Halley Kate & Jaz Discuss Their Summer Plans & Friendship

Halley McGookin (known as Halley Kate online) and Jaz Smith are mainstays in the New York City influencer scene. The content creators make up one of the Internet’s favorite bestie duos, right up there with Paige DeSorbo and Hannah Berner from Giggly Squad. Halley, 24, and Jaz, 28, also have a weekly podcast of their own, Delusional Diaries, where they discuss their latest life updates and hot takes. But they’re best known on TikTok, where they collectively have nearly two million followers.

Whether they’re filming videos together or apart, Halley and Jaz make content that has range. When they first became friends in 2022, most of their content centered on being single in the city, pregaming for bars, and lip-syncing in Ubers. (For a brief moment, they even thought they’d move to Florida together.) Three years later, the best friend duo is still posting adventures, but they’ve settled down a bit, too. Jaz got engaged, Halley bought a house, and they even started 2025 with Dry January. And yet, their friendship seems stronger than ever.

We’re comfortable enough with each other to know that having a fight won’t ruin our friendship.

In mid-May, Halley and Jaz linked up for an event at Fuze House, a heated Pilates studio in Tribeca. Post class, they open up about what they’re most excited about in the coming months. No surprise, they’re on the same page. “Being at Halley’s house in the Hamptons,” Jaz says. Halley echoes her, “Being at my house in the Hamptons.”

But a summer out east isn’t the only thing they have on deck. Over postworkout coffee and cocktails at an event to celebrate Garage’s new colorway, Lemon Drop, Halley and Jaz caught up with Elite Daily to discuss Jaz’s upcoming May wedding, their summer plans, and their friendship — plus, what people get wrong about influencer life.

Elite Daily: Last summer was brat — what’s the vibe for 2025?

Halley: Reputation. Rep summer.

Jaz: Ooh, I like that. I’m here for it.

Halley: Maybe she’ll release it.

ED: What does a Halley Kate Core summer look like?

Halley: Aperol spritz, not a lot of clothing, workouts every morning, flower shoes.

ED: Jaz, I know your wedding is right around the corner. Can you share any details about your honeymoon?

Jaz: I’m taking one day off to recover, and then we’re going somewhere warm — a beach — for five days in the sun. I’m going to be checked out. Well, I say that now, but I’m sure I’m going to be on my phone and posting.

ED: Do you already have all your honeymoon outfits planned out?

Jaz: That’s on my to-do list this for next week. The wedding outfits are all picked out, so the most important part is checked off.

I know I’m going to pack a lot of white. I collected so many white pieces over the past year and a half. Now I’m running out of time to wear them as a bride.

ED: Halley, I know you’re probably heading out east soon. What are your packing must-haves?

Halley: I have a second wardrobe there —

Jaz: A second and third wardrobe.

Halley: Yeah. I have too much stuff, so I don’t really pack a lot because it’s all there. The one thing that comes with me everywhere is the BondiBoost beach waver.

Jaz: That’s part of Halley Kate Core now.

Halley: But my hairdresser did just tell me, “Your hair’s really bad. This is most damaged I’ve seen in a while.” I’m using too much heat, so I’m going to try to chill on that. Maybe I’ll do some heatless curls instead, or the messy bun will come back.

ED: With so much travel coming up, how do you keep in touch when you’re not in the same place?

Jaz: We’re on FaceTime 24/7. It's frightening. Our call log is just each other back and forth all day long.

Halley: We FaceTime so often that I don’t even realize if I don’t see her for a day.

Jaz: I’ll also be at her house in the Hamptons. I have a room there.

ED: Speaking of, I’ve seen some videos of you guys just showing up at each other’s apartments. How often does that happen?

Halley: Every day.

Jaz: Last night, I last-minute stole her dog, and he slept over with me because I wanted to hang out with him. It happens all the time.

ED: You guys are both in serious relationships, own pets, and live with your SOs, but there is a slight age difference. What advice would you give people who are in different life stages from their friends?

Jaz: The biggest thing is don’t make it a big deal. I hate when people say “Oh, you’ll find someone” to their single friends. Like, you were in the same boat last week. If you make it a thing, then it gets weird.

Halley: I don’t really notice that stuff. We have a lot of single girlfriends, single guy friends, and a lot of couple friends as well. We all hang out together.

ED: What role do each of you play in the friendship?

Halley: We alternate being the “mom friend.” With timely things, I’m the mom. I’m saying, “We need to leave right now, or we’ll be late.” She’s not, but she’s the organizer.

Jaz: I’m the mom when it comes to emails, accounting, and scheduling. But Halley will make sure we’re on time for whatever I put in the calendar.

ED: You posted a lot of funny videos about fighting “like sisters,” but sometimes people take it as genuine bad blood. What do you make of those types of comments?

Jaz: I’m sorry you don’t have a BFF. I feel bad for you that you don’t have that level of genuine friendship.

Halley: Yeah, I’m sorry. You just don’t get it. If you don’t fight, you don’t care.

Jaz: If you don’t squash it right then and there, things build up and you have resentment. We’re comfortable enough with each other to know that having a fight won’t ruin our friendship.

ED: Do you guys have that kind of relationship with all of your friends?

Jaz: I’m pretty straightforward with all my friends, but it’s a different level of comfortability to fight things out.

Halley: For people I’m not as close with, I tend to let things go because I don’t see them enough for it to matter that much. But if it’s Jaz, I’m going to tell her.

ED: How do you decide what to speak on versus what to let go when it comes to online rumors?

Jaz: If I can make a funny joke out of it, I’ll respond. I find that nothing’s ever that serious. And if it actually is serious, I won’t touch it with a 10-foot pole.

Halley: With time, I’ve realized it’s best to speak on nothing unless you really need to.

ED: What do you think is the biggest misconception about NYC influencers?

Jaz: That people are only friends for content. Everyone gets along so well and chooses to see each other outside of work events because we actually like each other.

Halley: Also the idea that influencers don’t do anything. It’s not a traditional job, and some people don’t work that hard, but a lot of girls do.

ED: What are you manifesting for 2025?

Jaz: No rain on my wedding day. I’m doing everything. Today, I paid an Etsy witch $10 to cast a spell to make sure it’s not going to rain. I’m so confident it’s going to be beautiful outside.

Halley: I don’t know what I’m manifesting... More money.

Jaz: Real.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.