Rhett & Link have never been afraid to put the adage “you are what you eat” to the test.
But, long before Tom Hanks, Hugh Jackman, Jason Kelce and Kylie Kelce and more tested their tastebuds on the Mythical stage, Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal were releasing comedy songs and pulling out all the stops for their growing online audience.
“We definitely do put ourselves out there,” Link told E! News in an exclusive interview. “And I mean way out there.”
Let’s talk about that: From getting vasectomies on camera to coating themselves in marshmallow fluff, the life-long best friends have given fans a front row seat to their journey—and shenanigans—since they launched their first YouTube channel in 2006.
“We've seen ourselves in so many compromising situations,” Rhett explained. “If we were constantly judging every single thing that we did, we would never have made as much content as we have.”
So, when it came to the Mount Rushmore of YouTubers, the duo had to admit they earned their spot. But who joins them at the top?
“We have to include Hank [Green] and John [Green] in this,” Rhett emphasized before detailing their criteria. “I'm gonna go with staying power, people who've been around since our era and are still doing it.”
As for the final slot, Link added that it belongs to Rosanna Pansino.
And though their YouTube success speaks for itself, it wasn’t the original plan. Rhett and Link initially set out to become filmmakers. “We had this vision for what we wanted to do,” Rhett noted, but “making a business, making it your living” changed things.
“That's our legacy,” he continued, “creating things in the context of the community that has gravitated towards our content, and not losing our soul in the process.”
These days, their empire includes their daily show Good Mythical Morning and cooking show Mythical Kitchen starring Mythical Chef Josh Schere, as well as online series Wonderhole, content subscription service Mythical Society and several podcasts. The pair now foray back onto the literary scene—after previously releasing a cookbook, novel and Book of Mythicality—with their new children’s book Spaghetti Head & Chicken Fingers.
“A lot of kids are picky,” Rhett told E!. “So we knew that this would be something that parents could relate to.”
The story follows Lumo and Saffy, two kids who see first hand the meaning of “you are what you eat” when they transform into their favorite foods after a magic lightning storm.
Buttered noodles were a staple for Rhett’s kids—he is dad to Sheperd, 17, and Locke, 22, with his wife Jessie—growing up, much like their character Saffy whose hair turns to spaghetti in the book.
“It was inspired by that thing that happens with parents,” he said. “The only way that I can have my kid eat right now without an emotional breakdown is if I give them the thing I know they will eat.”
But the book—illustrated by Erica Salcedo—is about more than just trying new foods. They want parents to try new things, too. “To sing, to do voices, to be a little out there,” Link—who shares Lando, 16, Lincoln, 21, and Lily, 23, with his wife Christy—explained, calling back to acting out bedtime stories for their own kids.
“We like to champion being curious and having fun with trying things,” he said. “Even if something fails, there's fun in giving it a shot.”
Spaghetti Head & Chicken Fingers is available now wherever you get your books or on mythicalbooks.com.