This TikToker Went Viral For Perfectly Impersonating Ina Garten
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“When making really good steaks, I like to use a really good cast-iron pan,” Tom Hearn tells the camera in a recent TikTok video. On his head is a wig so shiny it’s almost reflective, framed by the popped collar of a flowy, deep blue button-down shirt. “If you can’t forge your own cast-iron pan, one handed down from your family from generation to generation should do just fine.”
In a series of videos posted to the social media platform, Hearn has mastered the soft cooing and gentle tones made famous by Ina Garten, the celebrity chef and T.V. food personality. He laughs like Ina—a kind-natured, but clearly controlled chuckle—and perfectly nails Garten's iconic “how fabulous is that” catchphrase, complete with a toothy grin. Then, the fast-paced piano fades in, which fans might immediately recognize as the theme song for Garten’s cooking show.
“She's so ripe for comedy because she’s so authentic,” Hearn told Delish, explaining that he's been a fan of the Barefoot Contessa for nearly a decade. In his case, impersonation is a sincere form of flattery. “It sounds so silly because it's a cooking show, but [I've] always connected with her. I feel like she's kind of tongue-in-cheek, so it's easy to highlight that in my videos.”
Despite Hearn's longstanding fandom, the sketch comedian and TikTok creator only started poking fun at the Barefoot Contessa about three weeks ago. But of the almost 30 videos he's produced, more than a third have garnered more than a million views—with most of the others not far behind.
“Each one has snowballed and gotten bigger and bigger,” he told Delish. “Every time I put one up, I'm like this is gonna be the one that people are like, ‘Okay, we've had enough of this.’ I'm constantly shocked by what the internet wants.”
It wants, apparently, Ina Garten in drag. “This is where I keep my really good olive oil,” Hearn breathily croons in another Garten-themed TikTok, leaning into the absurdity of the caricature. "If you’re not using really good olive oil, you should come out to the Hamptons and take a really long walk off a short pier. How bad is that?”
To get into character, Hearn often returns to a single phrase. “You have to have your hook, and my hook for [becoming] Ina is ‘my husband Jeffrey,’” he said. “[I say] ‘My husband Jeffrey,’ over and over again. She takes over me at that moment.”
Coming up with new Ina content a cinch for Hearn, who keeps a running tab of things he thinks Garten would do throughout the day. From there, he adds his own acerbic twist—Hearn's Ina is a little mean and classist, but always measured with the appearance of propriety—and adds a touch of the ridiculous. The comedic effect is powerful.
"Some local kids have started a lemonade stand down the street," Hearn tells the camera in another video. There's something almost menacing behind Hearn-as-Ina's tight smile. "They’re using store bought. So I picked these lemons off my tree and I’m going to put them out of business. How easy is that?"
So far, Hearn hasn't heard anything from Garten concerning the impersonation. “I hope she knows that all of this is coming from a loving place, because I truly am an Ina fan," he said. He dreams that one day, though, Garten might reach out. "I would love to do a video with her,” he said.
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