No one really wants to think about what happens when they die, but people on TikTok would say they have a pretty good idea. When they get to heaven, it’s not an angel who greets them. Instead, it’s Denise, heaven’s bathrobe-wearing, gum-chewing receptionist. Denise is a character created by Taryn Delanie Smith, a. content creator and 2022’s Miss New York as well as the runner-up in the Miss America pageant, and her lighthearted and uplifting videos are helping grieving users around the world.
In her TikTok videos, Smith as Denise chats away on the phone and files her nails before turning to deal with “customers” (i.e. newly deceased people showing up for their admission to heaven). She shares a bit of workplace gossip and cheerily lets you know what heaven has to offer once you’re in (a free margarita bar is a highlight). Denise is also has a wonderful bedside manner, comforting those who are upset about their arrival at the pearly gates. It’s decidedly heartwarming content that goes far beyond simple viral videos.
@taryntino21 SO MANY requests for Jerry Springer!! Like hundreds. As well as SO MANY requests for a Tammy update. #heaven #receptionist here are both!
♬ Saxophone Jazz band live music at a cool and nice cafe(1024018) – ricca
Taryn Delanie Smith has experience working as a receptionist in her real life, though she now has more than 1.2 million TikTok followers and is able to make a living via social media. However, those days working in a call center to put herself through a master’s degree in international communication definitely helped her create a believable character in Denise.
In addition to Denise’s delightful personality, fans of her videos also love the amount of detail Smith puts into the clips. For instance, heaven offers an Angel Premium Plus package, but you need to have completed 7,899 good deeds in order to qualify. Denise also has gossip about Jackie Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe meeting in heaven’s nail salon that viewers love and that keeps them hooked and coming back for more.
Sometimes Smith even takes requests, with Denise having greeted many people specifically by name in some of her videos. These names come to her via private messages from people who’ve lost loved ones and are struggling to heal. While she can’t always read every message that comes through because they’re too painful, she does try to accommodate as many requests as possible.
@taryntino21 Ignore the makeup on my collar i know i need to get my heavenly robes cleaned. #denise #heaven #receptionist
“I’m actually very spiritual. I believe in this stuff. I’ve lost people that I talk to all the time,” she told NPR. “Because love just doesn’t … it can’t go away. It’s too big. When you love somebody the way my mom loves me, the way I love my friends, it can’t be contained in this boring earthly body.
Taryn Delanie Smith has found a magic combination: humor and empathy. By combining the two with heaven’s receptionist Denise, she provides levity and much-needed comfort to TikTokers who watch her videos. Given that at least 37 million of them have on TikTok alone, it’s clear she’s making a difference.
@taryntino21 Someone in Michigan is having a horrible 2023 #heaven #receptionist
