A visit from a TikTok personality connected to one of social media’s most recognizable families drew large crowds to the Ocean City Boardwalk this week.
Over the last several days, TikTok star Alex Dougherty aka “Big Red” was spotted walking the Ocean City Boardwalk, with videos and photos quickly spreading across local Facebook groups and social media pages.
The 20-year-old influencer posted a reel doing a viral dance outside Jilly’s T-Shirt Factory with about one hundred young fans. The video has garnered over 90 thousand likes.
Big Red is known online for his association with the “Dougherty Dozen,” the viral social media family headed by TikTok creator Alicia Dougherty. The New York-based family has amassed millions of followers across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube by documenting their daily lives raising 11 children through grocery hauls, family routines, vacations and large-scale meal preparation videos.
The Dougherty Dozen has become one of the internet’s most recognizable family influencer brands, with fans closely following the children and extended personalities connected to the family’s content. Big Red has developed a following of his own through appearances in videos, livestreams and fan interactions that resonate particularly with younger audiences.
Witnesses described scenes on the boardwalk that resembled a celebrity appearance, with groups of teens trailing behind the influencer as he moved between shops and attractions. Large groups of teenagers and young fans gathered around the influencer, following him along the boards for selfies, videos and interactions.
“Entertainment is different today than it was when I was a kid,” said Jody Levchuk, co-owner of JiLLy’s boardwalk stores, who witnessed the crowds firsthand. “There’s so many stars in the social media world now that aren’t athletes or musicians. To these kids, seeing Big Red walking down the boardwalk is like somebody my age seeing a huge celebrity, like Lady Gaga or Snoop Dogg.”
Posts surfacing showed that Alex ordered a peanut butter and chocolate swirl cone from Kohr Brothers, and posed with a crowd outside the Surf Mall. Hundreds swarmed around him, and he even attempted to calm some over-enthusiastic fans.
Some social media users described the atmosphere as fun and energetic, while others expressed concerns about overcrowding and the intensity of the crowds gathering around a social media personality.
Levchuk said the reaction from children was overwhelmingly positive, with most of the crowd made up of elementary and middle school-aged fans excited to meet someone they recognized from TikTok videos.
Levchuk, who also serves on Ocean City Council, speaks highly of Alex and his young fans. “This was a guy from a family vlogging channel, filming a video having innocent fun,” he said. “These kids, like sixth graders, were happy. They were dancing, taking pictures, following him around. Nobody was angry, nobody was fighting. It was just kids enjoying themselves on the boardwalk.”
The appearance also highlighted a growing trend in shore communities: internet fame translating into real-world crowds almost instantly. Viral creators can now attract large gatherings simply by posting their location or appearing in popular public spaces, especially during the busy summer tourism season.
For some older visitors, the scene was confusing. Several commenters online admitted they had never heard of Big Red or the Dougherty Dozen, while younger users quickly explained the family’s popularity and online reach. Others noted that the crowd itself became part of the spectacle, with passersby stopping to see what was causing the commotion.
“It gives Ocean City publicity,” Levchuk said. “These kids are here, even in the rain, having fun, making memories and spending time on the boardwalk. That is what makes kids want to come back.”
The Ocean City Boardwalk has long attracted celebrities, athletes and entertainers during the summer months, but social media influencers now command a different kind of attention, and the livestreams that follow make the encounter more interactive.
Despite the large turnout, online reports indicated the gathering remained mostly orderly, centered around fans eager to meet the influencer and capture photos for social media.
For one evening on the boards, a TikTok personality tied to the Dougherty Dozen turned an ordinary stroll into a social media spectacle.Check out his video here: https://www.instagram.com/alexdoughertydozen/reel/DYxE6NLR12s/.
