‘Kid President’ is all grown up ... and finally eligible to vote for president (2024)

With his trademark dark suit, red tie and winning smile, Robby Novak — otherwise known as Kid President — became a viral sensation on YouTube when he was just 9 years old. His positivity, pep talks and infectious spirit captured hearts around the world.

As Kid President, Novak hung out at the White House with the Obamas, taught Tom Hanks the “Whip/Nae Nae“ and co-authored a New York Times bestselling book.

As Novak, now 20 years old, looks back on that time, one highlight stands out.

“I definitely remember Beyoncé,” he tells TODAY.com with a laugh. “Beyoncé was just so wholesome. She talked to my mom for a really long time, and I remember her being just a sweet, sweet person.”

In fact, that memory was so indelible that Novak stitched an old video of him kissing Beyoncé on the cheek with a current video of him in a hoodie saying, “One of the best moments of my life.” That TikTok video has more than 9 million views.

Today, Novak leads a much more private life.

Living in a small town in Tennessee, Novak is mostly spending his time focusing on going to school for physical therapy. But because he still enjoys being on camera, “I make TikToks here and there just to keep people updated,” he says.

Creating Kid President

One of the people who has been by Novak's side since the beginning has been his older brother-in-law, Brad Montague. In fact, it was Montague's desire to spend more time with Novak that led to the pair teaming up to create the character in the first place.

At the time, Montague had been working with teenagers through a summer camp program that encouraged kids to become leaders in their communities. He also found out that he was about to become a father.

“Kid President grew out lots of things,” Montague says. “One being a deep joy of being with Robby, and the other being a deep desire to fill the world with joy and create things that I wanted my future kids to experience.”

Montague has never stopped creating. Along with his wife, Kristi, he writes children’s books, hosts workshops and visits classrooms. Their upcoming book, “Fail-a-Bration!,” invites readers to recognize and celebrate the fact that failing is part of the learning process.

When asked if Kid President is poised to make a comeback, Montague says that he never left.

“The spirit of Kid President has been alive,” Montague says. “I remain a stubborn optimist. I believe there’s a massive hum of hope in this world, and it’s in the form of kids and people who are listening to them.”

If we can connect with each other in what Montague calls this type of “quiet work,” he believes we can make a big difference over time.

“I’ve known Robby basically his entire life,” Montague says. “I think the proudest thing I have is the fact that Robbie remains a good human and a delight to be with. And that’s what started it all — we just liked each other.”

Kid President is ready to vote

This is the first time that Novak will be eligible to vote in a presidential election.

“Me and my friends, we love to talk politics,” he says. “But one rule we have is that you have to be open to hear every perspective.”

Novak senses that he and his friends are part of a generation that is rebelling against “taking a side” and instead listening to different points of view. They’re itching to have a “good discussion of politics” in a way that “doesn’t cause argument or controversy.” A political conversation should be just that: a conversation. “I feel like that’s the healthiest way to just go at it with politics,” he says.

Will Novak dust off his suit and tie and hit the campaign trail this fall? He says it's unlikely.

“But I really hope in the future that me and Brad, we’ll start some projects,” he says. “I definitely want to make a comeback with Brad. The chemistry is always there.”