Most people would probably walk past a public bench without giving it a second thought. One woman, however, apparently had other plans. A man filming in a New York park captured her repeatedly licking a bench, and when he finally asked her why, her response somehow made the whole thing even more confusing.
The video was originally shared on Instagram by @fadedmontana before being reshared on X by @B1TuckerCarlson. It begins with the cameraman, a bearded man wearing a black-and-red New York Yankees-style cap, a camouflage hoodie, gold chains, and an earring.
He looks into his camera, saying, “Nah, I don’t. They don’t ever believe me when I say what’s going on in New York. I’m like, Yo, bro, you see crazy shit all the time? Look at this.”
And there she is. A woman with long brown hair, wearing a dark purple top and pink shoes, is crouched beside a green metal bench along a paved path. There’s a poster advertising the Netflix series Below attached to the structure. The woman is leaning forward and licking the surface. Yes, actually licking it.
The cameraman keeps recording as she continues, apparently unfazed by the fact that someone is watching her. The surface appears wet, which hardly makes the activity any less baffling. Someone off-camera even remarks that she actually likes it.
At this point, the man filming seems unable to contain his curiosity. “What’s the reason for this? What’s the reason? I just want to know what’s the reason,” he asks. Unfortunately, the answer doesn’t exactly clear things up.
The woman points toward the word “Below” on the poster. The cameraman looks at the advertisement and tries to make sense of the gesture. “Below. Something’s in the water below. But this is not in the water though,” he responds, apparently still trying to figure out the connection between the poster and the bench-licking session.
Then comes the woman’s explanation: “You can watch it on Netflix.”
And that’s it. The clip doesn’t provide much more clarity about what she’s trying to communicate. Her reference to Netflix appears to point toward the show advertised on the structure, but whether the licking was part of a promotional stunt or had nothing to do with the series remains unknown.
Internet Reacts to the New York Bench Licking Video
The comments section offered a mix of concern, criticism, and jokes. One viewer kept things simple, asking, “Is she okay?” Another pointed out, “That’s not anything “NEW” about “NEW YORK”..they’ve been weird for decades son.”
Some viewers speculated about the woman’s health. One commenter wrote, “Untreated mental illness, comes in all shapes, sizes and races.” Another was more concerned about the potential hygiene risks. “I bet she has a virus or bacteria and she is spreading it right now,” the viewer commented.
One commenter offered a rather sarcastic remark, writing, “Can’t a lady relax and wind down after a hard days work anymore? Keep it pushin.” Someone suspected the entire performance might have been an unconventional advertisement. “I hope she got paid REALLY well for that ad she’s working on lmao,” the commenter joked.
The video doesn’t confirm that the woman was working with Netflix or promoting Below.
