“Wet Juicy Body”: Performance Artist Kuby Lin Recreates 2024’s Most Viral Moments

2024 was nothing but a clusterfuck of bizarre cultural and political events that no one could have ever predicted, all of which got instantly translated into viral content for us to gawk and gossip over. We’ve sat back and watched a plump pygmy hippo skyrocket to fame, our former (and future president) narrowly miss a sniper, the return of a feather-filled Victoria Secret fashion show, the CEO of United Healthcare killed by one of the best looking murders in recent history, and child star Jojo Siwa growing up to be… Jojo Siwa. Here to help us keep track of whatever-the-fuck just happened is New York nightlife legend and performance artist Kuby Lin, (AKA @husbandsofnyc), who glammed up and down to recreate some of 2024’s most ridiculous moments. They also kindly joined our senior editor for a few minutes to reveal how they developed such a strong eye for beautiful men, where their username comes from, and how they nailed Trump’s orange glam.—EMILY SANDSTROM

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TAYLORE SCARABELLI: Wait, when we spoke earlier you asked me what picture made me laugh out loud.

KUBY LIN: Yes.

SCARABELLI: And I said sexy Moo Deng.

LIN: Yes. [Laughs] Everyone is obsessed and they’re flying over the world to see Moo Deng, it’s a bit hypocritical to me.

SCARABELLI: Yeah. It’s not exactly helping the animals and the environment to be burning jet fuel just to see a tiny hippo. But these photos are so good… the wet juicy body.

LIN: Yes, the pose was inspired by Nicki Minaj’s, “Super Freaky Girl.” 

SCARABELLI: [Laughs] It’s so weird that everyone’s so horny for a hippo.

LIN: Yes. And also hippo is pink too, so it relates to Nicki Minaj somehow. [Laughs]

SCARABELLI: Wait, can you tell me a bit about your performance art practice? I always see you out in a towel. How did that start?

LIN: My towel look started around three years ago. I had to do this photo shoot with 12 people. There was some of my enemies there, so I needed to surprise them. I think towels are really sexual in a lot of ways, because you only wear them at home, so I started wearing them to the party in different styles. And sometimes, if I do too much detail or construction then people can’t tell it’s a towel.

SCARABELLI: Right. And you preempted the Balenciaga towel skirt moment. I wonder if you were on the mood board.

LIN: I don’t know. But SKIMS did a towel dress too.

SCARABELLI: And you did the towel look for Trump. How did you make the mask?

LIN: My towel face masks—usually I go out to the party, and I go home, remove the makeup on the towel, and then make it into a mask. And for Trump, I specifically did his makeup on myself.

SCARABELLI: What did you use for Trump’s glam? A lot of bronzer?

LIN: I just used a lot of orange concealer mixed with foundation.

SCARABELLI: [Laughs] Gorgeous.

LIN: Yeah. And the hair part, I destroyed a towel so it looks like hair. It took me a long time. And the rhinestones, they represent blood.

SCARABELLI: Trump’s survival moment.

LIN: Yes.

SCARABELLI: Where did you grow up, Kuby?

LIN: I’m from Taiwan, so I grew up in the mountains and it created a monster inside of me. I couldn’t dress up for high school, because we needed to wear uniforms, so I was always trying to wear some look and to go to the city and to show people. And only on the weekend could I start doing that. After I moved to New York, I felt really free to do anything I wanted, so I started wearing skirts or very sexy, tight clothes because, in Taiwan, everyone is skinny and, in the U.S., it’s body positivity, so I could start showing a lot of skin. That’s when I started getting crazier and crazier. And then I think there was a point, in 2018 or ’19, I started making my own clothes.

SCARABELLI: I love it. You’re just always done up. I’ve never seen you without an amazing look and amazing glam. Your face is always perfectly airbrushed.

LIN: Thank you. I like to go to the rave and stay perfect until the end.

SCARABELLI: What is the secret?

LIN: You cannot sweat and you cannot dance. You just walk around the party.

SCARABELLI: You’re committed. Okay. We need to talk about Rihanna in Washington Square Park.

LIN: Yes. It was the 100 year anniversary of George Washington, so I think that was a big moment for the U.S., everyone is praying for a better vision for America. I think the Rihanna look is really good there. I’m also really obsessed with the arch. And also that day it was raining and Rihanna’s first hit song was “Umbrella,” so I think there are multiple meanings.

SCARABELLI: This photo, the one where you can see the arch in the background with the birds above, is just so beautiful. And she’s wet, girlie.

LIN: [Laughs] Yes. She’s also wet. The chest.

SCARABELLI: Okay, I’m pulling up the rest of the pics. You’ve got JoJo [Siwa] in a very special location with some very special artwork.

LIN: Yes. With the Keith Haring ride at the Luna Luna show at The Shed. I think that’s also a celebration of gay movements because JoJo is really colorful, and when JoJo was popular, she was a child, she was underage, so it’s very untouchable. She’s like a perfect doll there, being really positive and smiling with the teeth showing.

SCARABELLI: Yeah. JoJo had her big coming out and coming-of-age moment this year, people celebrated her but the trolls were also really cruel. There’s a bit of a double-edged sword in queer culture right now. Hollywood is gayer than ever, but we still see so much outward homophobia. It’s like you need to be the right kind of queer person. JoJo is just celebrating her identity in a way that feels authentic to her and it’s like, why is that a problem?

LIN: Yes.

SCARABELLI: It’s like what you were saying earlier, about coming to America and being able to be yourself and wear a skirt for the first time. 

LIN: Yeah. And the JoJo Siwa, it’s the only look I show my face.

SCARABELLI: And you didn’t do the Kiss makeup, you chose to do a younger version of her, which is so beautiful.

LIN: Thank you.

SCARABELLI: Yeah. And then there was the additional moment that had to add last minute, Luigi Mangione, perhaps the most viral star of the year. Do you think Luigi is sexy?

LIN: I don’t think murdering anyone is good, but he does look good.

SCARABELLI: Wait, let me ask you a different question.

LIN: Okay.

SCARABELLI: Cut or uncut? [Laughs]

LIN: He’s Italian-American, so I think he’s maybe uncut, but there’s a leak of his nudes on the internet.

SCARABELLI: No way.

LIN: Yes, it’s a pretty nice cock.

SCARABELLI: Is it big?

LIN: If it’s real, yes.

SCARABELLI: For those who don’t know, you have a “Cut or Uncut” series on your Instagram @husbandsofnyc where you take candid photos of strangers and post them with a poll. When did that start and how do you have such a good eye for beautiful men?

LIN: I always have my eye out for a husband, that’s why I changed my Instagram handle to @husbandsofnyc. At first, I always recorded a video with my voice in the story saying, “That’s my husband.” And then it started getting crazier, and I started asking people “Cut or uncut?” Because I realize being cut is such an American thing.

SCARABELLI: Yeah. People are obsessed.

LIN: I think people really love guessing. And also, people are too polite, not talking about that, but they will vote for it.

SCARABELLI: Do you have a preference?

LIN: I do not. I love all the cocks. Even Luigi’s.

SCARABELLI: Have you ever gotten in trouble taking photos of men on the street? 

LIN: Mostly no, but I did have some requests from their girlfriend to remove the photo. Usually, it’s their girlfriend that gets mad.

SCARABELLI: Oh, my god. I love that. It’s New York. Everyone’s always taking pictures of each other. There’s no public-private divide anymore, I feel.

LIN: Yeah, I think also it’s a celebration of hot guys.

SCARABELLI: Right.

LIN: And guys can always take hot girls photos, why not a hot guy be in a photo taken?

SCARABELLI: Yeah. And honestly, you have such a good eye for it. You’re doing a service for the people. You also just recently did a few cameos on Ruby McCollister’s 93 Canal show as a weather girl. That was fabulous.

LIN: Thank you. It’s really difficult to be a professional weather girl. It’s actually a skill.

SCARABELLI: Right, because it’s just a green screen. I’m literally watching this video of you right now with the pink feathers and the feather pointer. It’s so good.

LIN: Yes. That look was based on Victoria’s Secret because they just had a show. That’s why I did the feathers, like the wings.

SCARABELLI: That was another big moment this year. The return of Victoria’s Secret. What did you think of that show?

LIN: I love the show, and also it was really good that they had the first transgender person walk for the show and also had an Asian artist, Lisa, perform. And plus-sized models. They were trying to include all kinds of women. That’s really good for right now, for this society.

SCARABELLI: Yes. But I will say, your look is better than anything I saw on the runway.

LIN: Thank you.

SCARABELLI: Is there anything else that you want to about your art practice?

LIN: Yeah. There’s a really big thing about me saying I’m an artist. When I moved to New York, everyone said they were artists. I was trained for painting when I was a kid until high school. I train every day, I go to all the classes, so I was never considering I’m an artist, but now I think I’m a performance artist. I make my own look, and then I do my own makeup, and I like to walk around to show people. That’s the way for performance arts.

SCARABELLI: Absolutely. I don’t even question whether that exists in a gallery space. It’s just your life and the way that you show up.

LIN: I like to make people happy.

SCARABELLI: And you do—which brings me to The Meh Gala.

LIN: The Meh Gala, the alternative Met Gala party with a red carpet outside of the Metropolitan Bar. 

SCARABELLI: I remember you posting about it, being like “It’s such a big night,” and everyone’s like, “Am I invited to an after party? Who’s going to the Gala?” And you’re like, “Fuck that, I’m going to do a fun party in Brooklyn that everyone can come to and dress up.” And I think that’s really cool. There’s just such a genuine feeling in everything that you do, and that’s really special because it’s hard to survive in this city and we all  need a little positivity sometimes.

LIN: Thank you. I’m trying to be really nice in these looks. Hopefully, JoJo Siwa is sending positivity to everyone.

SCARABELLI: Yes. Thank you so much for chatting with me. Wishing you a very joyful holiday and New Year. And I hope that we get some more ridiculous pop culture moments in 2025.

LIN: Thank you.