Zoe & Cody Got So Real About The Pressure Of Being A TikTok Couple

As teens, tweens, parents, and everyone in between attempt to find fame on TikTok, only a select few succeed. Among those who've cracked the code for TikTok stardom are Zoe Laverne, 19, and Cody Orlove, 18. There's a reason the pair has racked up a combined 20 million followers with no signs of slowing down. Between their casual friendships with TikTok's elite like Lil Huddy and Charli D'Amelio and their breezy attitudes toward online shade, the Gen-Z couple was poised for internet stardom from the start. Zoe and Cody's quotes about the pressure of being a TikTok couple show how gracefully they've handled the world of digital fame.

Laverne and Orlove started dating in late 2017 after connecting on Musical.ly, and their YouTube vlogs about their long-distance relationship struck a chord with fans. Now, with nearly 3 million followers across their solo and joint YouTube pages (on top of their TikTok fans), they've leveraged their social media popularity for success outside the app. Not only were they both announced as part of the 2020 National Socials Tour, but they were also nominated for the 2020 iHeartRadio Social Star Award.

As Laverne and Orlove continue their most successful year yet, they're not letting anything get in the way, especially not social media trolls. But they admit to Elite Daily the pressure to maintain a perfect image as a couple on social media is all too real.

"Basically, when people put down our relationship or put us down in general, we just kind of have to realize those people are behind a screen they don't realize it's a person on the other side," Laverne tells Elite Daily. "They can have an opinion but they can't really state any facts about us so we just learn to ignore it and move on because at the end of the day their opinions aren't really aren't worth our time."

The couple definitely finds inspiration in their fellow TikTokers when it comes to brushing off the haters. Though the couple says they can be "pretty bad at socializing with other TikTokers," they do keep in touch with a select few.

"It would probably be Chase Hudson and Charli D'Amelio," Orlove says. "I was actually best friends with Lil Huddy before he even blew up, we worked together, we FaceTimed for like four hours a day. We're actually really good friends with them."

Laverne says she admires D'Amelio, who is now the most-followed person on the app, and dreams of collabing with her down the line. "I talk to Charli," Laverne shares. "I have her Snapchat and number and everything, but we just haven't had enough time to really collab and get to know each other very well, especially because she's always busy."

Despite their meteoric rise to social media fame, both stars still value their day-one fans more than anything. In fact, Instagram remains Laverne's favorite social media platform despite having more followers on the arguably ~trendier~ TikTok app.

"If I had to pick [app], it would probably be my Instagram because it's where all my fan base is and where all my loyal supporters are," she says. "They've been following me since day one. It's just more of a positive vibe."

As for Orlove, YouTube has a special place in his heart. "On YouTube, you can express yourself a lot more, especially through longer videos, as opposed to TikTok, which is more short-form," says Orlove.

As Laverne and Orlove look forward to the year ahead, they're still wrapping their minds around all the opportunities coming their way — especially their iHeartRadio Music Awards nomination. "It feels amazing," Orlove says about being recognized in such a major way. "It definitely was a surprise to me." Given that the iHeartRadio Music Awards were postponed due to coronavirus, the pair will have to wait a little bit longer than they initially thought to find out if they won. But that's just a small blip in the couple's journey.

In the meantime, there are even more exciting projects on the horizon. "I'm writing a song right now," Laverne says. "I'm in the middle of it right now!"

Fans can keep up with the latest in Zoe and Cody's lives by following them on their personal TikToks (here and here) and subscribing to their joint YouTube channel.