An Exclusive Look at TikTok Star Jake Shane's Encounter with Octopusslover8 and Sophie Turner's Merch

Jake Shane has rapidly emerged as one of TikTok's most adored content creators, even drawing the attention of celebrities like Sophie Turner.

Los Angeles-based content creator @octopusslover8 revealed that he had collaborated on a skit with the Jonas Brothers and sent them merchandise afterwards. He mentioned that he included merchandise for Sophie Turner as well, despite not expecting her to receive it. Shane shared the story with Us, stating that Joe Jonas found his account through his wife, which led to the surprise merchandise for Turner. (Jonas, 34, and Turner have since separated.)

The improv comedian has gained a substantial following on TikTok, with over 2.5 million followers to date. However, his journey to fame has been unconventional.

In 2021, Shane came up with the idea of reviewing octopus dishes on Instagram, initially sharing the videos with his friends. After starting his foodie account, he ventured into TikTok and had a post that went "kind of viral," leading him to realize he had potential to expand his content.

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He remembered, "I thought, 'Oh, I can just begin making these.'" This realization boosted my confidence to share various random videos in addition to my octopus reviews.

Shane started coming up with skits that reimagined famous events from a Gen Z perspective while still critiquing octopus, and he said that this really boosted his account within just one week in early 2023.

Shane has remained true to his eight tentacle roots, with his bio still stating "Rating/reviewing octopus from all over the ." However, much of his content now consists of skits, including humorous reenactments of historical events such as the Founding Fathers begrudgingly discovering John Hancock’s signature is the largest on the Declaration of Independence, the Trojan Horse feeling claustrophobic on its way to Troy, and Abraham Lincoln considering a Santa hat before choosing his signature black top hat.

When asked about his skits, Shane explained, “I usually relate it to a scene from reality television or something from the Housewives. I think of a scene, consider how I can adapt it, and then I’ll be like, ‘OK, let’s just do it like this.’”

Shane, who was recently recognized on Forbes 30 under 30, frequently works with his fans, whom he fondly refers to as "pussies," to come up with ideas for his videos. Despite his videos typically featuring his distinctive sass and focusing on reenacting historical or cultural events, he has admitted that he is not always well-versed in the topics he is asked to address. Shane disclosed that he was unaware of the backstory behind a follower's suggestion in February to "recreate one of the three women who saw Jesus wasn't in his tomb three days later."

“There are times when I’ll be asked historical questions and I’m like, ‘I don’t know,’” he admitted. “I think the uniqueness of the video lies in me taking the prompt as it is, perhaps only knowing one historical fact about it, and then making light of it by keeping it super shallow, and surface level, but that's where the fun comes in."

While Shane has a long line of TikTok collaborators that includes Ed Sheeran — who mimicked a square root symbol realizing it won’t be an album title — to pretend to drink “blood” with Olivia Rodrigo — a nod to her song “Vampire” — he has one dream guest in mind: Taylor Swift. “A cat can dream,” he joked.

Shane often shares his passion for Swift, 33, regularly posting about his admiration for the singer. In October, he expressed his speechless reaction to receiving a TikTok “like” from her after posting a video of himself listening to “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault).” "I CAN'T FORM F–KING WORDS," he wrote in the caption.

During his self-proclaimed 1989 era, Shane had the opportunity to see the "Cruel Summer" singer perform four times during her The Eras Tour. He fondly remembers the excitement of being present when she announced the release of 1989 (Taylor’s Version).

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Reported by Aileen Bergin