The Wonderful World of Pookie & Jett
By Emma Foley
The phrase, “Pookie’s lookin’ fire,” lives rent free in the girlies’ heads. We know immediately to whom the quote is attributed, and that is a testament to the impact the viral TikTok couple, Pookie and Jett, has had on our culture.
For those who have still not tasted their luxurious lifestyle content, Campbell Hunt Puckett, a.k.a. Pookie, and her husband, Jett Puckett, are the social media sensation of the year. Campbell had experienced the limelight as a micro-influencer for women’s fashion and beauty products a few years ago. Her star exploded, however, with Jett’s commentary contributions to her Outfit Of The Day (OOTD) videos.
Seemingly always in Paige jeans, Jett in each video watches his wife in awe as she shares what and who she’s wearing to the steakhouse, the racetrack, or that morning’s Sunday service. Jett presents, in his distinctive southern twang, his newest term of endearment for Campbell: Palm Beach Pookie, Quintessentially Classy Pookie, and the Pookinator.
Somehow, these ridiculous videos went viral. The couple’s rapid rise to fame makes you wonder whether someone is pulling the algorithm strings and sending the Atlanta couple’s “fit checks” directly to every feed. Their joint videos catapulted Campbell’s career, and the cultural effect has been a net positive. People worldwide want to know: Who are Pookie and Jett?
As much as their taste in clothes, viewers have indulged in their love story, which is refreshingly old-fashioned. They met at a wine bar in Philadelphia in 2015. Campbell was a flight attendant for American Airlines, and Jett was enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania’s dual J.D./M.B.A. program. What unfolded has been retold across E! News, People, The Cut, virtually everywhere.
Jett walked up to the prettiest girl in the bar and the two hit it off, chatting about Southeastern Conference football— UGA vs. Ole Miss, to be exact. Jett asked Campbell on a date the following week, to which she was a little more than fashionably late, as her flight to Philadelphia was delayed. Jett was left stranded at the table for over an hour and a half. Still, he waited. Campbell eventually arrived, and the rest was history. Within six months the two were engaged, and in April 2018, they married.
Six years later, Jett is a partner at McLerran & Associates. Campbell, who began her blog You Should Wear That in 2017, is now able to commit to fashion and influencing full time. Back in January, when their celebrity took off, the Pucketts appeared to have it all: sizable property in Georgia, free-flowing gifts and glasses of champagne, and a calendar full of date nights and European excursions.
And although they seem satisfied, Pookie & Jett knew one thing was missing— something that cannot come wrapped in Hermès orange or Tiffany Blue. On almost every Puckett post, a similar comment is bumped toward the top by the concurring clicks of fellow users: “I wanted to hate these people, but I can’t. I keep coming back for more.”
Sure, the couple is materialistic; virtually every post will make you want to acquire some designer item or secure a reservation at the Pucketts’ favorite glam restaurant. But Jett defies the miserly stereotype forged by his fellow financiers, and (maybe minus the nicknaming) he’s the dreamy, doting husband in a young girl’s fairytale. He is seemingly never without a date night planned, flowers for the vase, or words of affirmation for his queen.
In the influencer field, Pookie leaves an impression that sets her apart. She’s the unassuming star of every brand trip, where fellow travelers laud her as gracious and sweet. Just picture the PR departments scurrying to get their products to the woman who has captured the hearts of millions of followers across platforms in such a brief period of time— and who is, simultaneously, a pleasure to work with.
But besides selling the world dresses from Lulu’s, the Pucketts’ posts sell something deeper. Beneath the Birkin and the balloons, the Pucketts are selling marriage and family. Know it as “normality,” “aspiration,” or “pure fairytale,” Jett and Campbell’s lifestyle counters those of other social media personalities. Marriage, when done well, is attractive— hence, millions of followers. A happily married couple is good for America to see.
Better yet, now that Jett has announced his wife’s new title change—from Princess Pookie to Pregnant Princess Pookie— followers are itching to meet their child.
Pookie and Jett’s approach to sharing pregnancy is culturally beneficial as well. Campbell is one of several in the influencer sphere to bring life into the world in 2024. Between Sofia Richie in May and Hailey Bieber in August, we’re in an it-girl baby boom. No matter how online her career is, or who she’s married to, no woman owes the public pregnancy updates.
Since her announcement on June 23, a down-to-earth Campbell has kept her engaged followers very generously in the loop. The first thing the duo did after finding out Pookie was pregnant? They went to Waffle House. Pookie’s first trimester was not easy; she suffered nausea almost constantly, she shares in Instagram videos, resulting in her inability to travel with other influencers as the summer beauty and fashion season heated up. Campbell’s facial melasma flared up as well, and when looking flawless on-camera is her job, one can imagine the discomfort. She reports with a chuckle the unexpected changes to her body, both internal and external. “It’s gotten wider for sure!”
The couple experienced what Campbell referred to as a “little bit of a scare” early in the pregnancy, and she now has extra appointments with a specialist to make sure the baby is okay. Her second trimester was more stable, and Campbell shared she felt more like herself. She was able to travel to France on a brand trip with Revolve, host a barbecue with friends, go antiquing with Jett, and enjoy a trip to the drive-thru. While carrying this “blessing,” she calls her daughter or son (yet to be announced), she’s embracing it all: the good, the bad, the ugly, and especially the increase in appetite. That’s one area where Jett knows he can excel. Whether he’s bringing his wife a cheesesteak in a Philly hotel room or cooking pasta in the kitchen, Jett is keeping Pookie— and the baby— well fed.
The stream of content has remained steady, and Jett showers his wife with even more compliments than before, telling her she has never been more beautiful than she is now, carrying their child. Jett’s behavior has received peanut-gallery criticism from people who believe it will lead men to expect high praise for minimal gestures of love. When an Instagram reel shows Jett bringing his wife Chick-fil-a breakfast in bed, Internet gremlins slam the entire male species for the credit he receives.
“The standard is on the floor,” say the comments section cynics.
These TikTokers have a point: In the United States, husbands and fathers are not meeting the most basic expectations. Women, for a host of reasons, struggle to find, attract, or keep accountable men who promise to take care of them and their children. America is suffering a crisis of fatherlessness. In 2023, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 17.8 million American children—one in four—live without a father present in the home. Not having a dad around is directly linked to a greater risk of poverty, criminal behavior, narcotics abuse, and school dropouts in kids.
So, yes, the standard for fathers is on the floor. Excellence in the same category deserves celebration. Jett is active in his wife’s pregnancy, shining in his role as a protective father and loving husband as his child develops in utero. When able, he attends Campbell’s regular appointments with the obstetrician, and when he is away on business, she sends him videos of the ultrasounds.
According to his wife, he teared up after seeing his baby’s face on the screen. And kudos to him, he has not forsaken his marriage or traded in date night for nursery painting or crib construction. In the near-impossible balancing act between professional, personal, and paternal life, Jett is determined to keep every plate spinning.
Even still, once the Puckett skeptic has exhausted himself, his next criticism of the couple is a projection of what horrible things might be going on behind-the-scenes. All this love and affection, he claims, is too good to be true!
Remember the Deckers? The Gosselins? Dare I mention…the Duggars?! And so goes his screed, calling to mind a litany of on-screen-couples-past that, while appearing promising post-production, led to the ultimate disappointment of viewership and followings. Pookie and Jett are not bothered by these pessimistic prognoses of their relationship. That they take the hate in stride shows their personal and marital security. More vulnerable than sharing a marriage so openly is sharing a pregnancy, to the extent that many celebrities choose not to.
We call them “influencers” for a reason. They leave a mark on the consumer. Throughout her journey and into motherhood, the message Pookie has portrayed for moms will be more important than sharing a feeding routine or her nursery reveal: Pregnancy is not always pretty, but it’s always beautiful.
“I have to pinch myself to believe that this is even real,” Pookie says, “and that I’m carrying this blessing.”
Emma Foley is a content manager at National Review and former digital managing editor for the Howie Carr Radio Network. She grew up in Pennsylvania, but after graduating from Boston College, she decided to make Massachusetts her new home.
