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Two years ago, Christina Mastellone noticed a girl in her observational drawing class wearing a familiar t-shirt. The classmate, Julia English, wore a white top that read “The Drewth Is Spreading,” complete with a collage of photos of a mustached man.

The mustached man on the shirt was internet personality Drew Phillips, and the text was a reference to one of his viral jokes. Mastellone instantly sparked up a conversation with English about it.

When University Union announced that Phillips and his long-time best friend, Enya Umanzor, would be coming to Syracuse University on Dec. 5, the two junior illustration majors were ecstatic.

Enya Umanzor and Drew Phillips created the Emergency Intercom podcast in the summer of 2021, following years of content creation as internet personalities. The casual, conversational tone of the show quickly gained popularity.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Umanzor was unable to attend the show in-person, UU announced Wednesday. Despite Umanzor’s absence, Philips and special guest, Josh Ovalle, took the stage in Goldstein Auditorium on Thursday evening with a show full of Gen Z and pop culture references.

Mastellone and English arrived four hours before the show to secure the first spots in line.

“We’ve both been watching Drew and Enya for a couple years,” English said. “I think they are insanely funny.”

Philips entered the stage first, dawning his laughably tall top hat that’s been featured in several podcast episodes. The influencer was greeted with rousing applause from the audience.

After introducing Ovalle, Phillips opened the performance by discussing Spotify Wrapped, which the music-streaming app released Wednesday. The two talked about their top artists, including musicians like The Beach Boys and Bjork. Philips then called out to the crowd, asking audience members for their top artists.

Philips called on English, who was seated in the second row. But before she could say her top artists, Phillips read aloud the poster she held.

“‘We became friends because I spread the Drewth,’” Phillips read. “That is so awesome. That is so sick.”

The show continued with a discussion about the release of Wicked, a movie adaptation of the Broadway show. Phillips said that prior to seeing the film, he hadn’t been a big fan of musical theater, but the movie had changed his mind.

“We got to the movie theater and I was literally crying the entire time,” Phillips said.

The show continued on, breezing through topics like Jacob Elordi’s new beard, Phillips’ future plans to live on a commune and his recent run-in with a vicious owl. Ovalle and Philips remained engaged with the audience, often calling out to attendees.

While discussing the recent popularity of look-alike contests, like the Timothee Chalamet contest in New York City, Phillips called out a group of girls in the audience wearing mustaches similar to his own. One of them, Kendall Soviero, said she’s a long-time fan of the two.

“My siblings and I have been referencing and recreating their videos for years,” Soviero said. “Them being here tonight is so surreal.”

The discussion took a more serious tone when a moderator from UU asked what Phillips’ parents thought of his career. Philips said his mother has always been supportive of his internet endeavors, but his father was more hesitant. He recalled a conversation in which his father expressed financial concerns.

“My dad was like ‘I’m not sure if I can fund your lifestyle anymore,’” Phillips said. “So I moved to LA with $2,000 in my pocket and said, ‘I’ll just figure it out.’”

Despite the challenges Phillips faced early in his career, he told SU students how thankful he is for opportunities to meet with fans like them.

“The last six months have been really awesome,” Phillips said. “Starting a podcast, I never would have thought we’d be here.”

Ovalle and Phillips concluded the show with a griddy across stage and a call-and-response with the crowd. Phillips belted out the ending riff to Wicked’s “Defying Gravity,” encouraging the audience to join him.

After the show, fans like Natalie Taccone lingered to enjoy the merchandise offered by UU. Taccone said she’s been a fan of Phillips and Ovalle since 2017, and was glad to finally see her favorite internet personalities in person.

“I thought it was life changing,” Taccone said. “I don’t think I could have expected anything better out of the one and only Drew Phillips.”

DISCLAIMER: Julia English is a contributing illustrator for The Daily Orange. She did not influence the editorial content of this article.

Published on December 6, 2024 at 3:53 pm