TikTok star Dakota Wright on finding viral fame through sharing his fast food orders

Dakota Wright is riding the wave of viral fame — and he has no plans of slowing down. Gibson Johns interviews the TikTok star known as @PrintFairy about his whirlwind past two years since first going viral for sharing his restaurant orders with his husband, Jackson, and their friends. They discuss how his life has changed, why Jackson has no interest in fame, how having a large follower count has helped his disordered eating journey and what's next. They also chat about Dakota's love of Bravo, "Real Housewives" and more.

Video Transcript

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GIBSON JOHNS: Hi, guys. Welcome back to "We Should Talk," a pop culture interview series from In The Know. I'm your host, Gibson Johns. And today on the podcast we have Dakota Wright, a.k.a. @PrintFairy on TikTok. Dakota has been going viral for essentially two straight years now, ever since posting his first food order at a restaurant. And it was a trend that was happening in the spring of 2021. And his were just the ones that were standing out. Everyone was doing it. But his really best. And he's continued to do it every single week since then.

And he has just amassed a bigger and bigger following. His energy is so infectious. He's so positive. And I just love what he puts out there. You've seen his videos. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go check it out, or just watch this interview and then go check it out. He has a great follow on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram.

And I loved hearing about his career as we talked about how much he makes on sponsored posts, that he's doing this full time now. So he's doing very, very well. We talked a lot about that and sort of him not having a game plan for the rest, that he just really goes with his gut. And I think that's a really cool way to navigate this social media fame.

And then we pivoted kind of halfway through because Dakota is a huge Bravo fan. And we've been social media friends for a good amount of time. So we talked a lot about the Housewives, what our current thoughts are, how we first got into it. It was really fun. And lastly, I mean, Dakota, I don't if a lot of people know this, but he got engaged on "Watch What Happens Live" four years ago. So we talked a little bit about that as well, which is, if you haven't seen that, go look it up. it honestly made me tear up.

So I love Dakota. And you will too if you are not already familiar with him. So yeah, keep listening for my interview with Dakota Wright. Follow him on TikTok @PrintFairy. And please rate, review, and subscribe to "We Should Talk" on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

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All right, so we're here with Dakota Wright, a.k.a. @PrintFairy on TikTok. You know him for his food orders, for his for to drink orders. Dakota, you are a bright light on social media these days. And I'm so excited to talk to you. I know you're a big Bravo fan. Thanks for being here. How are you?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: I'm great. How are you?

GIBSON JOHNS: I'm good. So I guess we've been social media friends for a little bit. I guess I didn't realize how big of a Bravo fan you were. But upon doing research and connecting with you, you're deep in there as well.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Well, I have been following you forever on Twitter.

GIBSON JOHNS: Oh, yeah?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah. I've been such a fan for the longest time. So when you followed me back, I freaked out.

GIBSON JOHNS: Oh my God, you're making me blush. And I've been a huge fan of yours for the past several years, since you've blown up. So it's been so fun to watch your rise as well.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah. Well, I mean, TikTok is like-- it's weird. It's like my little diary is how I like to put it.

GIBSON JOHNS: Right. Right. So is that how you-- is that how you approach it? How do you think about TikTok? And obviously, that's your biggest platform. How do you sort of-- what's your theory about it? How do you kind of envision it for yourself?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: So I just approach it literally, like I have all these friends, and they're in this tiny little phone. And I just turn it on and record whatever I want to record. It's like a lot of content creators-- I hate the word influencer. A lot of content creators try to plan stuff out and write scripts and all that stuff. And I truly just fly by the seat of my pants on there. And so that's how I approach it.

GIBSON JOHNS: I think that's probably the best approach to have too. I saw somebody recently. A TikTok came up on my FYP. And it was like, the way that she thinks about it is almost like as her Instagram story and just post whatever you want to post on there, and it's less about like a grid post on Instagram because I think we, as millennials, we all kind of think of it as like it should be more of a moment. But it doesn't always have to be a moment, you know?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, we're so-- well, I don't know about everyone else. But I'm so sick of the whole like aesthetic of trying to look perfect. I care more about like personalities and stuff like that when I'm choosing people to follow and interact with.

GIBSON JOHNS: Totally. So Dakota, I know that-- I did some research for this. And I listened to some podcasts you've been on before and. You said that all this started, really, for you in the spring of 2021, when there was this trend on TikTok, where people were just saying their fast food orders, not really with any sort of gimmick or joke or any sort of entertainment value. They were just saying them. And yours was one of the ones that blew up. And you just kept with it. And yours were the ones that were really sticking out. And you've done one a week since then, I think you said somewhere.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah.

GIBSON JOHNS: And I guess my first question is why do you think it was yours that really stuck out?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Honestly, well, I'll just be real with you. So the people doing the trend, they were like these boring college white girls, so vanilla, no personality, the typical girl that would go in an oversized Lululemon jacket to Starbucks. And so then you put these three gay people on there with all this personality, and I think that's just what made it stick. And I still think that's what makes it keep going.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah, I feel like it's-- I think people fell in love with you too. I think they love your personality and you and your friends. And you all clearly are such fun good friends. I think that that's infectious, and you can't you can't manufacture that either, you know what I mean?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah. Yeah, and lately, it's just been me and my husband, Jackson, doing it. But I think that's because when we started this, the world was shut down, for the most part. And now everybody's back to working normal schedules. It's like it's harder to get some of the new characters in, as people call them. Some of my followers call them old characters, new characters. But it's just harder to make it work. But yeah, people love me and Jackson.

GIBSON JOHNS: And is this what you're doing full time now? Or do you have--

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah.

GIBSON JOHNS: Do you have another job? Really?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, so I do have another job. I'm a realtor full time. But since this has-- I've been traveling a lot for this whole TikTok, Instagram thing. And I've been getting a lot of brand deals. So it's surpassed the money that I was making on--

GIBSON JOHNS: That's amazing.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: And that's another thing about me. I'll talk about there's like this culture, like hush hush with how much money you make. Everyone should do it. It pays really well. And there's room for everybody. But anyways, yeah, I guess you would consider I'm doing this full time now.

GIBSON JOHNS: So I mean, is it gauche of me to ask you-- so let's say a restaurant reaches out, and they're like, Dakota, we want you to come and do your food order there. What does that look like for you?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: I want you to guess because I'm not bragging for sure because we work really hard to try to be organic. these brands will send me like these boring--

GIBSON JOHNS: Of course.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: I don't know what you want to call them.

GIBSON JOHNS: Like a brief.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Structured thing.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah, yeah, yeah, totally.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, the brief, and I'm like, I'm not doing that. I'm going to do my normal thing. So I just want you to guess. What do you think?

GIBSON JOHNS: And so is it usually one post, one TikTok?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, just one post. is

GIBSON JOHNS: It five figures?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: It can be, yeah.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah, I was going to guess sort of around the 10 to 15 range.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, that's-- yes. Yes.

GIBSON JOHNS: That's pretty amazing. And so that's--

DAKOTA WRIGHT: And for me to do what I want to do. I'm not reading a script. I'm not like, come try the new Tilly's drink. I'm literally just doing what I want to do.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah, and that's what you were already doing as well. So it's just like, you're getting paid to dine out.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: I might as well. And now it's a full on business, no Jen Shah over here. It's a full on business. I keep my receipts. I feel so bad. But I just watched all the stories and stuff that Sharrieff just put out.

GIBSON JOHNS: Oh, I know. I watched that eight-minute video he put up there.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Oh, no.

GIBSON JOHNS: I wanted the eight minutes back.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: I watched six minutes, if that.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah, good for you. I kept with it. So this is full time. But one thing I do love about this is that people also love Jackson. And they love his appearances on all your videos. But I also love that he doesn't really have any interest himself in being the star. It's all about he's just kind of there to be your companion and to kind of support you, which is so refreshing, I think, in a day and age when everyone wants to be famous and a content creator and an influencer.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yes, yes, because there are lots of couples, especially other gay couples, that like start this whole thing together. And then once they get this large following, they break up. And then it becomes like, who's better, and who's this, and who's that. And Jackson just doesn't care to make content, make videos, take pictures. When I say he's like a true straight man when it comes to stuff like that, he just does it.

GIBSON JOHNS: He's like an Instagram husband. Right.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, and so he literally will be like, Dakota, just give me a joke. Tell me what you want me to say. We come up with it all together. And he's just like, just I'll show up. And I'm like OK. That's easy.

GIBSON JOHNS: But that's amazing because he wanted to support, but also I also have seen sort of the flip side, or the opposite of that, in just kind of anecdotally in other relationships, where like the partner sort of almost-- it's almost like a grudge they have against the fact that the person has to post all these things and document. And it's nice that he embraces it with you.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, yeah, it is really nice. And a lot of times people will compare us in the comments. And at first, it really didn't bother us, until I'm sure you've seen some of the videos I make where I clapback at people.

GIBSON JOHNS: Oh, yeah.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Some people can be so awful. And I'm like, you guys, this is not like a competition. We're literally here, whether it's just me, him, five of us, we're here to just make you laugh, so just chill out. It's not a competition.

GIBSON JOHNS: No, I like that. I like the mentality. And it's one of those things where I think people see people that are happy and thriving, and they just want to tear that down. That's the root of a lot of people online's natural reaction.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: It totally is.

GIBSON JOHNS: So I'm glad that you can clap back at that because you have the platform now to do that.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Well, I've had to craft my clapback because before, I'm very mouthy, and so I try to get on there and say what I want to say. And TikTok is like, no, ban, ban. So now I have to--

GIBSON JOHNS: You want to decode it almost.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, I have to take a minute before I get on there and start running my mouth, which is fine because if other people have to follow the guidelines, so do I.

GIBSON JOHNS: Totally. So we talked a little bit at the beginning about how you're a little bit more instinct instinctual with like what you post and when you post and things like that. But since amassing a much bigger following, do you force yourself to think about something two or three times before really putting it out there, just in case, or no?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: No. I will say I've dabbled in YouTube a little bit. And so with that, those kinds of videos are so long that you do have to have some kind of structure. But as far as TikTok and Instagram, I'm literally-- it's 3:00 PM. I'm like, Jackson, where do you want to eat at when you get home? We decide. We get in the car. We go do it. And it's literally that effortless.

GIBSON JOHNS: I love that. That's amazing. So I've seen your video shared on Instagram, on Twitter, on TikTok. I've seen them viral a million times. Who's the most surreal, famous, kind of like, oh my God, this person has seen me or knows who I am or likes what I put out there?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: I knew you were going to ask me that.

GIBSON JOHNS: Obviously.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: And it's embarrassing because on Instagram, you can see like verified people that interact with you. And I'll have to get my phone and be like, Jackson, who is this? And he looks at me like, oh my God, you don't know who that is? And I'm like, no.

GIBSON JOHNS: So what's an example of somebody like that?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: It was just last night. It's the guy that does the radio station, last name Duran. I think it's his last name.

GIBSON JOHNS: Elvis Duran.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, I had no idea who that was.

GIBSON JOHNS: Oh, he's huge. That's big exposure if you can get on his show.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: But I mean, I went and looked. I'm like, OK. I've heard him on the radio. But the name and the face didn't register to me.

GIBSON JOHNS: So you really are more of a Housewives person.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Well, I am. And too, I just have never gotten caught up in like celebrities and stardom. The last time we were in LA-- do you know who Joan Collins is?

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah, of course.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: So we were out to dinner, and she walked by, and I didn't even look at her. And Jackson was like, you know who that was, right? I'm like-- I couldn't tell-- I couldn't have picked her out of a lineup, honey.

GIBSON JOHNS: It's kind of nice you aren't fazed by it, you know?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah. I'm just like, I'm just here to enjoy myself. But as far as celebrities that I love that have followed me, definitely Carson Kressley is one.

GIBSON JOHNS: Oh, that's a great one. Oh my God.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: I love him so much.

GIBSON JOHNS: And I could see you sort of in that lineage of humor. And just it's irresistible. And I mean, neither of you ever get old. I'll always be entertained by both of you. So that's a good one.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, he's great. And as far as Housewives go, Lisa Barlow has commented on stuff.

GIBSON JOHNS: Queen of Sundance.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: I know. Garcelle liked one of my videos a long, long time ago. Sutton's daughter follows me on TikTok.

GIBSON JOHNS: OK. And you're a Slutton, right?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Do what?

GIBSON JOHNS: Are you a Slutton?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Oh, absolutely, 5,000%. Yeah.

GIBSON JOHNS: That tracks. So you're one degree of separation from Sutton Stracke.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: I know. I know. Well, listen, I'm going to DM her when I'm in LA, and I'm going to be like, listen, we've got to get you and your mom in a TikTok. But we've got to do it. What do I need to do? Could you imagine the chaos if Sutton was in?

GIBSON JOHNS: Oh my God, what restaurant would I want you guys to go to? Oh my God. Go to Craig's with Sutton and her daughter and just--

DAKOTA WRIGHT: I would-- see, I would be starstruck then if Sutton walked by. Yeah.

GIBSON JOHNS: I would kill for that. And you recently went to the "Scream" premiere in New York. I think it was last week. And that's a major moment, obviously. What are some of the most major kind of experiences or things that you've gotten exposed to in the past two years that you're still kind of like, how am I being able to do these things?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Literally, the "Scream" premiere was probably the top of the list.

GIBSON JOHNS: Really?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: I never just thought that I would get to do something that cool. But it was such a fun experience. It flew by way too quick, the carpet, the pics. All that is so, so fast. But that was really cool. And then last summer, I was part of TikTok's LGBTQ+ Community Trailblazers for Pride Month. So they flew me out to LA. I got to be on the float, all that.

GIBSON JOHNS: Oh, that's amazing.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, all that stuff was fun.

GIBSON JOHNS: And that's amazing also to have that sort of endorsement and sign off from the platform that helped create the platform-- that helped create this following for you, you know what I mean? That's kind of like a nice full circle situation, I feel like.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, and not to be shady, but I'm kind of loving Instagram a little bit more now.

GIBSON JOHNS: Really? Why is that?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Well, you know, I've always just posted on TikTok because I cringe a little bit when creators like post the same thing on every platform because I love my creators, but like I don't want to see them every time I open an app.

GIBSON JOHNS: Sure.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: So I get it. But one day, I was just like, let me start posting my stuff there. And so I did. And it just took off to the point to where I think at the beginning of the year, I had 9,000 followers. And now I have 75,000. And I woke up in the middle of the night, applied for verification back in November, never heard anything, and then got verified. And I was like, oh my gosh, like, what is going on?

GIBSON JOHNS: Oh, I love that.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: But yeah, the Instagram, and it's a whole new audience. It's people that have never seen our stuff because I'm one of those people that's always in my comment section.

GIBSON JOHNS: That's dangerous. Isn't that a dangerous game, though, to be always in your own comments section.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: It is, yeah. You have to be in a very good mental health space. Thankfully, I go to therapy multiple times a month.

GIBSON JOHNS: Thrilled for you. That's good. That's important.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, I've learned to just block people. And I've learned sometimes if people just want to be totally off the wall, then that's one of the ones that I'll save for a clapback.

GIBSON JOHNS: There we go.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: I'm going to use your ignorance as free--

GIBSON JOHNS: As inspiration. Right, exactly. I read your profile in "Bon Appetit," which again, it's like, that's the top food-- that's the top food publication in the country, really.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: I know.

GIBSON JOHNS: That's major. But there was a part in that where you talked about-- and I've seen videos of you addressing this. But there was a part that talked about how open you've been with your disordered eating journey and how this whole platform and having all these people supporting you in the community that you've been able to build around you through TikTok and now Instagram has-- you said it has sort of prevented you from relapsing, has kind of kept you on track and kept you healthy. Can you elaborate on that and sort of what about this platform and these people that are supporting you have enabled that?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, yeah. Well, so I never really talk about it on my TikTok too in-depth because I just want to put a disclaimer out there, all of us that go through an eating disorder journey, it's different for everybody. And one of my biggest things when I first opened up about it was if somebody asked me something, I don't want to say something that worked for me, and it like sends them in a downward spiral.

GIBSON JOHNS: That's important, Yeah.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: So I always just like to put that disclaimer out there. But when we were first doing these, I was very strict six days a week. And then one day a week, I would just go all out. And I think the combination of seeing all the support that I got and all the stuff I was doing in therapy, I'm like, you know what? Let me not be so strict. So I started doing it off camera two or three days a week.

And now, it's like, I'm not strict at all. I still count like my calories and stuff, even if it's a lot because it's more of an OCPD thing. I have a personality disorder too. Honey, I'm a mess. But it's just like I think just the combination of like people being supportive, reaching out in my DMs, saying, like, hey, I deal with this too. Seeing you and seeing you and Jackson laughing and having a good time my food has helped me. It's really helped me too behind the camera.

GIBSON JOHNS: That's really nice to hear. And I love to hear that. And I mean, I guess, kind of going off that and weaving it into what we talked about to Housewives is what I have been curious about is we've seen these a couple of the Housewives really open up about their own journeys in a really big way in recent years. Jackie and Crystal in particular have really been really brave with their own stories.

And I think that they have the same kind of approach to it, which is this is what my journey is. This is what has worked for me. I'm not trying to prescribe anything for everybody else. But I'm wondering, if you're willing to talk about it, what's it like for you, who has gone through your own journey, to watch somebody else open up on such a big platform like they have, especially on shows that you love to watch like that? What's that been like as a viewer?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: It's really inspiring, honestly, because seeing these people say something on camera in the moment-- you know, I've been on camera in the moment, and really nobody's watching but the camera. But then to have it turn around and blast into a whole nation, and we know worldwide, that says to me that me and my little TikTok and Instagram corner are going to be OK. So I guess that made me feel a little bit more comfortable opening up about it.

Now, when it comes to those episodes, some of the comments Erika made to Crystal and stuff like that, I had to get off Twitter. I couldn't read some of that stuff that people were saying because they're almost dismissing it in a way. So I think that's just the other side of the coin you have to account for whenever you talk about this kind of stuff on a large platform.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah. You have to almost pull yourself out of the conversation preemptively to avoid any of that. That makes sense.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, because people who don't get it don't get it.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah, totally. It's like, why are you weighing in on something you've never experienced or don't know anything about. Right, totally. So let's talk a little bit more about Housewives, more lighthearted. What was your entree into Bravo, into Housewives? Was it a particular franchise? Was it a particular Housewife that you got attached to?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Oh, yeah. So I'm going to put this on the record. I say it all the time. Ramona, Vicky, move over. NeNe Leakes and the "Real Housewives of Atlanta" put me, and I think Housewives, on the map. So that was my door.

GIBSON JOHNS: I'm not going to argue with that because for me, it was the kind of combo of NeNe and Bethenny. In high school, I got so attached to them as personalities and then obviously their franchises too. So I'm with you on that.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, I really feel like NeNe is that girl when it comes to Bravo and what has come out of it.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah, I think that her impact is still felt. There's a reason why she's had so-- her quotables and her memes are the most apparent out of anybody.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Anything that woman says.

GIBSON JOHNS: Anything. It's so natural to her. Even she was on she was on "The Breakfast Club" recently and being so shady and so whatever. And it's just so effortless to her. It's amazing.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: I know. I know. And I don't know if you're like this, but like when you watch these Housewives, you're like, I wonder who I resonate with the most. And I've seen every season of every city of every show, even some of the international ones.

GIBSON JOHNS: Wow.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: And I would have to say, like, this is probably going to scare some people, but I'm like the perfect mix between Tamra Judge, NeNe Leakes, and Teresa Giudice. It's like all in one person. And so those are the three that I gravitate towards the most, that I feel are the strongest people on Bravo, even though NeNe is not on anymore and Tamra is gone. Like you just said, I feel like their impact is so important.

GIBSON JOHNS: So that's your Holy Trinity.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, that's my Holy Trinity.

GIBSON JOHNS: And that's a pretty strong-- that's a pretty strong Holy Trinity, I have to say.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, and people, when I say that, especially like on TikTok Live or on Instagram, they're like, what? You're so quiet and soft spoken. And I'm like, you've never really seen anything outside of--

GIBSON JOHNS: You can pop off a little bit.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah. I definitely can be full of it and definitely know how to hold a grudge. I can be very witty.

GIBSON JOHNS: I love it.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: A lot of the one-liners we come up with are because of me. A lot of people don't know that, but yeah.

GIBSON JOHNS: That's amazing. I love that. So that's sort of our entree into it. But and a lot has changed, evolved, and what have you since then. Where do you currently sort of-- what are your thoughts currently on just sort of the landscape across Housewives? What's really working for you? What's not really working for you? Because you're obviously an expert.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, well, I'm a diehard fan. So Bravo could put out the Real Housewives of Bumpuck Alaska, and I would watch it.

GIBSON JOHNS: Same. Absolutely. Next question.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: I'm there for it. But I definitely feel like social media has changed a lot of how Housewives work. I'm still on the fence whether or not it's for good or for worse. I don't know. So Atlanta's not working for me anymore. That used to be my number one show. And I think after season nine, we all know what happened. I think that's when I was really like, I can't do it anymore. And then when NeNe left again, I'm like OK, I can't do it anymore. So New York was working.

GIBSON JOHNS: Do you--

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Go ahead. I'm sorry.

GIBSON JOHNS: Do you think that the social media part of it, do you think it's more like them-- sort of the Instagram effect of like caring a little bit too much about like the glamour and how things look, or do you think it's the commentary from social media that sort of gets into their heads.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Well, no, I think the commentary from social media would just do nothing but add to maybe somebody's storyline, like Crystal, maybe, seeing the discourse around her eating disorder or some of the Housewives bashing each other. I think all that stuff's great. It just adds to what we get to see. But I think to your point about the aesthetic of it all, I think people are too worried about their image. And then you get Housewives like Noella, who come on-- I'm sure she's great-- who come on for a moment, and it just falls flat.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah, yeah, I agree. I'm sort of on that same camp with Noelle. I thought that she had the story. She had the natural story.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Absolutely.

GIBSON JOHNS: But I don't think that she-- she didn't present it in an authentic way. And she was-- again, yeah, you're right. She was trying to make these moments. And I think that also gets into the idea of them trying to be renewed for another season too and how do I make an impact enough to be on a second season?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, I mean, look at NeNe, Phaedra, Sonja, Bethenny, Luanne, Dorinda. They all don't need to make moments. All they need is a camera in front of them. And I just feel like those Housewives that try really hard, I feel like we've been dealt a bad hand a lot lately when it comes to these Housewives.

GIBSON JOHNS: Right. Yeah, so who is a newer Housewife that you think is really working and doesn't really worry about that, is really authentic, and a really good Housewife?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: So so far, we haven't seen too much, but I'm loving Danielle on New Jersey.

GIBSON JOHNS: I agree.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Loving it. She's giving very much fresh New Jersey vibes.

GIBSON JOHNS: It's effortless.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yes. I love Sutton and Garcelle for Beverly Hills because I feel like they are not going to play the games that-- you know, we love Kyle, but we also know Kyle likes to play games. They're not going to play those games. So I love that, live for that.

GIBSON JOHNS: Were you supportive of Rinna leaving?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: I was torn because she's given us a lot of good TV and a lot of crazy like storylines that we probably wouldn't have got without her. So I give credit where it's due. But I'm really disappointed in how she handled the whole Erika debacle.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah, I think I'm with you on that. And then and I feel like sort of the franchise right now that's really kind of post-Instagram, kind of fully, is Salt Lake to me. I think that that, the things that you were sort talking about, show themselves the most on that franchise.

And I think it shows by how quickly that show has-- their flame is burning bright, but very quickly. I think that's sort of an effect of that. What do you what do you hope we see kind of in the post-Jen Shah Salt Lake. I know that I'm looking for like a lot more lightness and a lot more just comedy almost on that show because it's just been gotten really dark.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: I'm waiting on Mary Cosby to get back in front of the camera.

GIBSON JOHNS: We've seen her filming. I saw a post that she was filming.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: That is the true diamond of Housewives. You can't get that anyone out of anyone else. Sonja is that. Dorinda is that. Teresa is that. You just can't get out of anyone.

GIBSON JOHNS: Oh my God, yeah. Were you at Bravocon?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: I was not, no. In the first year, I was traveling. And the second year, I was not able to get tickets before they sold out.

GIBSON JOHNS: Well, I think whenever the third one happens, hopefully this year, I think you can use your platform to get you some tickets.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Maybe.

GIBSON JOHNS: I hope so.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: I know some people. I'll ask around.

GIBSON JOHNS: Here's my order at the convention center at Bravocon. Hello.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Let me put all the Housewives with my little microphone. Yes, that would be epic.

GIBSON JOHNS: And something, again, when I was doing research for this, I remembered this happening. I'm sure you talked about it. But I didn't remember that it was that, that you got proposed to live on "Watch What Happens Live," and I watched that moment back, and I brought a tear to my eye. It was such a cute, emotional, perfect moment. Jackson called you the Kim to his Croix, which was--

DAKOTA WRIGHT: And he only had Ramona eyes for me.

GIBSON JOHNS: Ramona eyes for you, yes. There was a couple other Housewives references thrown into the proposal. Does that moment get brought up a lot to you, or like-- yeah, it does?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, it does. And you know what? I'm so glad it's on camera. And I'm so glad people bring it up because I was not expecting, and I just blacked out. I was completely sober and--

GIBSON JOHNS: And now you can relive it whenever you want.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, like they feed you drinks on "Watch What Happens Live."

GIBSON JOHNS: Oh, yeah.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: But I was totally sober. And then-- because I had no idea what was going to happen, and then I just blacked out. So I'm so glad I can go back and watch it and like replay it all.

GIBSON JOHNS: Have you seen or met Andy since then?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: I have not, no.

GIBSON JOHNS: I'm going to-- I'm going to need a full circle situation to happen next year.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Come on, now. We need Instagram people behind the bar, fun people behind the bar.

GIBSON JOHNS: You would kill it as a bartender, you and Jackson.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Bartender order, like that would be epic.

GIBSON JOHNS: For to drink, hello.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yes, maybe Sutton's daughter beside me with Sutton as a guest.

GIBSON JOHNS: Frank, make it happen. Oh my God.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: That would be fun.

GIBSON JOHNS: That'd be the dream. So I mean, closing it out, you're doing this essentially full time now, which is just so cool to think about. It's been probably a crazy two years for you. What do you-- what's sort of on the list of things to accomplish this year or beyond? Or do you do not think that far? How are you sort of envisioning what this could turn into even more?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: So the way it's worked is just flying by the seat of my pants. So I do that as I'm looking forward just a little bit. So I really had no plans to take this on as a job. And when the "Friends of WeHo" show aired, I was complaining about it on Twitter. I had four producers in my-- very well accredited ones-- in my direct messages. And so we're like, we're working stuff out. That's all I can really say. So I had not planned for any of that. And I'm just ready to ride it for whatever is longer.

GIBSON JOHNS: So there's a potential crossover of your top interests, potentially.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Possibly, yes. There's some routes it could go.

GIBSON JOHNS: I'm putting it out there that I would love that to happen.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, it would be a lot of fun, yeah.

GIBSON JOHNS: It really would. So you really don't have a game plan. It's just sort of let's see what happens.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, I really want to just live my life and have fun. I've thought about moving to LA for a month, just to kind of see like what happens. But I truly enjoy where we live and the small quiet little life that I have off of the internet. So I don't know if I really want to do that.

GIBSON JOHNS: I think that's really healthy, to be honest. I mean, we've seen celebrities leave LA. And they still go there, obviously, and then work and promote things. But to have a base, I think, outside of the New York, LA kind of camps is probably one of the most healthy things I think you can do for yourself, if you're in a public position.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: For sure. And you know that city gays will eat me alive, my little Southern self. They'll eat me up, on the surface, though, on the surface.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah, I think, as you said, you have the bite in you. So I think that you could-- Is there a restaurant or a chain that you have not worked with, that you have not done any sort of thing with, that sort of would be kind of surreal for you to do?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: We've hit all the major ones, whether it be organically or had a brand deal. I really want to get-- this is a little ambitious. And we're talking about goals. But I really feel like our campiness and comedy would be perfect for a Sonic commercial.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yes, absolutely.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: I'm just waiting on that phone call.

GIBSON JOHNS: Well, you know, I'm thinking back to Sonic was sort of a minor character on "The Simple Life" back in the day. And I'm sort of thinking about-- you have different personalities than Paris and Nicole do. But the combo of a big personality and a funny person coming into that, there was something that really worked there. And I think that that-- I think that'd be great.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, I mean, it would just epic Sonic sales. I mean, people tag the craziest brands and restaurants in my comments. They're like, give them a blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, you guys need to calm down.

GIBSON JOHNS: Poor social media managers.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: I will say this, the amount of times that TLC and Bravo get tagged in my comments on all platforms is astronomical. And I'm like--

GIBSON JOHNS: At some point do the cut through.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: I know. I'm just like, leave these little social media people alone.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah, they aren't creating shows out here. But you never know. You never know who could pass along the message. Exactly. Well, Dakota, this has been so much fun connecting with you live. And I'm so happy to know you now. And I just love what you put out there. Where can people follow you? What do you want to plug before we sign off?

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yeah, well, I have all kinds of usernames. So my TikTok is @PrintFairy. My Instagram is @DakotaWright. My Twitter is @fortodrink. And those are the three profiles that you'll find me on. And the reason why they're not the same is because I can't use them all on the same platform.

GIBSON JOHNS: If you search Dakota Wright, you'll pop up.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: I'll pop up for sure.

GIBSON JOHNS: Yeah, exactly.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: The Kris Jenner cut, I'm there.

GIBSON JOHNS: The Kris Jenner cut. Yes. Dakota, this was so much fun. You'll come back on. We'll talk more Bravo at some point. And next time you're in New York, let's hang out.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Yes. Let's do it.

GIBSON JOHNS: All right, bye. Thank you so much.

DAKOTA WRIGHT: Bye.

GIBSON JOHNS: Thanks for tuning in to "We Should Talk." I hope you enjoyed the interview. You can find out more about In The Know at intheknow.com. You an follow me, Gibson Johns, @gibsonoma on Twitter and Instagram. And you can listen to all of our interviews, past and future, by searching "We Should Talk" wherever you get your podcasts. Hope to see you next time.