Kristen Knutson Loves A Boomer Mom Joke Like The Rest Of Us

Generational differences can be really funny, just ask Kristen Knutson. The Minneapolis-based mom of two likes to gently mock the older generation through a trusty pair of “Boomer glasses” over on her Instagram account, where she has well over 400,000 followers.

In our Zoom chat, Knutson opened up about getting started, why she loves to laugh, and what her mom — who she sometimes features in her videos — thinks of her daughter’s alter ego.

Scary Mommy: I wanted to start with how you got started doing this on Instagram.

Kristen Knutson: I got started in 2019. I've always been a really big TikTok fan, even when it wasn’t cool at all, especially for people my age as a millennial. I'm just a chronically online person, and since I consume so much, I was just like, "Why not create videos?"

I really took off when I started having kids. When I became a mom, that's when Boomer Mom was born, my Boomer Mom character. And I think that resonated with a lot of people ... especially millennials. She just has all these quirks and these personality traits that people really laughed at.

SM: What does your mom think of it? I know she has been in some of the videos, so she has a sense of humor about it, but…

KK: Oh, she does. She's so funny. She really likes it. I actually think she finds it to be flattering in a way, because it's a conversation starter for her with other people. And she's very similar to me, where she's very self-aware of a lot of her quirks and she's able to laugh at them. I make these videos from a place of empathy, because I'm a mom too, and no moms are perfect. Nobody is perfect.

SM: What's the one video that has gotten the most response from people, and also the ones that you keep going back to because it just keeps happening? The mom quirk is not going to change.

KK: I think with her, probably the unhinged texting is a theme that comes up a lot that we always laugh at. And even just this last weekend, I was at a football game with my sister and my mom texted us. She was asking about a cooler that she'd given us, and then right after, she was like, "Hey, did you see a guy on the other team got murdered?" It's just like she'll be saying something light-hearted and sweet, and then just jump into the most extreme gut-wrenching news. And I feel like that's just a theme with the Boomer generation in general, where it goes from really light-hearted to extra morbid. And that's definitely a theme that keeps popping up that I see over and over. And then when I make videos about it, it seems to really resonate with people. It's not just her.

SM: What does your mother-in-law think?

KK: She's very much a Facebook user, so she's not as much on social media.

SM: Probably for the best.

KK: For the best, for sure. She's the sweetest, nicest Midwest woman. I have a mother-in-law character that is not at all her. So yeah, she doesn't really have an opinion on it.

I think the mother-in-law dynamic can be a really tricky one for a lot of people, which is why my mother-in-law character came to life, just because I wanted to have a more oppositional character. Because my mom, it's a lot more lighthearted and her quirks are funny and, I don't know, perplexing.

SM: What's your process?

KK: I just write everything in my Notes app, for the most part, or a notepad. I have a million ideas that I keep track of on an ongoing basis.

SM: When do you film them? If you have a day job and you have kids, when do you have time to do this?

KK: Early mornings, nights, weekends. Yeah, sometimes over my lunch break. Whenever I can find the time, I find it somehow, some way.

SM: What is your priority right now: TikTok or Instagram?

KK: I would probably say Instagram, just because that's my core audience. That's where millennials hang out. That's where my people are. There's a lot more conversations that happen on Instagram too, which ignites a lot of my ideas. So I talk to a lot of people in my DMs with great stories, and that's the inspiration behind a lot of the content that I create now. But TikTok is always going to be my first love in the world of video, because that's where video really became popular.

SM: Did you have experience with this kind of stuff before? Were you into sketches beforehand, or is it just because you watched TikTok so much and you just got into it?

KK: I've always loved just to create in general. It has always been in me, but it's one of those things that's so weird to do to a regular person. I live in the Midwest, people aren't here trying to learn how to act, or... It's a very strange concept to a lot of people, especially the people that I surround myself with. But I mean, even at a young age, I would create videos and skits with my best friend, and I would edit them when I was so young, in the '90s, when it wasn't even that cool. So I feel like it's just this passion that has always been in me. And now that I'm older, I just care a lot less about what other people think. I've just leaned into it. Yeah.

SM: What is the goal for you?

KK: I always just want to continue to connect. I mean, my biggest thing is just connecting with people and bringing the comedy to the parenting space. Because I think, especially with young kids, parenting is just all about survival, and I think comedy is what keeps me sane. I'm hoping that I'm bringing that to other people, and I want to continue to do that in some way. So my big goal would be to bring my humor to other spaces eventually. I love TikTok and Instagram, and I think I can reach a really wide range of people, but I want to find other opportunities to bring it into as many areas as I can, because I think it really resonates and it's like group therapy in a way.

SM: Have you had any good conversations with your mother as a result of the videos? Have you had a situation where you film something, it's definitely a joke and she sees it that way, but it's like, "Actually, there are some undertones to this that maybe we should talk about"?

KK: I think something we talk about a lot that's so different with the Boomer generation is the concept around dieting and food. And I think that has changed a lot with the millennial generation, at least I hope it does. And there are a lot of themes, too, where we're changing the narrative, but that to me is one of the standout topics that comes up a lot, where Boomers were under a lot of pressure to be on diets all the time. I never knew a world where my mom wasn't on a diet, and that's something I talk to her about, too. It'll come up in my skits, but then I'm like, "That's something I want to change for my kids. I don't want my daughter to think that she always needs to be on a diet her entire life."

SM: That's interesting. Is your feed curated to similar funny people, or what's your MO for Instagram?

KK: It's a good question. I'm trying to think of who the standouts are. Yes, I am all about comedy, following other parents, but also just general comedy. It's hard to say with TikTok, because you just get served those hilarious candid moments that aren't necessarily one creator. Oh, I really like Shawna The Mom, she's hilarious and very similar. She has that skit format, but hers is more long-form. She's really good at storytelling, which I think really resonates, and especially with, again, my generation.

SM: You like to laugh and your Instagram feed is curated for laughter.

KK: Oh, of course. I think it just goes back to the theme of the world is dark enough. If I am going to be consuming something on the internet, I want it to be comedy. And that's what I want to put back out into the world, too, because there's enough news, enough dark stuff that it can bring you down pretty quickly.

SM: How do you unwind at the end of the day? If you're not filming, you're not working out, with your kids, are you reading? Are you watching TV? Are you just playing games on your phone? What's your preferred method of chilling out?

KK: I mean, I wish I was reading. That would be the cool thing to say, reading a book. But unfortunately it's probably just scrolling on TikTok, sadly enough.

SM: I only just started reading books again. My kids are now 9 and 12; I think I only started reading books again two years ago.

KK: OK, that makes me feel hopeful for my future, because I would love to get back into reading. It's almost like my brain doesn't have the capacity for it at the end of the day. So I'm like, ‘You know what? All I can do is watch these 30-second videos.’

SM: Once your kids are in school is when you start to read again. Then you’re like, "OK, now I can actually lead by example and actually read for 20 minutes."

KK: I would love that.

SM: So do you watch TV or do you not have time for TV?

KK: Yes, I do watch TV. I am unfortunately a really big reality TV person. I really like Bravo. Also, I love a good documentary. So if I'm watching TV, it's usually reality TV or documentary.

SM: What's the most ridiculous piece of parenting advice you ever got or have gotten so far?

KK: Oh, my gosh. This is when I was a new mom. My baby had reflux, so I had to hold him all the time. And I remember posting about it, and someone was like, "Oh, if you hold your kid too much, you're going to spoil them. You shouldn't be holding them, just put them down. Why don't you just put him down?" And I remember that going straight to my head, because I was like, "Wait, really?" because I was a new mom. And now in hindsight, I'm like, "No, he was a literal baby. He needed me." He literally does not know he has reflux, and he'll scream if I put him down. So yeah, I remember that one being a big one that stuck with me.

SM: Yeah, that'll do it for sure.

KK: Yeah, there's a lot of crazy advice out there.

SM: There is a lot of crazy advice out there, and I feel like as long as you can have a sense of humor about it, but like you said, being a new parent, you don't ever think of it that way. Months later, you're like, "Wait, that's insane."

KK: 100%. I think when you're in it, especially in the newborn stage, you have no sanity or common sense, so you rely a lot, and I probably over-relied on other people's advice on what people said and their opinions rather than just my gut. And again, I think that is also just going back to the question around when my Instagram took off, it was probably around then really when I was having kids and I was using comedy to stay sane and actually laugh at myself, because I was absolutely insane. I went insane for a while there. There's a new stage at every stage of parenting, and there's always something ridiculous to laugh about.

SM: So you probably don't go out for karaoke much, but if you did, what would be your go-to karaoke song?

KK: My go-to karaoke song is Justin Bieber "Baby" with Ludacris in it. That's my go-to song, for better or worse.

SM: It's a really good song. Well, I have my last question: You are on death row, what is your last meal?

KK: Oh, man, you are coming at me with the hard hitters, though.

SM: I’m really sorry.

KK: I can't just answer that. There's too much good food in the world. I mean, you're asking me in the morning, so I'm probably at waffles and a latte. Yeah, I feel like that's my answer.

SM: That's a pretty good answer.

KK: Best and final.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.