In 2007, I was rushing home to watch Chowder after a long day of sixth grade. Lil Nas X, although four years younger than me, was ostensibly doing the same thing. It’s nice to have another former teen around!
Lil Nas X began his stellar Grammys performance, complete with cameos from Mason Ramsey, Diplo, Billy Ray Cyrus, original Nas, and even BTS, in a living room.
On the television show behind him (see screenshot above), an episode of the legendary Cartoon Network show Chowder was playing. I shrieked and rushed to continue that shrieking among my colleagues. Here was their reaction:
Joan Summers: CHOWDER!!!! wow, the zoomer representation. i am crying my eyes out…teens rise up!
Julianne Escobedo Shepherd: what does that mean
Megan Reynolds: lol what the fuck is chowder
Julianne Escobedo Shepherd: i don’t know what that means. i’m 90. joan can u blog it lol?
Hazel Cills: i think im also too old for this
Did I ever imagine, running around yelling along to the Chowder theme song in 2007, that someday I would be the only Jezebel staffer young enough to even know what it was? Absolutely not. Thankfully, fellow former teen and Jezebel social editor Makeda Sandford knew what the fuck was up. In a separate DM, away from the old people, we comforted each other.
Joan Summers: WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT THE OLD PEOPLE AT JEZ? I WAS LIKE CHOWDER! THEE CHOWDER!
Makeda Sandford: LOLLOL and they’re like ANYWHO
Joan Summers: PUT SOME RESPECT ON CHOWDERS NAME!
Makeda Sandford: seriously that was a moment :/
Joan Summers: next they’re gonna say they have no idea what the amazing world of gumball is… the disrespect
Makeda Sandford: smh. i will back you up lol
How weird! You are a kid, and then you are not a kid, and then you get to be so old the things you liked as a kid are not things kids like anymore, or even remember. And still there are people older than you, who don’t remember your kid things!
So here I am, crying at a dumb cartoon that appeared on a Grammys set for approximately 10 seconds because it’s been an incredibly long year already, and sometimes you just have to find joy in these things. Lil Nas X? I see you, I hear you, and I respect your taste in late-aughts cartoons. The Grammys don’t deserve you, but fuck, am I glad you’re here!