Well, everyone loves a reindeer! Longford TikTok star Adam Kelly on family values and Christmas traditions

An “accidental success” are the words from well-known TikTok star Adam Kelly when describing his new-found fame. The Longford comedian chatted to Rebecca Lenihan about his rising star, including his parents in his skits, and Christmas traditions in the Kelly household. 

With millions of followers across various social media, Adam Kelly, better known as ‘2biglugs’ online, has rocketed to fame since he began posting funny videos online during lockdown.

 “I started it during lockdown,” he explains, “And within the space of six months maybe it accidentally blew up, and from there it went up and up and I would say the last year and a half it went out of control a little bit.” 

Adam’s parents, Majella and Cathal, play a big role in his social media and appear frequently in his skits. “I don’t think they were ready for it,” he says.

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 “They didn’t have much choice when I started off. In the very beginning I didn’t have them involved in it, I was only doing videos for the lads and then I posted one or two videos annoying them and people really liked it. It was just a gold mine from then because they are a bit mad and they are exactly like that in real life and since then they love it. They took a while to warm to it, I won’t lie, I was getting in trouble a lot at the start.” 

However, his parents have always backed him and continue to push him towards his dreams.

 “They are incredibly supportive,” he says. 

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Despite having amassed two million Instagram followers, 450,000 on YouTube and a whopping three and a half million on TikTok, Adam is very humble about his success. “I don’t think I could say I have made it yet to be honest,” he says.

 “To be fair, my parents are quite good at keeping my head on the ground. In the first year of me doing social media I went from 80k followers to 200k in the space of three days and it was then I started to realise it was starting to get a bit big. This was around the time I did my ‘Come out and fight me baldy’ sketch. We started to switch up the content from then. I wouldn’t say I have made it yet. I am still living in Longford, but we will get there.” 

The Kelly family appear to be full of fun on social media, and it’s an atmosphere Adam has grown up with, particularly around the Christmas period.

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 “We have good Christmases around here,” he says. “That is one thing about the family, we have a good dynamic. Basically every year we will all sit down and have a bit of grub and then we play games in the evening and it can get a bit heated. Sometimes the board games can go flying across the room, I won’t lie to you.” 

“There is one Christmas that stands out to me actually and it isn’t specifically Christmas Day itself, but when I was a young fella doing the nativity play in primary school in Edgeworthstown, I had probably the worst dose of chickenpox [ever]. I had spots everywhere, even my eyes. I was playing Joseph and I was mute basically because I couldn’t speak, [but] my parents put a towel around me anyway and I did it.” 

Like every household, Christmas dinner is the main event, but Adam says he stays away from the kitchen during the preparation. 

“I would be murdered if I put my hand near the kitchen on the day, and I think that is also for the safety of the family. I don’t think we would all be living if I had a hand in cooking. 

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“It is a pretty standard dinner now. The mother does be stressing, she’d be like Gordon Ramsay in the kitchen now. We do have lots of choices, whatever you want, really. I would eat a whole plate of brussel sprouts, I love them. I know there are people who have weird dinners but ours is your standard. You can’t forget the bottles of Shloer on the table either. I remember being fourteen thinking I was tipsy thinking there was alcohol in it.” 

Despite Adam staying far away from the oven, there have still been a few Christmas dinner disasters. 

“There was one year the oven stopped working and all we had to eat was brussel sprouts. I haven’t gotten food poisoning yet, I will give the mother that, but there have been a few disasters. She is usually a bit prepared, but over the last few years she has been easing off a little bit on the cooking side. It’s not to her usual standard, but we will forgive her. She is in her retirement age now so she can relax.” 

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The Kelly family have their own Christmas traditions in their household during the festive season, and they value family time over all else. “We have to spend New Years together,” Adam says. “I know that isn’t really Christmas but we have to spend it together to start off the new year together, and on Christmas Day everyone has to be home. It doesn’t matter if you have boyfriends or girlfriends, you have to be home. We have to have dinner together and then we play the games and spend the whole day together until you pass out from alcohol in the evening.” 

Adam hopes to introduce a new tradition of his own. “I feel like the camera may come out the further we go on and the more social media side of it will come in. It could be a good thing or a bad thing, but I think people will start to see what we do for Christmas and if it doesn’t work the first year then you will probably never hear my name again as it does get fairly heated in this house. I do feel this year will be the year that the camera will come out more.” 

Music is a big part of Christmas in the Kelly household and Adam’s dad tends to take the reins with it. 

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“My father is old school and around Christmas time there would be a lot of Frank Sinatra playing around the house, but I think my favourite song is Fairytale of New York by The Pogues.” 

There are a lot of things Adam loves about Christmas, but he relates to one popular festive character in particular. “I’m a bit of an oddball and I stick out just like Rudolph with his red nose,” he says. “I am a bit different from everyone else and I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing.” 

Well, everyone loves a reindeer!