A growing number of TikTok creators are reinterpreting the influencer lifestyle as though it takes place in medieval times, complete with repurposed slang and satirical livestreams. At the forefront of the medieval influencer or ‘KnightTok’ trend is content creator and actress Lauren Payton (@poppylaur on Instagram and TikTok), whose videos feature her acting as a noblewoman responding to lovers and haters in old-timey English—and have inspired others to follow her lead in their imaginings.
Payton’s catchphrase “Tis my jester” has become a sort of rallying cry for the KnightTok subgenre, combining historical cosplay with modern social media formats such as ‘Get Ready With Me’ (GRWM).
The KnightTok trend sees u
In a series of videos that have drawn millions of views across both platforms, Payton imagines the mannerisms of a character she told the Daily Dot via email was heavily inspired by Pampinea of the Netflix series The Decameron.
@poppylaur What should her name be? 🐇 lips: @Winky Lux pink opal balm + pink opal lip oil face: @Huda Beauty faux filter concealer blush: @winkylux cheeky rose “lovely” + @OFRA Cosmetics, LLC midi palette cheeky glow mascara: @Benefit Cosmetics bad gal bang “plum” 🐇 #wlw #sapphic #girlslikegirls ♬ Celtic Flashy Celtic Music – Masucu
“Good day lords and ladies,” Payton says in her first installment of the series. “Thank you for thine rose. Who has called me a wench in the chat?”
The hecklers have sparked a catchphrase for Payton in this series: “‘Tis my jester.” Common slang is also substituted for old-fashioned replacements, like “assembly” as opposed to “chat.”
Why livestreaming like it’s the medieval era is resonating with modern audiences
For Payton, it was the creation of a medieval headdress—a double hennin—for a birthday photoshoot. The hat was “too fabulous to gather dust on a shelf,” she wrote via email, and so the medieval influencer series was born.
“I popped it on, sat in front of my vanity, and immediately was like ‘Oh, I need to see this diva’s GRWM,’” Payton wrote.
From television media to fashion, the medieval vibe has been on the rise in popular culture. A report from CBC points to a late 2024 performance of “Good Luck Babe” by Chappell Roan in which the artist is dressed in chain mail as a touchpoint of growing interest in medieval inspiration, with predictions that the resurgence will reach farther than that particular stage.
Right in line with the popularity of cottagecore, people are looking for ways to slow down in a fast-paced world—way down.
Are these KnightTok videos historically accurate?
Most definitely not—and for creators, this is half the joy. While the style and delivery of medieval-ish storylines and turns of phrase are part of the fun, getting it 100% accurate is not necessarily the goal.
“People love to (kindly) correct my grammar in the comments, but the truth is oftentimes I’m using the wrong grammar because it sounds funnier to me,” Payton wrote. “I’m not going for accuracy, but rather what sounds silliest to me.”
Funny or not, viewers took the grammar aspect quite seriously.
“‘Thine’ is used before a vowel, ‘thy’ is used before a consonant,’” one pedantic commenter wrote. “e.g. thy face vs thine eyes ; thine is also ‘yours’ as in ‘is this thine(yours)?’”
That does not mean there are not aspects that harken back to a time long ago, as some viewers have keenly observed.
As one commenter described it, “Jesters very often got away with indirectly insulting nobility under the guise of entertainment.”
Viewers latched on to the quick substitutions for modern slang; for instance “moatkeeping” in place of “gatekeeping” is quite popular.
Taking on new life
Inspired by Payton’s series, user @rich.g4rbage created their own interpretation of a wench chatting with her adoring public, over a meal inspired by Spain’s latest conquest.
“Who has said I eat like a hog?” @rich.g4rbage asks in the video. “Mhmm, ’tis my jester. Mine chef ’tis the best in the entire land.”
@rich.g4rbage I can’t remember her name but that one girl who’s been posting the medieval livestreams lives rent free in my head
♬ Celtic Flashy Celtic Music – Masucu
@rich.g4rbage did not respond to the Daily Dot regarding their video.
Viewers were quick to get on-theme in the comment section.
“Thy doth maketh me laugh, tis a joy to witness thine humor!” one viewer wrote.
Some even asked for cottage tours and other medieval adaptations of trappings of the influencer lifestyle.
While there’s plenty for the ladies, there’s some for the lords too. Knighttok—you guessed it, modern dudes dressed in chainmail—has also entered the assembly.
@iron_and_ash_ This may be the worst thing I’ve ever created (also yes I know I said leather gauntlets when they are in fact bracers. It’s part of the bit) . . . #knight #influencer #satire #knightcore #fantasy #medievaltiktok #knightposting #grwm #cosplay ♬ sonido original – SONIDOS LARGOS
One video from user @iron_and_ash_ is a GRWM video detailing the outfitting of a proper knight. @iron_and_ash_ did not respond to the Daily Dot before publication time.
“The chainmail is my least favorite part too, I get you,” a sympathetic would-be knight wrote.
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