Some people are influencers. Some people are celebrities. And then there’s Tana Mongeau: a full-blown internet time capsule from the golden age of YouTube.
When Tulane University Campus Programming Direction x Comedy brought Tana to Tulane, I was hoping it would like the 2016 YouTube videos I watched growing up, when storytimes were unhinged, Facetune was aggressive, and the internet was held together by drama between people like Shane Dawson, Jeffree Star, and James Charles.
Mongeau didn’t disappoint.
She immediately launched into stories about growing up in Las Vegas, which honestly explains a lot. Vegas is a city built on bad decisions, so it makes perfect sense that one of the internet’s most chaotic storytellers would come from there.
Back in the early YouTube days, Mongeau admitted she basically never thought before she spoke. Her channel was built on chaotic storytimes that felt like they had no filter at all: stories about bleaching her hair in ways that went horribly wrong, the infamous night she said she was roofied while visiting New Orleans, and the internet spectacle of her whirlwind wedding to Jake Paul. She just said whatever came to mind and let the internet deal with it later. And somehow, that reckless honesty is exactly what made her so iconic.
While other creators carefully crafted perfect online images, Tana leaned into being completely unfiltered. She didn’t worry much about what people thought, and strangely, that honesty made audiences connect with her even more. Now that she’s older, she says she’s learned to pause and think a little more before speaking, not because she’s trying to become polished, but because she’s found something she never really had before: peace.
I think that is impressive for someone who grew up online with millions of people watching every decision she made.
Most people get to leave their bad relationships in the past. Mongeau can’t avoid hers completely, as old clips of videos with her exes are often recirculated on the internet. Breakups, friendships, mistakes, scandals, it’s all there.
Naturally, this led the moderator into asking her questions about Cancelled, her podcast where she continues her long-standing tradition of refusing to filter herself and honestly, that’s part of what makes Mongeau interesting. Her refusal to stay quiet. She pointed out that society often expects women to tone themselves down and avoid saying things that might make people uncomfortable.
Mongeau built an entire career doing the opposite.
Mongeau isn’t as messy as she used to be, turning down questions about celebrity drama to instead rave about her friendship with youtuber Trisha Paytas, explaining how watching Paytas completely reinvent her life showed Mongeau that people aren’t stuck in their worst moments forever. The internet may never forget, but people are still allowed to grow.
The way she talked about relationships now felt noticeably different from the chaotic dating storytime videos many people associate with her. Mongeau’s romantic life has played out publicly for years from marrying Jake Paul, to the countless storytimes that turned bad dates into YouTube history. Those moments were messy, loud, and very much part of the 2016 internet ecosystem.
Mongeau spoke about her current boyfriend, Makoa Ho, who was backstage at the show, in a way that felt calmer and more grounded. The chaos that once defined her dating life has clearly softened into something more stable. She talked about wanting peace and a relationship that actually supports the person she’s trying to become. She explained that she and her current boyfriend were friends first, which she says helped build a healthier foundation. Mongeau also noted that he has been a supportive part of her sobriety, encouraging the calmer, more established version of herself she’s trying to grow into.
Listening to Mongeau describe her past, you could see the growth in real time.The same internet personality who once turned relationships into viral storytimes now talks about partnership in a way that feels thoughtful and intentional. She also reflected on how many friendships in the influencer world can become transactional – more about meeting up to film content together than actually spending time as real friends. That contrast made the way she described her current relationship feel even more grounded, built less around the internet and more around genuine connection.
One of the most honest moments of the interview came when she discussed sobriety. Mongeau said that in the past, she used alcohol as a coping mechanism and was constantly drunk. She was concerned that others wouldn’t find her funny or entertaining if she wasn’t drunk. Now she’s trying to live differently, and she says she doesn’t think she’ll ever go back (though she emphasized that she is California sober!)
Mongeau explained that she wants to take herself seriously now and actually be proud of what she’s doing. She even mentioned how supportive her boyfriend has been during this stage of her life.
Mongeau also revealed that she’s writing a book, promising there’s a huge part of her story that the internet hasn’t heard yet, especially her childhood-she gave the audience a sneak peek into one of the stories, which, simply put, includes her dad and a little bit of fire
Of course the book will also include iconic internet chapters like Tanacon, the time she married Jake Paul, and the many chaotic moments that somehow became part of YouTube history.
Mongeau also touched on struggling to find brand sponsorships earlier in her career, due to her not-brand-safe party girl image. She mentioned only getting opportunities from sex toy and alcohol brands-a far cry from Medicube and Evryjewels, two of her more recent brand collaborations. One thing she made clear: she never wants to be a sellout. Even as her career evolves, she doesn’t want to lose the personality that made people follow her in the first place.
A highlight of the night was when she talked about some of her favorite viral moments, including the legendary toothbrush story, which still remains one of the most unhinged pieces of YouTube lore ever created. She also joked about paparazzi moments and internet drama.
Tana also explained why she started making videos in the first place. When she was younger, she watched YouTubers because it allowed her to escape into someone else’s life for a while. Eventually she realized she wanted to create that same kind of escape for other people.
By the end of the night, one thing was clear. Tana Mongeau is still exactly what she’s always been: loud, honest, a little chaotic, and incredibly funny.
The only difference now is that she’s a little more reflective and apparently a lot less hungover.
