- With a YouTube channel that has over two billion views, AreYouKiddingTV’s Joey Gizzi and Steven Lannum use their platform to improve men’s health issues. This November, the social media stars will team up with the Prostate Cancer Foundation for ‘Movember’. So M&F checked in with the dynamic duo to find out more, and we quickly learned that the man’s work makes them reflect on their own health journeys.
Gizzi and Lannum first met as freshmen at Elon University in North Carolina, and quickly bonded. Their love for video production would lead to a partnership that saw them begin their social media journey in 2016. Today, AreYouKiddingTV has amassed nearly 4 million YouTube subscribers and around 8 million followers on TikTok. What sets their content apart from other humorous hosts is that they generally don’t try to make fun of the participants. Their videos often involve engaging unsuspecting members of the public in surreal challenges for money and prizes, where winning requires teamwork and ingenuity to complete complex quests or give up important possessions.
Of course, there are also surreal challenges, such as making money if you can hold your laughter – despite several hilarious triggers, but the boys have become increasingly aware that their channels can do much more than entertain. In 2023, they offered to donate $1,000 to charity if a Major League Baseball team crashed them on the field. That mantle was picked up by The Pittsburgh Pirates. Now they hope to bring more positivity in partnership with the Prostate Cancer Foundation to raise awareness about the disease.
“I think we’ve been wanting to do something charitable for a while,” Steven Lannum tells M&F. “A big part of our brand is about giving back and helping people, and prostate cancer is an important topic.” Indeed it is. The PCF describes prostate cancer as a condition in which normal cells become abnormal, grow uncontrollably and form masses known as tumors. In the United States, one in eight men is diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime, making it the most common cancer in men after skin cancer.
“We give money to random people, so why not be more specific every now and then about where we give and what we draw attention to?” explains Joey Gizzi, who points out that social media videos are a great way to reach a younger audience. Surprisingly round Ten percent of new diagnoses in the US occur in men under the age of 55.
Since many men find it difficult to talk about personal health issues, it makes perfect sense to raise awareness and make people laugh. “It’s one of those things where, even if subconsciously, if we can get people to be more open and willing to get themselves checked, or at least more aware, we feel like we’ve succeeded,” says Gizzi.
What are the early symptoms of prostate cancer?
Okay, so now that awareness has been raised, what do you need to know? The PCF states that most urinary symptoms usually occur due to non-cancerous causes, but symptoms may include:
- The need to urinate frequently, especially at night, sometimes urgent
- Difficulty starting or stopping urination
- Weak or intermittent power
- Pain or burning sensation when urinating
- Decreased ejaculation volume
- Painful ejaculation
- Blood in the urine or semen
Although it is more likely that these symptoms are caused by a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland, you should be examined by a doctor to rule this out. The earlier the treatment, the greater the chance of success.
To encourage more checks, the boys are embarking on a month of content in celebration of Movember, and will be celebrating this important time for men by growing their own mustaches as well. Lannum reveals to M&F that they have already filmed content including a celebrity cameo with comedian Sebastian Maniscalco. “That will be posted around mid-November,” he says, sharing that the clip will be “mustache-related.” Maniscalco joins a line of iconic celebrity guests such as Ed Sheeran And Peyton Manning who were eager to get in on the joke.
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What did you think was in the box? @Ed Sheeran #comedy #funny #funnyvideos #fyp #foryou #viral #Wow #lol♬ original sound – AreYouKiddingTV
Joey Gizzi and Steven Lannum don’t joke about men’s health
Despite the laughs on AreYouKiddingTV, however, both men have become more serious about their individual health journeys. “Over the past few years I’ve been trying to get in better shape and train more,” says Lannum. Not only is exercise thought to help prevent cancer, but… Studies have shown how physical activity slows tumor growth and improves survival rates. “This year I had a goal of walking 10,000 steps a day,” adds Lannum, who notes that he also tries to workout three times a week.
“We will both be approaching thirty in the coming months,” says Gizzi. “So we’re trying to stay ahead of the clock.” Cancer is undoubtedly a terrible disease, but it also brings great unity. “Cancer has definitely affected my life, as my mother has suffered from it several times,” says Gizzi. “But I think generally everyone knows someone who has been affected by cancer in some way. Prostate cancer can be under-researched, and we felt this was a topic to start with.”
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For more information about the Prostate Cancer Foundation, click here.
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