Link Neal
Born 1978 · Age 47
American YouTuber, comedian, musician and co‑founder of Mythical Entertainment; half of the comedy duo Rhett & Link, co‑host of Good Mythical Morning and multiple podcasts, books, and media properties.
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Life & Career Timeline
Birth of Charles Lincoln "Link" Neal III
Born in Boone Trail / Durham area, North Carolina to Charles Neal and Sue Capps.
Parents' divorce and move to Buies Creek
Parents divorced; Link and his mother Sue (and stepfather Jimmy Capps later) moved to Buies Creek, NC.
Met Rhett McLaughlin (first grade)
Met Rhett McLaughlin on the first day of first grade at Buies Creek Elementary; incident inspired later 'Mythical' name.
Performed in high‑school film parody of Oedipus Rex
As teens they produced a 25‑minute film parody of Oedipus Rex (Rhett as Oedipus, Link as father's servant).
Member of teenage Christian punk band 'The Wax Paper Dogz'
Link and Rhett were members/lead singers of a Christian punk rock band in their teens.
Wrote 'Gutless Wonders' screenplay
At age 14 Link and Rhett co‑wrote a screenplay titled Gutless Wonders and began shooting a film (unfinished).
Started college at North Carolina State University
Became roommates with Rhett at NC State; Link studied industrial engineering.
Married Christy White
Link met Christy in junior year of college and they married in 2000 in Kinston, NC.
Rhett graduated; Link continued studies
Rhett graduated magna cum laude (dec 2000); Link finished soon after (see 2001).
Started working at IBM
Worked as an industrial engineer at IBM (had been a co‑op during junior/senior years).
Began producing videos for Cru (Christian ministry)
Made videos and comedy sketches for Cru; early development of duo's comedy style leading to career change.
Graduated NC State University (B.S., Industrial Engineering)
Graduated summa cum laude in May 2001 with a degree in industrial engineering.
Birth of daughter Lillian (Lily) Grace Neal
Link's first child Lillian 'Lily' Grace Neal was born in 2003.
Birth of son Charles Lincoln Neal IV
Second child Charles Lincoln Neal IV was born in 2005.
Launched Rhett & Link YouTube channel (approx.)
The duo began publishing comedy and musical videos on their main Rhett & Link channel (date commonly cited as 2006).
Hosted CW's Online Nation
One of several internet personalities who hosted the short‑lived Online Nation TV show in fall 2007 (cancelled after 4 episodes).
Created 'RhettandLinkast' podcast
Began the RhettandLinkast (podcast) originally filmed in a backroom at Cru, later moved to other spaces.
Won advertising/web awards for Alka‑Seltzer series (W3, Adweek, Bessies)
Alka‑Seltzer Great American Road Trip series won Gold (Advertising Age's W3 Awards 2008) and other industry awards in 2008–2009.
Released documentary 'Looking for Ms. Locklear' (completed)
Work started in 2006, film released in 2008; won Southern Lens Award and screened on South Carolina PBS; multiple festival selections/awards.
Released multiple independent albums and music projects (2001–2009 era consolidated)
Independent albums include Just Mail Us the Grammy (2001), I'm Sorry, What Was That? (2005), Websongs Vol 1 (2008), Secret Songs (2009) and Up To This Point (2009, with DFTBA).
Founded Rhett & Link, Inc. (company formed)
Company formation costs / initial capital reported in sources as forming in 2009.
Created 'I Love Local Commercials' web series
Produced low‑budget, free commercials for local businesses; viral success (e.g., Redhouse Furniture) led to mainstream attention.
T-shirt War commercial for Rush T‑shirts and subsequent industry attention
Stop‑motion 'T‑shirt War' used 222 unique shirts; rapid viral growth (millions of views) and industry recognition; led to brand work for McDonald's/Coca‑Cola.
Birth of son Lando James Neal
Third child Lando James Neal born Feb 23, 2010; has appeared on Good Mythical Morning episodes.
Chuck Testa commercial went viral
Commercial produced for Ojai Valley Taxidermy became viral (tens of millions of views), spawning 'Nope! Chuck Testa' meme; featured in Time's Top 10 Memes of 2011.
Webby Award — Best Editing for '2 Guys, 600 Pillows'
Their '2 Guys, 600 Pillows' backwards music video won Webby for Best Editing (2011).
Launched 'Good Morning Chia Lincoln' web series
Short morning talk show in their Fuquay‑Varina studio featuring a Lincoln Chia Pet; ran Jan 3 – Feb 28, 2011.
IFC premiere of 'Rhett & Link: Commercial Kings'
Ten‑episode docu‑comedy based on 'I Love Local Commercials' premiered June 24, 2011 (series later canceled).
Appeared in Epic Rap Battles of History (Wright brothers episode)
Guest appearance on Epic Rap Battles (Feb 16, 2012) as the Wright brothers vs. Mario Brothers.
Launched 'Good Mythical Morning' (GMM)
Daily weekday talk / variety show Good Mythical Morning premiered on Jan 9, 2012; became the duo's flagship channel.
People's Choice Webby Award (2014) for 'Breaking Bad: The Middle School Musical' segment
Won 2014 People's Voice Webby for Comedy Individual Short or Episode for a Mythical Show segment.
Launched 'The Mythical Show' (weekly variety)
Weekly 30‑minute variety show premiered Apr 25, 2013 on their second channel; ran 12 episodes ending July 11, 2013.
Launched 'Ear Biscuits' podcast
Audio podcast launched Sep 27, 2013 on iTunes/Spotify/SoundCloud; debuted at No.22 on iTunes US charts.
Good Mythical Morning wins IAWTV Best Variety Series (Jan 2013 award year noted)
GMM recognized at International Academy of Web Television Awards; also season developments introduced popular segments 'Taste Test' and 'Will It' series.
Ear Biscuits wins Shorty Award for Best Podcast (April 2016)
Ear Biscuits won a Shorty Award for Best Podcast in April 2016.
1000th episode of Good Mythical Morning
Uploaded the 1000th episode on Oct 13, 2016; milestone video received millions of views.
Premiere of 'Rhett & Link's Buddy System' (YouTube Red)
First episode of Buddy System (YouTube Red original) aired Oct 19, 2016 on GMM channel; multi‑episode scripted series.
Tour of Mythicality (book promotional tour)
Announced May 16, 2017 a US tour to promote Book of Mythicality; 16 venues expanded to 23 due to demand; all shows sold out.
Announced Book of Mythicality
Unveiled Book of Mythicality to be published by Crown Archetype; promotional lead‑up to book release.
Released 'Rhett & Link's Book of Mythicality' (NYT bestseller)
Book released Oct 10, 2017; made New York Times Best Seller list (week ending Oct 14, 2017).
Mythical Entertainment acquired Smosh
Mythical Entertainment announced acquisition of Smosh brand from Defy Media on Feb 22, 2019.
Launched Mythical Kitchen channel
Mythical Entertainment announced new food channel Mythical Kitchen on Dec 20, 2019; run by Mythical chefs including Josh Scherer.
Revived Rhett & Link main channel with vlogs
Main Rhett & Link channel (previously inactive) revived in Dec 2019–Jan 2020 with vlogs (Rhett and Link Vlogs ran to Jan 16, 2021).
Co‑produced and starred in scripted podcast 'Ronstadt'
Announced May 13, 2021; Ronstadt released starting June 1, 2021; Link voiced character(s) (podcast had 9 episodes across June–July 2021).
Launched Mythical Accelerator Fund ($5,000,000)
Announced the Mythical Accelerator Fund in July 2021: $5 million planned to acquire stakes in creators' businesses.
2000th episode of Good Mythical Morning
Uploaded the 2000th episode on Jul 23, 2021 — another major episode milestone for GMM.
Mythical Accelerator Fund invested in Daniel Thrasher
Second investment by the Accelerator Fund was in musician/content creator Daniel Thrasher (April 2022).
TV show 'Inside Eats with Rhett & Link' premiered on Food Network
Announced Jan 2022 as 'The Taste Buds' then premiered Apr 24, 2022 as Inside Eats; ran 4 episodes.
Launched 'Mythical 24/7' streaming channel on Roku
Started a dedicated streaming television channel on Roku featuring GMM, GMMore, Mythical Kitchen and more.
Smosh majority stake repurchased by Smosh founders; Mythical retains minority
In June 2023, Ian Hecox & Anthony Padilla repurchased a majority stake in Smosh from Mythical; Mythical retained a minority stake.
Third Accelerator Fund investment in The Sorry Girls
Announced August 2023 as the third investment by the Mythical Accelerator Fund.
Mythical part of investment group acquiring First We Feast (Hot Ones)
In Dec 2024 Mythical Entertainment joined an investor group (with Sean Evans, Crooked Media, Soros Fund Management, others) that purchased First We Feast from BuzzFeed.
Good Mythical Morning subscribers & view milestones (as of Oct 2024 data)
GMM reported over 18.9 million subscribers and over 9.6 billion views (as of Oct 2024); combined channels over 30 million subscribers (duo).
Listed as second most influential content creators (Rolling Stone, 2024)
Rhett & Link cited as second most influential content creators in 2024 per Rolling Stone; duo had combined 32.53 million subscribers across personal channels as reported in Oct 2024 summary.
Public estimate of Link Neal net worth (~$20M solo / duo higher)
Public sources and profiles estimate Link Neal's personal net worth in the ballpark of $20 million in 2024; duo/firm assets and ownership imply larger combined wealth; estimates vary.
Premiere of 'Rhett & Link's Wonderhole' on Rhett & Link channel
Wonderhole premiered Aug 23, 2024 on the original Rhett & Link channel; independently financed and distributed by Mythical Entertainment.
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