By India McCarty
If you’ve spent any time online lately, you’ve probably heard of “Coop on a Stoop” — but why is the internet so obsessed with this father-son duo?
“People are absolutely just enthralled with it for whatever reason,” Chris O’Brien, father of 18-month-old Cooper, told TODAY.
A few months ago, O’Brien began posting videos for friends and family of their morning routine — sitting on a curb outside their California home with a snack, watching the cars go by.
“I had less than a thousand followers when I first posted it, and people just fell in love with it, so I figured, why not do it the next day?” he continued.
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@obrienbois Wet stoop Saturday! We’ll be here 🫡
The TikTok account now has over 228,000 followers, many of whom tune in every day to see Cooper take his seat on his stoop.
“Why does my whole day revolve around if some little kid is going to sit on the stoop?” one fan said in a recent video. “I have to watch it and I cannot stop. I’m so invested with Coop on the Stoop.”
O’Brien doesn’t really understand how or why so many people got so invested but theorized that “people just appreciated the authentic side of it.”
The dad also spoke to PEOPLE about his son’s newfound virality, saying, “He’s eventually not going to want to sit there and watch cars, and that’s okay. The goal was never to force it. We’re just sharing our everyday lives — two full-time working parents with a toddler and another baby on the way. There’s no secret recipe here. We just want it to feel organic.”
“He’s going to have a built-in fun fact for life,” O’Brien joked. “And we’ve saved so many comments and videos because I can’t wait for him to see it all when he’s old enough to understand.”
His wife Hailey, who is currently pregnant with the couple’s second child, added, “We’re even putting together a keepsake box with little things people have sent, kind comments, hats — just reminders of this time. One day, he’ll be able to look back and see not just how crazy it all was, but the heart behind it.”
“Coop on a Stoop” might seem like a silly viral moment, but for many of the videos’ viewers, O’Brien and his son’s morning moments are a reminder to take some time in their own day to slow down and enjoy the quieter parts of life.
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