Grandpa and the National Guard: A Memphis comedian goes viral
Zach Williams’ humorous take on an elderly guardsman’s recollection of the time he served in Memphis has found a viral following on social medial. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)
In the clips, a mustachioed Zach Williams adopts the future persona of a National Guard soldier called “Grandpa,” telling his grandson (also played by Williams) about the trauma of his patrols in Memphis during fall 2025.
Williams stares straight ahead and tells his tales in a perfect military cadence without breaking, wrapping the jokes inside Memphis references inside jokes, all with pinpoint accuracy in both the references and the voices.
And those clips — found on Instagram and TikTok, among other sites — have been getting howling reviews from folks in Memphis and even farther.
This is an excerpt of this story. To read more, please click here and subscribe.
Topics
Zach Williams National Guard deployment National Guard Comedy Subscriber OnlyThank you for being a subscriber to The Daily Memphian. Your support is critical.
As a 501(c)3 nonprofit news organization with a hybrid business model, we rely on a mix of revenue from subscriptions (50%), advertising, events and miscellaneous earned income (25%) and fundraising (25%).
Please consider making a fully tax-deductible donation or other contribution to The Daily Memphian today.
👉 Your subscription pays for you to read all our journalism.
👉 Your donation powers the work we do to reach everyone else with the news.
We believe an informed Memphis is a better Memphis. If you agree, join our growing list of donors now.
Jody Callahan
Jody Callahan graduated with degrees in journalism and economics from what is now known as the University of Memphis. He has covered news in Memphis for more than 25 years.
Comments
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.