A Tale of Resilience, Culture, and TikTok Stardom: An Intimate Conversation with Anthony.

Welcome to an episode that promises a journey; a journey of resilience, culture, and the big, wild world of TikTok.  Our guest, Anthony  is an adoptee, a TikTok sensation, and a man with an intriguing life story that proves family is everything.

Anthony's life began with a 15-year-old mother and a foster care stint before he found a loving home with Chaz and his husband. His narrative takes us through a childhood rich in cultural exposure, thanks to the extensive travels with his family, and a privileged upbringing that went beyond toys and Christmases. We also wrestle with the mystery of his origins and roots. As we venture into Anthony's foray into TikTok, you'll hear about the highs of building a platform, the lows of controversy and misinterpretations, and the unwavering support from his father, Chaz, that kept him going. 

Towards the end, Anthony offers a candid discussion about his experiences  and being a happily married man.  Through it all, his gratitude towards his family shines through, serving as the ultimate reminder of familial love's power. So join us as we navigate through life’s highs, lows, and the spaces in-between with Anthony  – an adoptee, a TikTok star, and a captivating storyteller.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:04

Morning bitches and dolls. If no one told you they love you today, then I love you because you are you, and today I'm very excited to have Anthony on. How do you pronounce your last name?

Speaker 2: 0:19

It's Szoł Czenski.

Speaker 1: 0:23

Oh, that's interesting. Was that Polish? Yes, it's Polish. My family's from Poland too.

Speaker 2: 0:30

So okay.

Speaker 1: 0:31

Back in the day, of course, the long time of the last century. Let's just say it like that. So Anthony I'm going to mention is the son of the chasinator, the infamous, who I love so much and I wanted to share in this podcast, because so many people on Tick not so many are just like evil, mean right, you know, even like to me. Today, someone sent me a thing that said they were copying my face and putting it on as stealing someone's husband. Well, okay, I haven't stolen anyone's husband in a long time. Okay, it's been a while since I stole husband, but you know, but they went back to their wife, so, okay. So tell me a little about you. How old are you, If you don't mind me asking?

Speaker 2: 1:21

I'm 29. I'm about to turn 30 on November 25th, so goodbye to my 20s. Is that Thanksgiving? My birthday actually was on Thanksgiving when I was born, but every so often it will be on Thanksgiving, but unfortunately not this year. I don't get the extra privilege of having food for my birthday, so oh, now is it your dad's birthday as well. Yep, it's going to be my dad's birthday as well.

Speaker 1: 1:49

Yep, oh my God, isn't that a bit. I like history. So your dad both your dads adopted you, or you were fostered, I don't know. So just tell me all about you, anthony.

Speaker 2: 2:01

So all the information I gave is based on every little bit of what my father has told me. So he got me into foster care when I was seven and a half months old. I came from, I came from, I came from, I came from. I came from, I came from, I came from, I came from, I came from. I came from from a mother who was exceptionally young. She gave birth to me when she was 15 years old, so she was just a child herself when she gave birth to me. Wow, yeah, and she was going through a rough patch. I think she was addicted to some things that she shouldn't have been. She was involved in some things that, you know, she probably shouldn't have been involved in for that age. And she willingly gave me up, from what I understand, just, you know, to protect me, I guess. But she didn't give me directly to DCFS. She gave me to a family friend of hers, and that family friend kept me for a little bit, but I just want to interrupt you.

Speaker 1: 2:49

What is DFC? Is it DFCS?

Speaker 2: 2:52

What is the DCFS it's the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, so it's like their Illinois Department of Family Services. I guess what had happened, from what I understand, is I ended up getting going to a hospital because I guess I had gotten sick or something was wrong with me at the time that they had taken me to the hospital and the doctors had noticed that I was neglected in some way and they had contacted DCFS to investigate the situation. And it turned out that they were not feeding me meat, they were mostly feeding me carrots and vegetables, and you could see from what I was told that you could tell my skin color was almost orange-like because I was eating so many vegetables and carrots and stuff like that. And so they ended up taking me into custody under the state. And I don't really know how long I was in their custody before I was placed with Chaz. I just know when I was seven and a half months old they ended up placing me with Chaz and Merrick and I had been with them ever since.

Speaker 1: 4:01

So oh, anyways, so that's interesting. Yeah, so tell me about your life growing up with them. I mean, you know, I see him, I've interviewed him on my podcast, which you probably knew, and I interview people that inspire me, people I want to find out more about. So it's not like a movie star, or although I have just recently interviewed one TV actor but you know, I like to interview lots of different people.

Speaker 2: 4:32

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 4:33

So what is it? So you were brought into that home when you were seven and a half months.

Speaker 2: 4:37

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 4:37

Wow, and then so I don't like to say it this way, but I feel, compared to most kids that I grew up with, I actually was a little bit more privileged. Thanks to my parents, I got to see a lot of different things, even at a young age. My parents traveled a lot. When I was younger, we went to almost to this point in my life. I've been to almost every state in the US besides most of the Northeast. I've been to Poland, I've been to Costa Rica. I've been to so many different, amazing external countries that you know.

Speaker 2: 5:16

I feel like my dad, by both my parents, really wanted me to understand that there's a possibility that backtrack a bit. If you haven't noticed, my skin color is a little different than Chaz's. I'm a little bit on the darker side, and for the longest time, my parents have been trying to figure out, okay, what is my origin? Because no one knows who my father is. My mother doesn't even know who he was, so it's been a very huge mystery as to exactly what my national origin is or my culture and background, and so I feel like throughout my life, my parents have been trying to give me the opportunity to experience different cultures that I might possibly be a part of, and so I feel under that I was a bit privileged.

Speaker 2: 5:59

Now, when I was a kid I would get so many toys, like I would have birthdays. We're just always so amazing. Christmases were always so amazing. So growing up, I definitely feel like I was really no different than any other child. The only thing that was different that I didn't quite understand in the young age yet was having two fathers. Wasn't the norm that it was you know I had a friend.

Speaker 2: 6:28

It was crazy because for the longest time I had friends who lived on my street that I grew up with and I used to wonder what the late women who were walking around their house were, because, besides my parents, I had never really encountered mothers, you know. And so growing up the biggest struggle was to understand what a mother was, because I was always confused about it. I never really talked to my parents about it, from what I remember, and I remember I was at a friend's house one time and I had asked him if he was. She was like his family's maid, because my parents had a maid that would come over and she would clean the house a little bit. I asked him if his mom was like his maid or something for the house, and that's the first time I really started understanding what a mother was, because that's what he was telling me no, that's my mom. I was like what's a mom, you know? And he was so shocked about that. But anyway, I'm sidetracking, but anyway, it's your question, so go ahead and freely speak.

Speaker 2: 7:33

Growing up, like I said, I feel like there was nothing different. You know, just because my title as far as being an adopted child compared to just having a mom and dad, you know it didn't make my life any different in my opinion. I mean, like I said, I feel a little bit more privileged than most kids were because of the different things that I got to do growing up going on cruises, traveling to different countries. You know just all those. You know amazing opportunities that I had. Excuse me, my kid is crying in the background.

Speaker 1: 8:01

It's the same, but I don't cry. Sometimes I might cry, yeah, so enjoy, but yeah to answer the question.

Speaker 2: 8:09

Yeah, I definitely felt like I was more privileged and you know, I had an amazing life. It was to me that I didn't feel left out of anything. I still got to go to school dances, I got to take part in sports. Growing up, I played baseball for many years when I was a kid. So, yeah, there was. Everything just seemed normal. You know, nothing seemed out of the ordinary to me.

Speaker 1: 8:29

Now, what do you think about having a father who was TikTok famous?

Speaker 2: 8:33

Well, I'm going to be honest in the beginning I was skeptical because my father had tried to get into the whole, you know, making videos and trying to I don't want to say trying to get famous, but trying to get like his you know message out and his platform, you know, out into the world. And we were younger, he would do this YouTube show that he used to call the game news and review, and I remember he would spend hours upon hours just recording and doing, you know, editing for these. And this is back in like the mid 2000s, you know, before the 2010s, so you know it took longer to do anything as far as you know, editing videos and things like that. And he used to do like radio shows. He had a radio show that I actually was a co-host on for him. Well, I don't even remember when I was like maybe 2011 or something, and I was on there for a little bit. So I've watched him try to get him, you know, get his platform and his message out to the world and, unfortunately, on many occasions it just wasn't successful and I never tried to tell him like he should stop doing it, because I knew that was his passion.

Speaker 2: 9:38

I knew he wanted to do something like that and when he started TikTok last year I was kind of hesitant because in my head I'm like TikTok was to me, at least at the time. I felt it was like for younger people, you know, most people weren't going on there to you know. You know what I mean. So I felt that you know he would be on there and people wouldn't see him, they wouldn't really care for anything that he has to say, especially like the true story situations that he would be you know throughout in the beginning. Because a lot of people I felt, especially like myself as a TikTok user, I don't look for sad stories, like I feel bad for people who you know go through those things, but I was never on there to you know watch a sad story or a true you know story. I like the comedic kind of you know kind of stuff.

Speaker 2: 10:22

So fast forward to now you know him being as popular as he is on TikTok. It's amazing because I know he's been dying to have something like this for so long and to know that he's in a position now where he's really able to spread a message to help people, to do the stuff that he's been wanting to do for as long as I can remember, you know, even going way back, you know. So it's like I'm happy for him. I'm really happy that he has finally the opportunity to really express himself the way that he wants to and, you know, do what he wants to do.

Speaker 2: 10:53

Because for me, watching him try to do it all these years, it just brings some kind of comfort, knowing that he's in a position in his life that we weren't expecting. But at the same time it's like we're happy for it, because now I feel like I can help, you know, with his videos, sometimes like be a part of his stuff going his life and stuff. But yeah, he's, I'm happy for him. It's I. It was unexpected for him to get to the point that he is, but you know, I'm happy for him, I really am.

Speaker 1: 11:22

I love that because that's what happened with me. I really I just went on TikTok to find my grandsons because I haven't seen them in 10 years. So all these other people who consider me their grandmother, their buddy, and I love that and it gives me the opportunity to speak about my platform. You know there's the positives and the negatives. There will be people out there who will hate you, dislike you, don't believe you, whatever.

Speaker 1: 11:50

And that's their issues and their problems with things. Other people will try and steal your identity or stalk you, or you know, I've had a lot of different things, you know so, but that's how it is in the real world, anyway. So you know the difference right Now. Okay, switching gears. You're happily married. How long you marry?

Speaker 2: 12:11

It's now two years. Yeah, it'll be two years. It was two years this last September.

Speaker 1: 12:15

Okay, and you have a couple of kids.

Speaker 2: 12:18

Yep, I got two beautiful little boys. I have a son named Genesis, who is two and a half years old now, and then I have another son whose name is Jack, and he's actually going to be turning one on October 3rd, so he's we're getting close to his birthday.

Speaker 1: 12:34

Like me, Libran. The Libran Libran man are flirts. So I'm just going to say, even the future, just keep an eye out for that, because he's going to flirt.

Speaker 2: 12:43

It's kind of nice because my wife is also an April baby too. She was born on April 12. So, yep, so we get two birthdays to celebrate in April.

Speaker 1: 12:53

Which now wait a minute what your younger one's turning one. On October 3rd you said Yep, okay, and your other baby is.

Speaker 2: 13:01

April 22nd.

Speaker 1: 13:03

Oh, and your wife, yeah. So there you go. That's great. So what do you do in terms of like for your work? If you don't mind me asking you work?

Speaker 2: 13:13

I'm currently in between jobs. Right now, due to some unfortunate circumstances, I'm working and trying to get into a call center kind of job right now. That is a big company I won't throw out the company name but it's a big company around here. But I'm hoping that you know this will be a little, you know something, a new start for my family, because we're looking for, you know, better opportunities anywhere we can find them. So we're hoping this will be a big opportunity.

Speaker 1: 13:41

Okay, well, I'm sending positive vibes to you and your family. I mean really because you know. I just briefly touch on the fact that, for whatever reason you know, people have said that your dad has been like pulling me. I just don't get it, don't believe him. He's like you're using TikTok Bubbie as a shill. I mean, first of all, I'm from Brooklyn, so the and you know, and you you know, don't listen to him and he's like and I'm like, first of all, the only person I ever listened to was my mother, because then he slapped upside the head. So I'm nobody, but I feel like a person has a good message and they're loving and kind, and that then I I believe in them. So what do you think about people trying to like? You know, bring your dad down in Maya. I'm just in general.

Speaker 2: 14:39

For me. I think his message to some people is being misconstrued. I think the interpretation of what his videos are at least some of them is being put out of context. A lot of his videos they try to I hit. He's not first of all, I'm just throwing. He's not a bad person, he's not a racist person, he's not any of that kind of you know in my at all.

Speaker 2: 15:05

I think that people, especially people who are trying to have their own type of platform, I think so. It's like you were saying earlier, people are going to hate. You know, like no matter what you do in life, there's always going to be someone that's going to throw hate, like you, for example, like I'm sure there's people out there, just you know, who want nothing but to throw you down just because you support them. And it's the same like how mom, like you know how the whole mama taught situation is. I'm not sure if I could throw that out, but mama, you know mama taught situation with my dad. You know that everyone on tick tock is trying to throw her down because of the support that he's had.

Speaker 2: 15:40

And for me, I think that you know, for me, as my own opinion, I think people are just they're judging the wrong person here. I think, as far as you know what he throws out, his platform, what he says, there's nothing wrong about it. He saved so many people. There's so many people who look up to him that in people say who he's their favorite. You know and I know like.

Speaker 1: 16:07

I was people's favorite. What are we talking about?

Speaker 2: 16:14

You're a favorite person to in your own way. You know, and that's the thing that I think the issue with tick tock these days is, everyone wants to try to grab everyone's attention in their own way and you know, as far as, like all the different you know, especially with, like, the controversy that has been going on over the course of last week, you know it's everyone's trying to, I think, specifically on that. You know, adoption platform, but you know they're trying to have a message sent out that you know, I think could be different. I think that there's things that they could say, they're seeing that they can do that could really change something, but I think they're trying to just attack him just because, you know, honestly, I don't even know, like, when I watch all these videos and I see all these different things that they're talking about my dad, it's like I don't understand. I don't like they try to point out what it is. They try to show, like what is by. I see you're stealing something from a clip that he's did that has a set completely separate context. You know, and not to anything, what you're talking about, but you're trying to make it look like it's a problem and I don't know, like honestly, like to really answer your question I don't know, like I don't really know how to feel about I have so many opinions in relation to it that you know it's like I mean haters going to hate, I guess you know. But at the same time, it's like you know, leave, like let's leave your topic to your topic. My dad has his own topic. Same, like you have your own type of platform that you're doing.

Speaker 2: 17:45

You know, I'm not saying that anything that people are saying is like as far as, like you know, the whole adoption situation, like I don't feel, you know I support adoptees in every way, like regardless of the situation that they go through, because, because I'm an adoptee and I feel that's, you know, as part of being an adoptee, I feel like in some way, I have to have my voice and support to what they're doing, but at the same time, they're not doing it right. If that makes sense, like to me, I feel they can be doing it not attacking him, not attacking my dad under every single you know way that they can think of, but find a way to make changes. That's just how I feel it's to stop attacking him, stop turning Tim talk into a war zone and make a difference. You know Like I'm always I tell people. You know, like I had a message from somebody in relation to the whole, you know, adoption situation, telling me why am I not, you know, supporting their side and I'm supporting my dad.

Speaker 2: 18:41

And you know, listening to a racist and you know that kind of stuff, and I don't know what to say to them because to me it's like I know my father, I grew up with him, so I know he's not a racist, I know he's not what these people are saying, but at the same time it's like I'm not going to say that I don't support what you guys are trying to say To an adoptee, like I'm not taking them. I hate that they go through the situation that they go through. I feel so terrible that they had to go through those situations, but that's not for me. That's not an excuse to go about attacking someone just because you feel that, because what happened to you should be, you know, expressed towards someone who you don't agree with their views. You don't know how, like how they went about something. So it's it. Take talk has turned into a war zone as far as that conversation goes.

Speaker 1: 19:32

But yeah, you know what can you do?

Speaker 1: 19:35

Yeah, no, I had an experience where I let someone in my life from TikTok that I thought really, you know, I felt sorry for them. They were sick. I felt like you know, they don't have anybody, let me be their friend, and which turned into a crazy situation for me. So I'm I'm really wary of like. When somebody wants to like really get to know me, I prefer, you know, if I get a message from, let's say, a straight guy and I'm straight. But you know, I have. I have the gay, lgbtq plus is my platform and trans, and I can go down the list.

Speaker 2: 20:12

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 20:12

I go. You know what? I'm happily married. I'm not interested in having a relationship. If you're gay I'll definitely talk to you, but it's straight. I'm not going to give you my information. I'm not going to give you my name. I'm not going to give you my number. You know it's kind of like no. So you know, I just have to be careful as well. I'm an old cow. I'm an old. Well, I don't know what the hell they want from this bitch. I'm not going to go to any week of the month. 20, 30 years ago, yeah, even 10, I can understand, but not anymore. Forget about it. You know it's a new world. Well, anthony, is there anything that you want to say? I want to have you on for about another three minutes. Is there anything that you want to say? Your platform Thank you so much for coming on. You know, like a really means the world to me and your dad means the world to me. If I ever get to the Midwest, I'm going to go visit him if he'll have me.

Speaker 2: 21:15

Oh, he will. I know you will.

Speaker 1: 21:18

I'll hang out with him. Oh my God, I would just adore it, but you know anything that you want to say.

Speaker 2: 21:26

The only thing I really want to say to everyone is, if you come to my channel, just you know I'm going to throw out that. I'm not one to get into crazy topics. I like to talk about myself as far as my experiences and my situation, which I only have one video posted right now, so I'm not really too far into the whole, you know tick tock platform thing right now. But you know, for anyone who's interested in you know joining, I hope you know you'll see videos of me and my family because after all this stuff with my dad and the controversy of it, I even trying to touch the topic on my own channel at this point.

Speaker 1: 21:58

Okay, I get it.

Speaker 2: 22:00

You know it's. It's turned into. You know the. To me, the topic is basically just turned into a danger zone and I feel that at this point it's best for me not to even touch it, because originally that's what my platform was going to be about, but at this point it's it's. I have a family that I have to take care of and you know I don't need any type of issues that could threaten my family in any possible way. So hopefully my channel is going to be more let's have fun with my family. Come join us on different. You know adventures and you know stuff like that, but you know life takes hold of things and you know especially me being a young father, and you know everything. It's. It's a. It'll take time, but you know it will just want people know. Don't expect me to be throwing out adoption topics at this point, because it's just not, it's not happening.

Speaker 1: 22:47

But you know I heard your wife singing in one of your videos that I love it.

Speaker 2: 22:52

She's an amazing singer.

Speaker 1: 22:54

He has a beautiful voice, Anthony.

Speaker 2: 22:57

He does. She's amazing mother, she's an amazing woman and I'm excited to take her on my own, you know, to talk journey with me. She eventually is going to have her own stories that she wants to express of her home trauma. I love that.

Speaker 1: 23:08

I love that, you know the world is a better place with your father than it, and with you and your family. So I just want to thank you, anthony. If I could pronounce your last name, might be better. Tell me your last name again Shul Chinsky. Shul Chinsky. Okay, I said right, I love you. Nobody told you they love you today. I love you, anthony, because you're you.

Speaker 2: 23:37

I'll be on later on.

Speaker 1: 23:39

You can find a buy an apple and all the podcasts and those are you. All right, have a great Saturday with the wife and kiddies, and I love you.