Tamal Kundu
Netflix’s ‘Chad and JT Go Deep’ is a mockumentary prank comedy series. It revolves around two comedians pretending to be surfer dude activists, roaming the streets of Southern California and pranking everyday people. The note appearing on the screen at the start of the series states, “Chad and JT are activists from Southern California. They have allowed a camera team behind the scenes to document their work.” This is simply part of the narrative of the show, included to create an atmosphere of believability. In essence, ‘Chad and JT Go Deep’ is quite similar to ‘Borat,’ if the satire in the latter were somewhat toned down. If you are wondering whether Chad Kroeger and JT Parr are the real names of the comedians and whether they are pranksters in real life, we got you covered.
What Are Chad and JT’s Real Names?
Anyone with a bit of knowledge about the music industry will likely question whether Chad Kroeger is the comedian’s real name. The lead singer of the Canadian rock band Nickelback is Chad Kroeger, and the comedian’s real name is Tom Allen. Nickelback’s music has been on the receiving end of unfortunate ridicule over the years, which likely has inspired Allen to use Chad Kroeger’s name for his character. As for JT, his name is actually real, John Parr, with JT being the abbreviation of John Thomas.
Are Chad and JT Pranksters in Real Life?
Yes, Chad and JT are pranksters in real life. They are viral comedians who have been posting prank videos for several years now. They created their channel in 2016 and went viral a year later with a video of them petitioning the San Clemente City Council for a statue of the late ‘Fast and Furious’ actor Paul Walker. In the same year, they started a podcast. Over the years, some of Chad and JT’s other videos have gone viral, including a 2020 video where they “solved” the mask shortage in Huntington Beach.
In the Netflix series, Chad and JT are canceled by the people of the internet after they post a photo of themselves with a man wearing a “Protect Our Borders” t-shirt, believing that the word “borders” is a typo for “boarders.” At the time, they have been raising awareness for the safety and protection of skateboarders in Orange County. Eventually inspired by the words of Mia Toretto from their beloved ‘Fast and Furious’ film series, Chad and JT continue their activism in the hopes of redemption.
In a 2022 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, JT explained their brand of comedy. “It’s in the lineage of man-on-the-street stuff, but we try to keep it open-minded and optimistic when we deal with people,” he stated. “There are times where I know someone will say something boneheaded, but we try to leave it up to them as to which direction it goes. I just want it to be, like, as close to a real conversation as you can get.”
Chad and JT often appear in city council meetings to petition for what they supposedly consider important. In the Netflix series, we see them petitioning for public yachts and spaces for perineum sunning. It takes some time, but the exhausted public servants catch up to the fact that they are being pranked, and so do the audience members attending the meetings.
“At first, it was a little more adversarial,” JT told The Hollywood Reporter of his and Chad’s interactions with the public servants. “I think they thought we were poking fun at them. Once they realized we were sincere in our endeavors, they’ve come to appreciate us. And I do think it gives them a moment of levity amid more serious proceedings – though I wouldn’t describe it that way. I think our proceedings are the most serious.”
Read More: Did Chad and JT Get Canceled in Real Life?
