YY Comedian claims people who cry on social media have low self-esteem
By Steve Ireri, September 15, 2025Stand-up comedian and digital content creator Oliver Otieno, widely known as YY Comedian, has claimed that people who cry on social media often struggle with low self-esteem.
Speaking during an interview with Shiksha Arora on Monday, September 15, 2025, YY said that individuals who turn to social media to express their sorrows are usually seeking validation and that their actions reflect underlying insecurity.
He added that the act of recording one’s emotions online changes the way people process those emotions, making it less about genuine expression and more about performance.
“People who come to social media to cry, weep, and share their concerns are most of the time the ones creating the problems. They are usually seeking validation, and it also reflects a certain level of low self-esteem,” YY said.
He explained that when a person begins to share a story while crying and realises the recording did not capture it, they must regroup, compose themselves, and start over.
According to him, this repetition shifts the focus from emotional release to maintaining appearances, which, in his view, underscores the low self-esteem behind the act.
“Of course, it cannot be a genuine way of releasing emotions if you are recording it. It does not look authentic when, for example, I have a camera in front of me and start telling a story while crying, and then I realise it was not recording. Will I start crying again, or will I try to sort it out and get frustrated that it was not recording?”
He noted that crying for an audience cannot serve as a true outlet for feelings because the presence of a camera alters the emotional experience.
YY Comedian emphasised that the behaviour is often more about how others perceive them than about dealing with personal struggles.
“When you start to sort it out, you have to compose your emotions first before going back to cry, and I think that changes everything,” YY added.
Kenyan trends
YY’s claim comes just weeks after he went viral for making light of how quickly Kenyans adopt and overuse catchphrases like “Tell Me Why” on social media.
In a video shared on his TikTok on Sunday, July 20, 2025, the comedian playfully criticised how the phrase has taken over everyday conversations, with Kenyans using it in every situation, whether it fits or not.
He joked that Kenyans have a habit of “burning words” once they go viral, saying the current obsession with “Tell Me Why” is no different.
“Did I not tell you that when Kenyans fall in love with one word, that word faces fire?” he teased.
“Right now, it is ‘Tell Me Why’. You will hear someone say, ‘I have just gotten into the office; tell me why the cleaner is still cleaning. I am out here for lunch; tell me why it is so cold.’ Tell me why!” he added.
YY then predicted that this latest trend would not last long, suggesting that in less than a week, the phrase would lose its charm and anyone using it would sound outdated.
“I have given that word for one week. By next week, using it will sound like you never went to school,” he added.