Squirrels are truly amazing creatures and Derrick Downey Jr. seems to be their biggest fan. He became a viral sensation after building a tiny home for his squirrels Richard and Maxine and they’re now living their best life by each other’s side.
Downey Jr. is now followed by 850,000 people on TikTok and 370,000 more on Instagram, and his rise to prominence started long before he became a self-proclaimed “squirrel whisperer”. The aspiring model and entertainer initially posted funny music-related videos before, but his content changed once he welcomed squirrels Richard and Maxine into his home.
“The bond that I have with Richard and Maxine and all the other neighborhood squirrels is something that has been fostered for years… There’s some type of connection there,” he told Architectural Digest.
His social media channels experienced a huge boom when he chronicled a journey of building a squirrel home for Richard and Maxine. He really went all in to make sure this squirrel duo has everything they need and built a home that comes with a makeshift fireplace, balcony, cozy-looking couch, and a flat-screen TV.
Despite the fact he’s mostly posting about squirrels these days, Downey Jr. enjoys adding pop culture-themed content to the mix, so we’ve seen Richard and Maxine watch Rihanna’s Super Bowl performance and enjoy Beyonce’s latest album Renaissance.
