The Tantrum Guy Wants You to Scream About Corporate America
Josh Rosen, the creator the viral Misery Monday tantrum, wants to start a conversation about post-grad mental health and navigating the anxieties of the workplace.
Today is Thursday, May 2nd. But for NYC-based content creator Josh Rosen and his community of Gen Zs new to adulting, it’s Throw a Fit Thursday.
If you’ve ever seen one of Josh’s tantrums on TikTok, then you know: the cathartic release of the act nearly seeps through the screen. His daily fits of screaming, jumping up and down, and his signature move of throwing his suit jacket on the ground has earned him the nickname “The Tantrum Guy” — and nearly 90,000 new followers over the past two weeks.
His rapid rise in popularity and outpour of comments from viewers saying “this is probably so relieving,” “was gonna hate but you’re so real,” and “me at my big girl job after college,” are a symptom of a greater problem that Josh aims to address: the toxicities of corporate culture.
In a world where remote employment allows people to disregard a healthy work-life balance and standard workplace norms that may have worked for Millenials don’t meld well with Gen Z, many young adults feel extremely overwhelmed, frustrated, and burnt out by demanding 9-5 office jobs. Josh creates content to help his peers talk about mental health while navigating the hustle of life after college.
The first fit
Josh grew up 30 minutes outside of Philadelphia and studied media and professional communications at the University of Pittsburgh. The summer before his senior year began, he received a compelling offer for a “sick corporate job” in NYC — an achievement many college students strive for, and sometimes don’t attain until months after receiving their degree.
However, after accepting the offer, moving to NYC immediately after graduation in the summer of 2022, and starting his new role, Josh immediately noticed the stress-inducing environment of the workplace and became “fed up” with corporate culture.
“People were acting like if we didn't get things done, someone was going to die — it was so dramatic,” said Josh in an interview. “I was like, why is no one taking care of themselves? Like, why are we valuing ‘hustle culture’ so much when it's really just not healthy?”
As often as people observe and discuss these toxicities in the workplace, it doesn’t often prompt them to leave their jobs. In November 2023, after an extremely frustrating work day, Josh went on a walk to get some fresh air. Suddenly an idea came to him — if he recorded himself throwing a tantrum, perhaps it would resonate with his audience.
“Not only did it feel amazing and so cathartic, but also it got 18 million views,” said Josh.
Before this video blew up, Josh had previously been actively posting on the platform. In 2020, he posted a viral video of his mom discovering she had accidentally ordered 180 rolls of toilet paper instead of 18. Even though he said he “kind of forgot” about his account when he returned to school after lockdown, the initial video earned him 20,000 followers. But three years later over the summer of 2023, Josh was listening to a podcast that he described as having very relatable hosts. He felt as if he were a “clone” of one of the hosts, and it was at that moment he realized that he could be an influencer if he put effort into posting content at a regular cadence. After all, the algorithm rewards you when you show up on the platform every day.
After the extremely high success of his first tantrum video and the overwhelming support of his public fits, Josh decided to lean into this character during the work week, expressing his distaste for corporate culture in each one. Between Misery Monday, Tantrum Tuesday, Whining Wednesday, Throw a Fit Thursday, and Freak Out Friday (there are no weekend tantrums because according to Josh, the weekends are for breaks), Josh has found a community of followers he describes as “26 and under” who are dealing with the burnout and the frustrations of working in toxic environments.
On April 15th, Josh posted a video of his daily tantrum which he described as “going extra hard” on the jumping, screaming, and jacket-throwing. It earned him 29.5 million views, and 4.6 million likes, skyrocketing his following to over 100,000 that week.
“I don't even think I've been able to comprehend it,” Josh said about the rapid growth of his account, explaining how he got hundreds of new followers every minute. “It's like trying to like imagine a stadium…I have a lot of Madison Square Gardens.”
Becoming Gen Z’s most relatable creator
With growing attention already on him and management ready to help Josh take his influencing career to the next steps, the tantrums got him exactly what he wanted: the ability to quit his full-time job and create content for a living.
Without the number one driver of stress that prompts his fits, people are wondering what that means for the future of Josh’s tantrums. Following his departure from his full-time job, Josh shared a TikTok about his plans to open up a bigger conversation around mental health post-grad and the challenges that adulting entails.
“I feel like the more we talk about it, there's a pocket of vulnerability around corporate America and corporate workplaces…you should not be on your way to work with a pit in your stomach,” said Josh. “It encourages a culture of making us feel bad when we need to go to the doctor, and makes us feel bad when we live our lives outside of work.”
Beyond addressing the flaws of hustle culture, Josh wants to speak to college students, release merchandise with each tantrum name, and create content around his love of theater. He’s inspired by Eli Rallo, an author and social media influencer who often shares her passion for Broadway with her followers.
While rapid growth on TikTok in April 2024 is an impressive feat, it’s no secret that the timing isn’t the most ideal. Last week, President Biden signed the highly-anticipated bill to ban TikTok unless its parent company Bytedance can sell its majority stake to a US-based company in the next year. While many creators are beginning to worry about this, Josh isn’t — his rise in TikTok popularity has helped him grow on Instagram.
“There are a lot of people who are too insecure to post what they post on TikTok to their Instagram Reels but to be honest, the people who are brave enough to post the unhinged stuff on Reels get the most views,” said Josh. “I'm not worried about that because [my] followers will transfer over to Instagram — people who post on Instagram should probably start.”
No matter what the future of the social media landscape holds, Josh wants to deepen his connection with Gen Z to ensure that as this generation begins to enter the workforce, they won’t take after past generations in their work habits.
“I feel like Gen Z is really connected with my content,” said Josh. “I want any movement I can start to ensure that Gen Z won’t do the same things that others before us have done in the workplace.”