When Brother Jed started preaching eons ago at Speaker’s Circle, he probably didn’t imagine that one day he would become all the buzz on social media. But some probably have asked over the years, “What’s Mizzou without Brother Jed?” One student decided to give his peers the opportunity to hear Brother Jed’s antics whether they are on campus or not. Dan Sheehan is a senior creative writing major who started the official Brother Jed Twitter account. Sadly, Dan retired from the popular Twitter handle at the end of last semester, and Her Campus Mizzou caught up with him to get an in-depth look at creating a fake version of the most infamous speaker at the Circle.
Her Campus Mizzou: Why did you decide to start the Twitter account?
Dan Sheehan: When I was a freshman, I was watching Brother Jed speak, and it seemed like everyone knew who he was and had an opinion on him. I’d seen that there were other parody twitter accounts for figures on campus, and I decided to make one for him. I think he’s a really interesting person, and he’s definitely fun to parody.
HCM: Have you actually sat and listened to a full Brother Jed speech?
DS: I have several times, but not in recent years. A little of that tends to go a long way.
HCM: What is the best thing you’ve ever overheard him say?
DS: I once overheard him say that prostitution was preferable to premarital sex because “at least someone’s getting a job out of it.”
HCM: Do you come up with your own tweets or just tweet the crazy things Brother Jed says?
DS: I write all the tweets for the account.
HCM: What has been the response from the accounts followers?
DS: The account always had a really active fan base, and people were always very responsive and supportive. Everyone was in on the joke. Since the retirement, the account has actually gained followers for whatever reason, which has been cool to see.
HCM: What was the most popular tweet?
DS: “Chipotle is closed on Easter and I’m pretty sure that’s the opposite of what Jesus would want” with 59 retweets.
HCM: Why did you decide to retire?
DS: After I graduate, I intend to pursue stand up comedy as a career. I’ve been spending the majority of my time working on my personal comedic career, and as such, it just felt like the right time to close down Fake Brother Jed and direct people towards the twitter account I use for comedy, @ItsDanSheehan.
HCM: Do you think Brother Jed’s legacy will still carry on with social media without the Twitter account?
DS: I’m sure that as long as he’s out there preaching in the circle often, people will always have something to say about him. I don’t think there’ll be any shortage of Brother Jed in the future.