Meet The Two Women Behind New Jersey's Edgy And Hilarious Twitter Account
TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) -- Throughout the pandemic, we have all been searching for something to make us smile during a difficult time. Who knew that for so many the laughs would come from a social media account run by a state government?
It's Jersey pride packed into 280 characters or less.
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"Is it going too far? That's a little debatable. Does it get your attention? Yeah," Pearl Gabel said.
Gabel and Megan Coyne run the official Twitter handle for the Garden State, a page that's the perfect combination of wit and wisdom.
"The governor kind of gives you free rein, he's like, 'Just do it', right?'" CBS3's Jessica Kartalija asked.
"He's got a sense of humor. He's got this dad humor that we try to channel to," Gabel said. "The majority of our job is very serious. We run Gov. Murphy, we do the press conferences, we're working with the websites. We're doing a lot of different things, working with policy and issues and digital communication. This is a relief and it's a way to engage people and bring them in for the information."
Their tweets are edgy.
They dunk on Delaware, make bold claims about having the best cheesesteaks and remind people to wear their masks in a not-so-subtle way.
"We do worry about going over the line sometimes. We try to stay on the line. Occasionally, Megan and I will say, 'Well, it was nice working with you.' We don't know if today is going to be our last day, but we've got to get this thing out," Gabel said.
The ladies hail from North and Central Jersey, appealing to a large audience of almost 300,000 followers.
"Do you crack yourselves up? Do you go, 'This is a good one?'" Kartalija asked.
"When we were in the office, Megan would keep tissues at her desk because she would be laughing so hard that she was crying," said Gabel.
So what is their favorite tweet that they've sent out?
"For me, 'Your mom' is the gold standard. Your mom was the thing that helped us to get rolling," said Gabel. "When someone asked, 'Who let New Jersey have a Twitter?' and we responded with that phrase. It was very direct, very bold, it was assertive," Gabel said.
