Atelston Fitzgerald Holder 1st is a cringe-star of the Youtube world. Better known as Mr. Pregnant, Atelston is actively pursuing a career in comedy. His presence is divisive, as many fans as he has, many hate-watch his work. But who really is Atelston Fitzgerald Holder 1st? Though Atelston has hundreds of videos, as his character and apparently as himself, no one is quite sure where the man ends and the joke begins.
The new documentary The Mythical Journey of: AFH1st shows that we are all the heroes of our own story. Inspired by Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth, the brief history of Atelston Fitzgerald Holder 1st and his journey to become a comedian is told. Assembled from Atelston’s videos, the documentary asks a fundamental question about who we are and how we’re mean to interact with the world.
At the heart of Atelston’s journey is a desire to find love and respect. His comedy stems from a desire to be noticed, though he has decided he wants to discard his buffoonish character and be loved for who he is. Casting aside his Mr. Pregnant is the first step in a journey that will bring his closer than ever to his fans and have him confront new challenges he never even considered.
The struggles that Atelston experiences are incredibly heartfelt, but are never quite easy to absorb. His ability to shift, his mood and his personality at any moment always lends his videos an edge of uncertainty. His presence on several podcasts and videocasts similarly confuse his identity. In one in particular, he got himself invited on Jake Cannon’s ‘What I Hate About You’ and as Jake persists in asking him “why he can’t turn off his persona”, after nearly 20 minutes of evasion, Atelston starts crying. Is this a real moment of frustration, or just another part of the facade?
There is dignity in the way that The Mythical Journey of: AFH1st treats its subject. It does not make any judgements, allowing the videos and Atelston to speak for itself. It reveals a fragmented identity motivated by a need for love, one that we can all relate to.
Check out more of Mr. Pregnant on his Youtube channel
Check out more videos from Chico ‘Alice’ Peres on Youtube
Beyond the Red Room 