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When I heard about TikTok sensation Taryn Delanie Smith, I made a beeline to check her out. Why? Because she is “Denise, Heaven’s Receptionist.”
Denise did not disappoint. She is at turns hilarious and endearing. She dresses in a fluffy white bathrobe, hair wrapped up in a towering towel, sporting enormous earrings. Her backdrop is puffy white clouds in a blue sky. She has a sleek computer where she can check people’s files, clickety-clacking with long, painted nails. A pink disposable razor, stuck in the towel by her ear, serves as her phone headset. Speaking in a New York accent, she is sassy, firm, and caring. When she cracks a joke, she has a wide-open guffaw (HA!) to die for (pun intended). She’s often sipping a large iced latte through a straw, and of course, there’s the chewing gum.
Her repertoire is interesting, such as when she makes references to historical figures who can be pains in the tush. Such as when Napolean wants to “go downstairs” to haunt President Macron (request denied), she quips, “How he got in here baffles me. He’s got such a complex.” Or when Paul Revere composes emails using ALL CAPS. Or when Shakespeare sends an email that’s far too wordy. There is also drama. She recalls the time she and Jackie O. were getting their nails done, and Marilyn walks in. “Oh my god, they were like two cats on a hot tin roof!”
She also comments on who gets in and who doesn’t. Various characters call in or show up, requesting “Premium Angel Plus” status, and she patiently informs them that they don’t qualify and why. To one shady customer, she hands a huge manila envelope: “Here are all your tweets from 2008.” To another, she offers to email him screenshots of his Facebook account. "Cuz that's why."
She also reveals that there are no heavenly rules against admitting folks who are oppressed or judged during their lives for not conforming to certain conservative morals. For example, a caller wants to ensure that her granddaughter does not get into Heaven. Denise pulls up the file, clickety clack, and reports, “I see here, she’s a mother, and she’s done a lot of good deeds. Uh, things are looking good for her. I don’t know why…” The caller cuts in with her argument, which Denise repeats, “…she had a child out of wedlock?” She smirks and continues, “I hope you’re sitting down. HA! Well. We don’t care. HA!” End scene.
Even more interesting, she is making a difference in the emotional lives of her fans, some of whom are newly bereaved. She receives many requests to welcome loved ones who have recently died, and for a lucky few, she posts entertaining yet sensitive videos of her imaginary conversations with them as they approach the Gates of Heaven. Denise affirms the dearly departed’s arrival by greeting them warmly, by name, and assures them they’ll be happy, make friends, have fun, and be taken care of. Denise also offers comforting wisdom. To Leah, who has died suddenly at age 20, she calms any fears with, “There is a lot more to being alive than just living sometimes, cuz up here, you can learn and grow and play. It’s a good situation up here. You feel how warm it is? It’s like that allll the time.” In another post, she hires a new arrival, Nat, 23, as her intern, and “together,” they make the TikTok video for the grieving mother who requested it.
Best of all, Denise informs the dearly departed that they are able to “go downstairs” to visit and check on us, the loved ones left behind. And in a video featuring baby Olivia, Denise assures her (and her bereaved mother) that some day, they will be reunited in Heaven. Be still my heart!
We, the viewers, know that this is make-believe. And yet these videos are so heartwarming and comforting to watch. Why?
Because Denise is offering her viewers a heartfelt narrative that is therapeutic—a narrative that assures us that our deceased loved ones are welcomed into a place where everyone thrives. A place where souls continue to learn and grow. A place where love abounds. A place our loved ones are always free to leave whenever they want, to "go downstairs" and be a comforting presence to us, who grieve for them. A place where, in due time, we will join them.
Why do we benefit from this narrative? Because we don’t really know what happens after we die. Yes, some of us choose to believe what our religion teaches or take heart in the stories of people who report near-death experiences. But we don’t actually know what is fact and what is fiction. And that’s the point: All we have are the stories we’re told and the thoughts in our heads—and what Denise does is offer our minds the kinds of stories and thoughts that comfort us, rather than worry or scare us. Indeed, many viewers express gratitude, commenting that they're able to envision their own loved one being greeted in the ways she portrays. She is essentially helping our brains create a neural map of a world where love, humor, and generosity prevail. And where human kindness earns more points than anything else.
Denise also offers us the opportunity to commune with a growing number of folks who watch her videos and the thousands who share their comments, to which she often responds. Someone posted, “Can you tell Chadwick we miss him” and Denise responds, “I just saw him pass by chatting with MLK [heart] they get along so well.”
Creator Taryn Delanie Smith is going to Heaven, for sure. She and Denise will have a blast together.
