MARCH 6, 2025 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | By Greta Patterson (A&E Copy Editor)
If you’ve spent any time on the internet in the past 15 years, then there’s a good chance you know of the icon that is Trisha Paytas. She has perhaps the most eclectic digital footprint and I think I would need to write 30 more articles to properly describe all of the lore that is Paytas.
On Friday, Feb. 27, Paytas performed at the Paramount Theater in Denver for her “Eras of Trish Tour.” I went in completely blind as to what on Earth the Eras of Trish could be, and wow, was I in for a treat.
Paytas started in Los Angeles as an aspiring actress working as a lingerie model and escort. She attempted to break the Guinness World Record for fastest talker, even appearing on The Ellen Show for being able to say 710 words in 54 seconds. She sadly didn’t break the record, but this gave Paytas her start into the pop culture world. She starred in a 2010 episode of My Strange Addiction for having a tanning addiction, and was in various music videos.
Paytas’s internet fame began on YouTube, as she was one of the original American creators who posted mukbang videos featuring creators eating large amounts of food as they talked to their audience. She made controversial claims on YouTube, including that dogs don’t have a brain. Paytas has since said she intentionally dumbed herself down to garner more attention. She has started multiple podcasts, including “Frenemies” with her brother-in-law Ethan Klein.
Paytas found herself in the spotlight during her relationship with Jason Nash, an American YouTuber and member of The Vlog Squad, David Dobrik’s vlog group, which was enormously popular in the mid-to-late 2010s. Their relationship was visibly extremely toxic, as seen in how Nash would speak to Paytas in videos, and the two eventually split. Paytas met her now husband Moses Hacmon on the Frenemies podcast. She and Hacmon have two daughters, Malibu Barbie and Elvis (the internet’s claim that Malibu is the reincarnation of Queen Elizabeth is an article within itself).
Now, let’s get into the show.
While watching Paytas perform, I found myself thinking “this is going to be a very difficult article to write because how on earth am I supposed to put this experience into words?”
To set the scene, you should know that the show was sold out by some miracle, considering Paytas only announced the tour a month ago. The theater was filled with chronically online 20-somethings, mostly dressed in hot pink or flare. I spotted a few drag queens and some fans even came sporting signs, one that read “Tits Out For Trish.” How she gained this much traction in a mere four weeks is a miracle, but I participated in it, so who am I to judge?
The show began with a video of Paytas’ entire history online, from her first YouTube video to some of her classic quotes. It truly encompassed the eras of Trish, and I was honestly impressed with how much she has accomplished in her time on the internet.
The stage lights came up just as her video acting and dancing to the High School Musical song “Bet On It” began, and I truly felt like I ascended to another realm as Paytas herself came onto stage, dressed in an incredibly sparkly bodysuit, and started singing over the video. I found this was an unusual occurrence throughout the show, where she would be singing live and in the video being shown behind her. An attempt to mask her real voice sans autotune, perhaps?
Reign La France ‘25 describes her performances as “life-changing, like being born. It was eye-opening how an average person can sell out an entire theater singing horribly, but at the same time everyone loves her.”
Following “Bet On It,” Paytas went right into “What Dreams Are Made of” by Hilary Duff, denoting this as her “Disney Channel Era.” I am not exaggerating when I say that the crowd was going insane, and I had to put ear plugs in at one point to prevent permanent hearing damage. In all of my concert history, I have never seen a crowd so engaged, so animated and so enthusiastic about the performer.
After deafening applause, Paytas started talking about how difficult the altitude was and how out of breath she felt. She had her usual funny, if not slightly airy, demeanor, which made even the simplest things she said hilarious. She got sidetracked and started talking about “Descendents,” then mentioned her musical history. “Postpartum Princess” was her most recent album, but Paytas has released music since 2014. She told us that “you are all my children and I am here to perform for you,” leading straight into her “Postpartum Princess Era.”
Paytas sang her newest songs, including “McGriddle,” which, you guessed it, is about a McDonald’s McGriddle sandwich. She was quick to point out the audience members dressed as chicken nuggets. She also performed “Lullaby,” dedicated to her two daughters with a video of her gender reveal and pregnancy journey playing in the background.
Next up was her “Fat Chicks Era,” in which she sang her 2015 songs “Fat Chicks” and “Thick.” She remarked that she still had to try Voodoo Donuts before leaving Denver, and the crowd was in a roar at the possibility of a Paytas donut mukbang.
Up next was her “Sad Girl Era,” mostly involving videos of her crying on her iconic kitchen floor. During this, she had a costume change into a sequin vest that fit her next song “Welcome to the Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance. Paytas described it as “the hardest song ever” and asked for help from the audience to sing it. Everyone joined in, and true comradery was felt.
Cate Rosenbaum ‘25 said that “hearing her sing ‘Welcome to the Black Parade’ was one of the most surreal and at the same time best moments of my life.”
Paytas has four backup dancers on stage, and her next video introduced each of them. She made sure that the often forgotten members of a tour were highlighted, so while I sadly wasn’t wearing my glasses and therefore couldn’t actually read any of their names, it was still touching to see that she cared about their contribution being recognized.
Next up was, my personal favorite, the “Musical Theater Era.” Paytas naturally sang “Popular” from Wicked as well as a number of Beetlejuice songs. There was even an attempt at singing “Defying Gravity” with no background music, but I need not say how that went.
Somehow during her random speeches throughout the show, Paytas had both beautifully touching messages and deeply concerning tidbits. She talked about how she tried to hold onto other peoples popularity for so long, even name-dropping Dobrik and Shane Dawson, yet by just being herself she is the most popular she’s ever been. The crowd exploded in boos as the sound of the names of the two Youtubers, showing their support of Paytas. At one point she mentioned being one million dollars in debt when she and Hacmon first married, and said that Jesus loves everyone just as they are. Naturally, boobs came up, and Paytas said that “you would think Colorado of all places would let a woman go topless. It’s just a nipple for fucks sake, guys with bigger tits than me can walk around topless.” So progressive.
Paytas sang songs from her 2018 “Chicken Parm and Heartbreak” album, which was inspired, you guessed it, by a guy who didn’t like that she would order chicken parmesan at midnight to her hotel room. This album is, however, not to be confused with her 2017 album “Chicken Fingers and Lipo.”
The show ended with her “Hits Era”, during which she performed her most iconic songs – “I Love You Jesus” and “Freaky.” Somehow, and please don’t ask me how, “I Love You Jesus” has a whopping 10 million streams on Spotify and “Freaky” has five million. The video in the background featured countless people talking about Paytas in various ways, showing the extent of her notoriety.
In a strange turn, the final video shown after Paytas finished singing was the most beautiful of all. Paytas shared an old video of her: “if there is one message that I would like to leave as my legacy is to just love one another and that’s pretty simple to just not have any hate in this world.”
In the video, Paytas began singing “This Friendly World” by Fabian while a montage of her life played. I am borderline (extremely) embarrassed to say that I got emotional watching what a beautiful life Paytas has made for herself after so much controversy. The video showed her early career, her wedding and proposal, the gender reveal, and the birth of both of her daughters. It ended with a picture of the four of them. At the very end, Paytas instructed the crowd to “go out there and spread the love and just keep on smiling.”
At the end of the day, I’m still unsure how to describe my experience at “The Eras of Trish.” It was the funniest, most human experience I’ve had in a long time, and I don’t know if there are words to describe the anomaly of Trisha Paytas.
Rosenbaum agreed, “I feel like we got transported into another dimension,” that the show did not feel like real life. As we drove home from Denver, our car was almost completely silent as we all contemplated what we had just watched. While controversial and arguably, (definitely,) talentless, Paytas embodies authenticity, and I feel that I will forever be a better person for having seen her live.
So thank you Trisha, for showing us all that our lives truly are what we make of them.