Philip L.

Philip Lxxxxt is a man who Josh and Jared both have not actually met, but whom Jared follows regularly. He is a gentle, caring man who lives in Miami with his mother. He is a frequent poster on Instagram. He also happens to be disabled.

Jared first came to know about Philip through his Instagram account, which was suggested to him. What Jared saw on his grid was intriguing: Philip had taken the same exact selfie, sitting at home in a recliner, multiple times a week, every week, going back years.

To this day, he's still doing it, and he's not trying to be funny or ironic. He isn't making a statement. Genuinely, Philip just enjoys taking the selfies and posting them. He accompanies most of his photos with a caption wishing his followers a good day, requests to stay safe or dry, or just general kind regards. He loves reminding his followers that he loves them, even if they haven't spoken in a while. He doesn't seem to care about what kind of response his posts receive. This is the main reason Jared was fascinated by him.

Occasionally, Philip talks about other subjects, like his love of movies (particularly those by Steven Spielberg and Mel Brooks) and his love of books (particularly those that were made into his favorite movies). After a haircut, he likes to praise his barber(s) for always doing a great job, and he loves to celebrate holidays.

There's also a bit of lore to Philip: before the pandemic, he was regularly involved in Miami community theater. Every once in a while, he'll post a video sharing thoughts about some of his past experiences with shows and auditions, and like a true stage veteran, he frequently describes past directors he's worked with as “sweethearts.” It's unknown whether he intends to return to the stage in the future.

Unlike many of their other favorite characters, Philip is only a subject of fascination to Jared. Josh isn't really interested in him, and only talks about him reluctantly. He has, however, made note of Philip's voice: Philip speaks deeply and slowly with a strong Miami-Cuban accent, which Josh says sounds like John F. Kennedy's. Actually, the voice is also reminiscent of Vicky's late father, Jack.

There's really not much more to it, as Josh and Jared never intend to meet Philip and it's likely they never will.  ❒

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