became a great way to branch out and meet new people.

About a year into creating Montessori Boy, they had enough traction and content for longer form sketches that they were able to start making this dream a reality and started the process of reaching out to venues and all of the fun that comes with the logistical planning.

And now? A year and a half later, they’ve had a run of sold out shows - in both NYC and on tour !!!

How was the West Coast tour?

“Maybe the coolest thing we’ve done in our lives.”

The LA show was a highlight of the tour for them. Not just from a performance perspective or the fact that it’s JT’s hometown, but because they were able to give back to the community during the aftermath of the devastating wildfires in LA earlier this year. Montessori Boy donated the proceeds from their show to the ARC Incarcerated Fire Crew Fund.

(Damn not only are they funny but they’re good people? Sheeeesh)

Who do they look to for comedy inspo?

Growing up, each of them loved SNL, Jackass and Key and Peele, but they also have some of their own, more personal favorites:

• Julia: Sarah Squirm, Patti Harrison, Three Busy Debras

• JT: Kate Berlant, John Early, Comedy Bang Bang: The Podcast, classic old school sketch shows (Mr. Show with Bob and David, The State)

• Diego: Brian Granger - a standup from his hometown

  • In Diego’s own words - “probably Port City’s top comic and the man he does it all for”

Another group favorite, Simple Town, will actually be performing in the Montessori Boy’ April variety show at Second City so check ‘em out beforehand.

What’s next for the Boys?

First, an upcoming live show in NYC: Montessori Boy Presents: The Bacchanal on 4/24 - it'll be their first variety show in a series of upcoming variety shows where they’ll be hosting other comedians and testing out new live material.

Beyond that, the plan is to keep doing sketches, live shows, and ideally pivot to longer-form content. More to come of course, so follow our boys, subscribe and stay tuned!!!!