2,422 videos 1,389,747,653 views US Joined Aug 30, 2018
Charlie Kirk is the Founder and President of Turning Point USA, the largest and fastest growing conservative youth activist organization in the country with over 250,000 student members, over 150 full-time staff, and a presence on over 2,000 high school and college campuses nationwide. Charlie is also the Chairman of Students for Trump, which aims to activate one million new college voters on campuses in battleground states in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election. His social media reaches over 100 million people per month and according to Axios, he is one of the "top 10 most engaged" Twitter handles in the world. He is also the host of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” which regularly ranks among the top news shows on Apple podcast charts.
Charlie Kirk and Blake Neff Break Down the Viral Saratoga Water Morning Routine Craze
Charlie Kirk and Blake Neff dissect the viral Saratoga water and banana morning routine video that racked up 750 million views, discussing why the absurdly elaborate influencer ritual resonated across the internet. From dunking faces in ice water to rubbing banana peels on skin, they explore the phenomenon of performative morning routines and the culture of LA influencers. Kirk and his team even created their own parody versions, with Blake's daily routine featuring multiple workouts, endless diet sodas, and impromptu history lectures at the Turning Point office.
A morning routine video featuring Saratoga water and bananas has taken the internet by storm, accumulating a staggering 750 million views. Charlie Kirk and his team at Turning Point USA gathered to discuss this cultural phenomenon that has captivated audiences across all political spectrums. The video, which originated on Instagram before exploding on X (formerly Twitter), depicts an influencer going through an elaborately staged morning routine that spans over four hours of seemingly mundane activities.
Kirk expressed amazement at the video's reach, noting it surpassed even the most viral Donald Trump posts during the election cycle. The group questioned whether any tweet had ever broken a billion views before, speculating this one might be the first. What makes this particular video so compelling is its documentation of absolutely nothing of substance—a man waking up at 3:53 AM, removing tape from his mouth, and proceeding through multiple workouts, journaling sessions, and ritualistic behaviors that serve no apparent productive purpose.
The Anatomy of Performative Wellness
The viral video showcases what Kirk's team identified as the ultimate fake influencer lifestyle. The subject, described as being built like Hercules, performs three separate workouts in a highly inefficient manner. He begins by dunking his face in water, proceeds to swimming, does calisthenics, runs wind sprints in an empty parking lot, and then showers. Throughout the routine, someone is constantly filming or handing him items, raising questions about the authenticity of the supposed "morning routine."
Blake Neff pointed out that while similar female influencer content has circulated for years, this represents one of the first male versions to achieve such massive viral status. The video's humor lies in its extended time stamps—spending four minutes in the air while diving into a pool, laboriously putting on a shirt only to immediately remove it for exercise, and consuming endless amounts of Saratoga water paired with bananas.
Banana Peels and Pseudoscience
One of the most memorable moments involves the influencer rubbing banana peels on his face. The Turning Point team debated whether it was the peel or the actual banana, eventually confirming through research that rubbing banana peels on skin supposedly offers benefits like reducing wrinkles, brightening skin, and soothing skin conditions due to antioxidants and vitamins. Kirk skeptically noted this information likely comes from AI sources that could be hallucinating data.
During their discussion, Kirk himself experimented with the banana peel technique, describing it as feeling like lotion on his skin, though noting it didn't taste very good. The group speculated about collagen content in bananas and whether this was related to the skincare ritual. Jack Posobiec joked about whether this was "the secret to Black skin" and why "it don't crack," leading to humorous banter about the efficacy of such unconventional beauty treatments.
The Parody Response
The viral nature of the original video spawned countless parodies, with personalities like Michael Knowles creating their own versions. Blake Neff produced his own daily routine video that the team screened during the discussion. His parody featured making boba tea every morning, exercising at maximum intensity on every machine while still in dress clothes at the Turning Point gym, standing aimlessly on balconies, dunking his face in properly hand-stirred ice water, reading books about Ming China, and making multiple trips to QuikTrip for the largest possible diet sodas.
Neff's version also included pilfering Diet Dr. Pepper from Turning Point Action, face-down naps on the couch, and impromptu lectures about Japanese history and the Civil War to anyone who would listen. Kirk praised the parody as hilarious and noted it accurately captured Blake's actual daily habits at the Turning Point office, where he genuinely does appear and start discussing obscure historical topics unprompted.
The Cultural Origins
Jack Posobiec provided context for the morning routine meme, tracing it back 25 years to the original American Psycho film based on the Bret Easton Ellis novel. The movie's famous morning routine scene featuring Patrick Bateman (played by Christian Bale) has become a cultural touchstone, spawning countless "Sigma male" edits on TikTok. Posobiec noted the irony that many of these edits miss the point that Patrick Bateman is actually a serial killer, not a role model.
The discussion highlighted how this 25-year-old cultural reference has evolved into contemporary influencer culture, particularly in Los Angeles and Miami. The team speculated the original viral video subject must be from LA, as only someone in that environment would create such content. The professional influencer appears to be a self-help coach who has built a career around this type of aspirational lifestyle content.
The Reality of Morning Routines
The conversation shifted to the team's actual morning habits and philosophies. Posobiec revealed he's genuinely a morning person who loves getting up early, considering it almost a superpower to be awake before everyone else. He shared that since childhood, including his Catholic school days, he's laid out everything needed for the morning so he can execute his routine efficiently.
In contrast, Kirk admitted he's not naturally a morning person and would much rather stay up late than get up early. He prioritizes sleep as a hidden ingredient for memory and mental acuity, preferring to get 8-10 hours when possible. He noted that doing the morning show requires him to recalibrate his natural tendencies, but emphasized the benefits of adequate sleep for aging and cognitive function, pointing to a six or seven-year-old photo showing he ages well due to prioritizing sleep and avoiding alcohol.
The Science of Sleep and Productivity
Blake Neff shared his experience as a writer, revealing he's most productive and sharp late at night, often doing his best work after midnight. This creates a problematic cycle where he'll ride a creative wave until 3:00 AM, still have to wake up at 7:00 or 7:30, and then be exhausted the next day. He sometimes has to reset by going to bed at 8:00 PM to break the destructive pattern.
The team discussed how some historical figures like Napoleon could function perfectly well on just three to four hours of sleep, but noted that far more people claim this ability than actually possess it. They agreed that while some brag about getting by on minimal sleep as a form of fake toughness, the reality is that for most people, chronic sleep deprivation fries the brain and reduces effectiveness over time.
Time Management and Elite Performance
The conversation touched on time management as an underappreciated superpower of highly effective people. Blake referenced philosopher Immanuel Kant, who maintained the same daily routine with remarkable consistency, spending about four hours a day on his writing but doing so every single day. Similarly, Stephen King has written 65 published books (over 90 publications total) not by writing 16 hours a day, but by consistently hitting five to six hours of writing and a specific page count every single day.
This workmanlike consistency allows for the production of several thousand pages per year, resulting in multiple novels, short stories, and essays annually. The team agreed this approach—focused, consistent daily effort rather than sporadic marathon sessions—represents the actual working style of most genuinely productive people, contrary to the performative grinding culture promoted by influencers.
The Geographic Challenge of Time Zones
The discussion addressed challenges facing West Coast residents, particularly regarding the daylight saving time debate. Kirk and Blake noted the difficulty of being late-night people on the West Coast when the East Coast is already conducting business early in the morning. They would have to wake up by 5:30 or 6:00 AM to catch East Coast activity, despite staying up late for West Coast events and responsibilities.
Blake shared an advantage from his Daily Caller days: staying up extremely late on the East Coast meant encountering late-night news that was actually tomorrow morning's news, allowing him to write it up and be ahead of the news cycle. Kirk acknowledged always being in the middle of the next morning's news cycle due to his schedule, though the effect was less pronounced in Arizona than it would be on the East Coast itself.
The Breakfast Debate
The team unanimously agreed on being "no breakfast" people. Kirk argued the evidence has come in: people are overweight, and the best way to cut calories is to skip breakfast. Extending the fasting window provides health benefits, and eating the most calories in the middle of the day while tapering down on both ends leads to better sleep since the body isn't digesting food at night.
Kirk also noted breakfast feels like a waste of time, especially since parents already have to make breakfast for their children. He emphasized waking up as late as possible to survive, questioning why anyone would voluntarily wake up even earlier just to prepare and eat breakfast. The consensus reflected a broader critique of the performative morning routine culture—that much of it represents unnecessary ritual rather than genuine productivity or health benefits.
