Benny Drama Wants To Eat Frozen Mangoes And Watch Riverdale With You

"It's crazy. I was screaming," an excited Benito Skinner shares, reflecting on Kim Kardashian recently reposting an impersonation sketch he published on his Instagram of her and her sisters. The comedian and internet genius, known to his audience as Benny Drama, has seen such viral success from his original skits on social media that it's almost surreal to watch his growth in real time.

The creative produces all his videos by himself using a green screen, wigs and costumes, and his hilarious three-minute videos have reached seemingly every corner of the world. Celebrities have also taken notice: his comment section is frequented by Zoë Kravitz, Sophie Turner, January Jones, and more. 

"The interns are crying" was the first thing I heard the morning I met Benny as he entered the venue of a fashion week show we were both cast in. One by one, I watched those around him timidly request pictures and confess how much they loved him, while others, like myself (also a huge fan), nervously looked on, too scared to approach him. As we sat side by side in hair and makeup, both getting our wigs perfected for the show, Benny turned to me and said, "You are so beautiful". Immediately my heart and anxiety melted away, and my curiosity about his comedic work and his evident midas-touch for content grew. 

Fast-forward less than a year, and Benny has amassed over 1 million followers on Instagram alone, has toured the country with his comedy show Overcompensating, and has continued to consistently produce the most shared, reposted, and side-splitting content on the internet.

And although the pandemic has forced digital creatives to rework their approach to publishing content entirely, Benny Drama has managed to stay constant in his perfectly-timed, joy-inducing videos, which seem to be just what his audience and the world needs right now. We got the chance to talk to the internet mastermind on what a creator means to him right now, the projects he's most excited about for the future, and of course — his devotion to Hilary Duff.

Ryan Norville: Right now is such a crazy time to be a creator. How would you say creating content during a pandemic, where everyone is in such a different mental state, differs from creating at any other time of your life?

Benny Drama: I think it's just different knowing that everything I am producing has a bigger impact and maybe is even more important. It sounds strange, but I think a lot of creators have felt an increased amount of pressure during this time. Because you want to give people the escape they need, but at the same time, you're trying to figure out what's appropriate and you're trying to adapt to this very strange time we're living in. I obviously wanted to touch on the quarantine aspect because to not address it would be strange. If there's something funny about you or your name or what you're wearing, it's always important to start off your set by commenting on it. If not, people are going to fixate on why you haven't commented on that yet. So I thought, okay, I'll do a skit on the (astrological) signs in quarantine. I felt like that would be a nice escape for viewers, but still relative to current events. 

RN: To your point of creatives feeling more pressure to produce content during this time, do you ever feel that way? I remember reading one of your Instagram comments, almost demanding for more of your videos. How do you navigate that demand while also processing your own emotions?

BD: I think first and foremost the greatest pressure I get comes from myself. I really just love making things, writing things, acting, and producing. So I think any pressure that I feel is more tied to knowing how finishing any work will result in me feeling a lot better during this time. I feel like there was kind of a big push on the internet to maximise productivity; learn a new language or something, but honestly you can watch reruns of Sex in the City and eat frozen mangoes and be just as solid. I saw a video about how you can apparently work on your abs while watching TV. I'm like, why would you ruin TV like that?

So I try to give myself that balance of sectioning out my week where maybe I'm working on my writing one day and I’ll dedicate the next day to a video. Then I can kind of take off those moments at night when I literally just want to watch a documentary and go to bed. I don't want to be filming all night. That’s my balance.

RN:  Living in Los Angeles are you interested in pursuing any acting roles or anything outside your comedy work?

BD: Yes definitely. I've been doing some auditioning. I'm in something coming out soon, so I'm excited to talk more about that. Can’t give any details just yet! But auditioning has been really fun. I feel like that's always been part of my plan to expand my work, being able to move past the three minutes on YouTube. So that's definitely also a huge reason for the move as well. But I am still just as invested in my social media videos, so they're not going anywhere but will probably just continue to evolve and grow, which is my ultimate goal.

RN:  We spoke before about the emotional attachment some of your audience has to you, or rather the characters you play. Are there any differences between you and the characters you create that you wish your audience knew?

BD: Totally. I feel like there are some characters I feel so distant from. But then there are some, like Benita, that feel very similar to me and my views on life. A lot of my characters go pretty hard and I used to be like that, but now I’m more relaxed, and my interests are pretty relaxed. I love going to the movies — I'll definitely maybe have a few tequila sunrises, but I wouldn't call myself someone who goes clubbing a lot. Whereas most of my characters are pretty intense and are party animals.

RN: Oh, tell me more.

BD: It's always funny to me when I’m at meet and greets — which is hilarious to me in general, because the event is happening from me posting on the internet, and I'll never get over that. That is crazy. But people always want to go out for drinks after a show. And I'm literally so tired. I can’t do it, people see me and probably think I’m just so quiet. I'm not saying I'm introverted, but definitely, before shooting a video or doing a show, my energy is obviously elevated to such a degree. I'm in front of the green screen, I probably drank several coffees and I’m ready to go and then, you know, it's towards the end of the day when I'm chillin' out on my couch, giggling at memes. I'm super chill, more so than people think.

RN:  New York being so small, I’m sure your followers always notice you on the street. What are those interactions like?

BD: Oh my god. They're always kind of shocking to me. Like at first if someone does say something, I’m always listening to music, and I'm not really somebody who goes on a chill, light walk. Which I think is probably something that New York instilled in me. But when I leave, I'm laser-focused, not seeing anything on my right or left, I am blasting Lady Gaga and I am on a three-count stomping. So at first I’m startled, but everyone is always super sweet, and they always tell me about their favourite video or they’ll have a future video request sometimes, which is fun to hear. I've been lucky in that the people who have come to my page are a very accepting, eccentric, fun group of people. And every time I meet somebody who follows me, they either have really wild makeup on or they’re in like a full 'fit. And I'm like, YES! Those are my kids! Then sometimes it's some girl's boyfriend who is like “Dude, my girlfriend loves you!” And I'm like, "Love that for you".

RN: One thing people really know you for is your pop culture references. They just always feel extremely on time, and on point. What informs what you're creating and how do you select what cultral topics you want to address?

BD: Ooh. I usually gauge how excited I am, or maybe my boyfriend or my friends. When I read that Lizzie McGuire was moving off Disney+, for me, that felt like such a pop culture moment, especially within the groups that I follow and the people that I follow. It felt like a conversation everyone wanted to be a part of. So that was an obvious sign to me.

RN: Well you’re also a huge Hilary Duff fan. 

BD: Oh I'm a stan for life. I can never meet her. There’s just some people I can’t meet. I've been in the same room with Rihanna and we have locked eyes, but I couldn’t actually try to speak to her. At that moment I knew I was about to start crying in front of her. And also Lana (Del Rey).

And in terms of content, I also felt like with the Kardashians — the Kim and Kourtney fight that aired on the new season was just everywhere. I didn’t film a sketch on it immediately — and then people were demanding a video of it. But I wanted to make sure that I had something more to add to the sketch than just a reenactment, to have my own personal take and comedic touches on the scene. That was when I was excited to film it, or what I thought people would be excited about.

RN: Well, I mean you had Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe commenting on your last video of them and reposting it to their own stories.

BD: It's crazy. I was screaming, I was jumping up and down on the bed. That felt really good because I always want these to be videos that are really fun for people and never make anyone feel jabbed or hurt. I want it to feel like things a friend would say if they are making fun of you. But my focus is more to comment on my observations of social media, pop culture, the queer experience, and maybe some of our teen experiences. I'm not trying to like ruin somebody's life.

RN: You said before you’re pretty much a one-person production team. How long does it take to complete a video you post on Instagram from say, conceptualisation to the moment it’s posted?

BD: It definitely depends on the video. The Kardashians and any longer series take much more time. Like “Signs in Quarantine” probably took 13 hours to edit and probably two days to shoot with all the characters. And then my skin never forgave me for that, but I love doing the makeup, it's peaceful for me and it really helps me to get into character. I love a good transformation, I'm doing a Billie Eilish video tonight, and when I finally got the wig on I started to feel it. That’s the moment for me where I'm like, this is going to be good. Makeup is probably 30 minutes to an hour based on how extreme the look is, and I'm definitely a perfectionist. Sometimes writing a script takes 15 minutes and sometimes they take days.

RN: Trust me, we’re grateful. You're doing important work. 

BD: Thank you! Sometimes videos can take so long to record I don’t even know if they're funny anymore. I just post it, and I’m like, literally you guys could drag for this one at this point.

RN: You mentioned you would love to expand and evolve your content. Do you have any dream collaborators you think about filming skits with?

BD: Oh my god. I feel like me and Dante Coley are currently overdue for a project. I love him so much and we've gotten to spend some time together. I think he's so creative and just brings so much joy to me and so many people. I would love to team up with some of the people that I have done impressions of. So that's maybe already in the process of happening, which I can't reveal, but I think it would be really interesting and hopefully fun to watch. I miss Bojangles, our Harry Potter moments together. I would love to bring back Dumbledore and Dumblewhore. I really love the people I've met via the internet, which is so weird and bizarre because the first time you meet them you're like, why do I feel like I know you so well? 

RN: Do you have any hot takes on some new pop culture icons that have come out during quarantine?

BD:  I mean I love Katie Couric. So much. I feel like I followed her for so long and she's such a legend, and she's been giving us a lot of comfort during this time. I’ve actually loved watching some of the Instagram lives. Well, I mean, some of them.

RN: They can definitely be overwhelming right now.

BD: I love seeing what different comedians are doing during this time. Mary Beth Barone had a fun live show that I've done a few times, and then Cat Cohen has Club Cumming, which is amazing. And Sydnee Washington has a “Cook with Me” show that's fun to watch. But honestly, I'll just watch Riverdale forever, I can't let it go. Forever and always it will take you on a journey.