Annie LeBlanc, 15, and Jayden Bartels, 15, are taking video chat to a whole new level. The social media sensations and BFFs are the hosts of Group Chat: The Show, which premieres May 23 on Nickelodeon. The show will be a rundown of the week’s latest hot topics, taken directly from what kids love and are talking about across social media. Ahead of the show’s premiere, HollywoodLife talked with Annie and Jayden about why they wanted to do the show.
“So because of quarantine our schedules have definitely changed a lot,” Jayden told HollywoodLife. “They’ve become a lot less busy. Obviously, we’re still working and doing social media, but I’m pretty bored and this opportunity came up and I thought it would be a great way to spend quarantine. I was actually really excited to interview people and to co-host with Annie. I just really loved the idea of the show.” Annie added, “The show is just a very great opportunity. I’m very excited for everybody to see, especially during quarantine, us interviewing everybody and playing games and all of that fun stuff.”
Both Annie and Jayden are incredibly talented when it comes to music. They promised that there will be musical elements to Group Chat: The Show. “There will definitely be little music segments on the show,” Annie revealed. “I’m very excited for everyone to see all of the songs that we create and any of the stuff that is involved with this.” Jayden said that “a lot of the challenges on the show involve making up little songs or doing little songs. You’ll definitely get a lot of singing.”
Their dream Group Chat guest star just so happens to be America’s Most Musical Family judge and social media sensation David Dobrik. “I just feel like that would be hilarious,” Annie admitted. “I’d really like to get to know him a little better. His videos are awesome, and I think he’s a great person.
Annie and Jayden aren’t just co-hosts, they’re best friends. Working together is something they both cherish. “I absolutely love working with Jayden,” Annie gushed. “She’s so hardworking and motivated. Working with her is just so much fun. We always make each other laugh, and we really bond over it. It’s just always a blast. I’m really excited to get another opportunity to work with her.”
Jayden said that she would “not want to work with anyone else” other than Annie “just because we collaborate so well together. There are never any problems, and we just know how the other works. We work very easily with each other. Also, it’s a lot of fun working with your best friend on the show.”
Like so many young best friends, Annie and Jayden haven’t been able to spend much time together recently because they’ve been quarantined separately. Jayden opened up about how she and Annie are staying connected during quarantine. “Basically, we just FaceTime every single night,” Jayden admitted. “We pulled an all-nighter together over FaceTime. We are constantly sending videos to each other, random photos of each other, things that remind us of each other. I think it’s really important to stay in touch with people that you care about. We’ve both been connecting a lot during this quarantine.”