Fannita Leggett Loves Being "The #1 Menace In The Nation”

In Bustle’s series Shooting Your Shot, single influencers weigh in on drinking and dating: their go-to beverages, their drink order ick, and more.

Fannita Leggett didn’t expect to become a TikTok influencer. She was hesitant when her friends told her to download the app in 2019, although she finally caved and joined by the end of that year. Fast-foward to today and she has 1.9 million followers and a podcast that has taken the FYP by storm since it debuted in July. (Clips from her episode with Vinnie Hacker have been viewed more than 3 million times.)

Leggett, 25, calls herself the “#1 menace in the nation,” according to her TikTok bio, and her off-the-cuff, sometimes (oftentimes) NSFW takes are exactly what keeps her followers entertained. Unsurprisingly, this exact content is why fans have stuck around for her long-form podcast, Bottoms Up With Fannita, produced by the Past Your Bedtime Network.

Past Your Bedtime is the second network from the creators of Brat TV, a Gen Z-centered media company. In its first year alone, Past Your Bedtime has amassed 15 million views across its portfolio of shows. Its mission is all about giving TikTok’s favorite creators another platform — with names like Drew Afualo and Spencewuah hosting their own shows on the network alongside Leggett. “Our goal is to find more amazing talent like Fannita, Drew Afualo, and Spencewuah to become Gen Z’s definitive destination for video talk shows,” says Nuria Anson, the network’s vice president of production.

In fact, after making appearances on those other shows, Leggett suggested she should get her own too.

“One day at the Brat studio, I had this joking conversation with one of the producers there and said, ‘Y’all inviting me to be on everybody’s podcast. You might as well just give me my own.’ And [the producer was] like, ‘You know what? We really should do that,’” she tells Bustle.

That conversation was back in 2022, and earlier this year, Leggett filmed the pilot for Bottoms Up, which premiered on YouTube over the summer. She’s hit her stride taking her viral voice from TikTok snippets to hourlong episodes, just as she found her groove moving to Los Angeles from Alabama when her Internet career took off. Like anything, adjusting to her new city — and the dating scene that comes with it — has had a learning curve.

“If you don’t want to pursue me because I have followers, then you’re doing me a favor because that’s just very strange. I do think sometimes because I’m very vulgar [online], that doesn’t really look too good on my part, but I feel like somebody who’s real and who’s actually trying to get to know me won’t care,” she says. “I’m also very, very, very wholesome.”

Below, Leggett tells Bustle the drink order she automatically judges, her hack for avoiding awkward silences during a first date, and how to get over hangxiety.

What’s your go-to first-date drink?

A tequila water with a splash of pineapple juice.

Is there a drink order that would give you the ick?

Probably a martini. Mainly because if you’re drinking a martini, I know that’s completely for show because martinis are disgusting. I feel like you’re just trying to prove to me that you’re mature, and you’re forcing it. Be regular! A martini? We’re 25. You’re not 45 years old.

Do you have any personal rules when it comes to drinking on a first date?

I’ll figure out the vibe and go from there. If the person I’m going on a date with isn’t drinking, then I’m not going to drink because I don’t like drinking alone. But if we’re just having a good time and the drinks are flowing, then I’m not really keeping track of how many I’m having. But I also don’t get sloppy because that becomes dangerous territory.

When you go on a first date, do you have a question you always ask or a topic that you always bring up to ensure the conversation keeps flowing?

I ask a lot of outrageous hypotheticals because I feel like by asking outrageous hypotheticals, I can learn a lot about a person. What else? I don’t like to shoot the sh*t; I like to get deep. I also like to ask people what’s something weird they do when they’re home alone.

What would you tell someone who is feeling a little anxious about getting too drunk on a date?

Everybody has gotten too drunk before. It’s not that serious; we’re adults. I was out in West Hollywood and literally collapsed out of a booth. Mind you, the booth was at least 6 feet in the air, and I fell straight to the ground. People get too drunk all the time, and I wouldn’t be anxious about it. I feel like if you were comfortable enough around the person to get that level [on a date], maybe that means there’s something there. They made you feel comfortable enough that you could let loose a little bit and have fun.

What’s your advice for showing up as your authentic self on a date?

They’re going to like you or they’re not. My personality is so big, abrasive, and in your face. I’m over the top, and sometimes that is unattractive to men. I have a hard time thinking, “Should I not truly be myself? What if they don’t like me because of this?” Whatever. Who gives a f*ck?

Even if the dating scene is trash... and trust me, I’m right there with you. I’m in the thick of it right now. But there are 7 billion people in the world. You’re going to find someone who is enamored with your entire being. I’m not going to lie — you just got to keep your head up. That’s really it. It's terrible out here, but you got to keep swimming.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.