Thelife- Taryn Delanie Smith was Miss New York in 2022, but she's now a TikToker with 1.2 million followers.
- Smith posts frequent comedic sketches where she plays the role of a New York receptionist for heaven.
In 2022, Taryn Delanie Smith was crowned Miss New York. But these days she gets noticed by fans for a completely different notoriety, thanks to a popular character she created on TikTok.
New York-based Smith, 26, posted her first TikTok introducing us to Denise, the fictional receptionist for heaven's gates, on March 13. In the upload, Smith could be seen wearing a white robe with a towel on her head, while she sat in front of a greenscreen image of a blue sky and clouds. With a New Yorker accent and flare, Denise welcomed a variety of fictional characters to the afterlife.
@taryntino21 Like i get you want vengence on the new home owners but why would you want to wear that forever #ghostfit #ootd #ghosts ♬ Elevator Music - Lesfm
The video quickly blew up, with over 1.9 million views and 1,000 comments, many of which said they wanted to see more of the hilarious angelic character.
Smith obliged and uploaded a follow-up sketch the next day, which received 5 million views. This time Smith had a razor tucked into the towel on her head to mimic a phone headset. She pretended to take calls from people applying to get into heaven. "Looks like you made 48 Starbucks baristas cry," she said in the video. "That does ding your credit up here."
@taryntino21 #greenscreen there have been many requests for more footage of denise on the job. You go Denise #ghostoutfit ♬ Bossa nova that looks good in a cafe(976272) - MiYAMO
Smith told Insider she first had the idea for Denise while in the shower and immediately started filming when she got out, so the outfit was a complete happenchance. She's been ad-libbing her sketches with no script, but drawing heavily from her own experience working in a call center years ago.
Curiously, as the comedic video series gained more traction, and helped push Smith to over 1.2 million followers on the app, viewers started making requests — personal requests asking she act out a scene with deceased family members. Smith said she's since had to learn how to carefully maneuver these sensitive requests.
How videos about Denise went from funny to emotional
To date, Smith has posted over twenty TikToks about Denise. Some of her greatest hits include the character asking new entrants what they'd like their ghost outfits to be and taking messages from god.
Invested fans started leaving comments asking whether specific celebrities had gotten into heaven.
On March 18, Smith uploaded a video responding to a comment that enquired, "Did Whitney Houston make it?" Denise danced to the Houston song "I Have Nothing," as an on-screen caption read the performer decided to grace her with "a quick show" suggesting she had in fact made it in.
Beneath the upload one viewer wrote, "I don't know what made me bust out crying but your videos are perfect. I wish I could see you do one greeting my mom." The comment received over 3,200 likes.
Smith replied and asked for more details. Three days later she posted a TikTok that showed Denise welcoming the commenters's mom, Geraldine, into heaven. "We've been waiting for you," Smith said in the video. "You are so loved. I'm already getting prayer mail for you."
@taryntino21 Replying to @jennifertavernier13 for you and your mama ❤️ she absolutely qualified for angel premium plus btw! #heaven #receptionist ♬ Somewhere Over The Rainbow_What A Wonderful World - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
At this point, Smith started to receive a ton of other personalized requests from viewers, and she's posted several more videos that showed Denise welcoming their loved ones into heaven as well. She told Insider her own sketches take around 20 to 30 minutes to film, and there's no script, but the more personal ones "take a super long time" because she's aware of how important they are.
"Sometimes those can take me over an hour to create, just because I want it to be good and I want it to be special," she said.
She added that there's a lot of "emotional labor" involved in making the videos as she really "feels it" when she's playing Denise.
Smith now gets recognized as "Denise" around New York City
Smith said she's stopped up to four or five times a day in New York by fans who recognize her both from TikTok and as Miss New York.
One time, she recounted, she was in a public elevator and a fan screamed, asking if she was the heaven's receptionist. Smith said she loves these kinds of reactions and welcomes anyone who wants to approach her.
She's of course made a huge impact online and has fostered a community of viewers. TikTok users have duetted Smith's videos as a vehicle to share their own stories of loss and grief.
The videos also become popular on Twitter. A May 1 tweet from user @Maladroithe who shared one of Smith's "touching" videos received over 5.4 million views and 61,000 likes.
—Maladroithe (@Maladroithe) May 1, 2023
One Twitter user wrote they weren't religious, but her videos helped settle some of their anxieties about what happens after death.
Smith told Insider as long as people continue to request and enjoy uploads of Denise, she'll continue to make them. "They're very heavy to do," she said, "but I guess it's my task for the next little while."
For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.