Walking The Dog with Emily Dean - Hayley Morris (Part Two)

Episode Date: July 30, 2025

We’re in beautiful Dulwich Park with the online comedian Hayley Morris. Hayley’s brilliant sketches have earned her over 9 million followers! In this part of our chat we discuss social media fame, Hayley’s experience of grief after losing her dad and the way she feels about spending the money she has earned on social media. Hayley’s comedy shorts are available on her YouTube channel. Subscribe to make sure you don’t miss her next release which is coming in August! Follow @hayleymorris3 on InstagramFollow @hayleygeorgiamorris on TikTokBuy your copy of Me vs Brain: An Overthinker’s Guide to Life – the instant Sunday Times bestseller!Follow Emily: Instagram - @emilyrebeccadeanX - @divine_miss_emWalking The Dog is produced by Faye LawrenceMusic: Rich Jarman Artwork: Alice LudlamPhotography: Karla Gowlett  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Part 2 of Walking the Dog with the wonderful online comedian Haley Morris, whose brilliant sketches have earned her over 9 million followers. Do go back and listen to Part, one if you haven't already, and do check out her fantastic comedy on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram. I'd also love it if you gave us a like and a follow so you can catch us every week. Here's Hayley and Ray Ray. Your videos really started taking off to a huge degree you had a YouTube channel And it was initially more via YouTube your content, or was it someone that suggested you get on TikTok?

Yeah, so it blew up on Instagram and TikTok. YouTube, I didn't get a following on there for another year or so. I kind of stopped uploading on there. How did you get your following? Because people said, well, you can't just put content up. You know, you have to have a strategy, don't you? Did you have a strategy? No, I didn't have a strategy.

You just put content up. Yeah, I just put content up. But it was when Reels were first introduced, so there wasn't many people putting stuff up there. there was a lot of eyes on it but not much to consume and then TikTok was everyone was looking at it and it was nowhere near as many people uploading as there are now so again i think it was new people were really having the opportunity to grow quite quickly so at the time if you uploaded on on TikTok i think it's probably still this way but not maybe as much but it used to be anyone had the opportunity to go viral and your video would get pushed to like 10 people

people, if those 10 people liked it, it'd go to 20 more people, and then it'd just, you know, that'd go to another 20 there, 20 there. And so going viral on those apps at that time was like a thing. Anyone could go viral. So it was, I didn't think there was a strategy needed at all. So yeah, it was just kind of go, go, go. And we should just say, sorry, there's a kid who's been having, I'm going to call it a weapons grade tantrum. near us and he's called Ollie. We know a lot about him already and the poor mummups go, Ollie please, Ollie. Where is Ollie currently? Oh he's met someone else. Oh, okay. It's cold holidays. Tough, tough time. A real tough time. How do you occupy

a child of lots of energy for that, that amount of time? Take my hat off. I know. I think Olli seems okay now. He seems to have come down. Poor Olly. So what did it feel like? Because social media fame, and once you get to the kind of followers you're talking about, which, as you say, in the region of 9 million, that's huge.

That's famous. And I wonder, what is social media fame like? As an online creator, does it feel, do you get recognised a lot? Does it feel sort of intrusive in anyone? No, it doesn't feel intrusive. I don't really share much my personal life. I think if I did, then it might feel more intrusive.

Interesting. But I get, yeah, I get recognised from time to time. And I always love it. I think it's really nice. It's nice to meet people that have followed or enjoyed something I've made because you get that feedback online, but you don't always know those people or, you know, have a face to put to those names. See, I always really love it.

But I've never felt like anyone's intrusive with it. It's always been really respectable and lovely. But it's interesting that, oh, we've got a lovely little dog here. It looks like a chug or something. Is that a chug? Aw. With the fame thing, I find it interesting because, as you say, you're quite, I sense you're quite not private, but boundered, I think, would be a good word.

Do you think that's fair to say? Yeah, and I think it's come from when I would upload on, YouTube before I did do vlogging for about a year while I was away and shared, you know, relationship and stuff like that and it just felt when I had a breakup, it felt way too, and that

was a really small level. I didn't have that many followers, but people knew a lot, and I just didn't like that. Did you not? No, because no one knew the relationship offline, they just saw an online relationship. And then you've got people with their theories going, I thought something was up when blah, blah, you know, yeah. And that, you know,

that was on such a small scale. I was like, I don't think I want to share anything personal. I just worry that no good comes of that over sharing. Because it's tempting and I get it. Just all that stuff online, just curating your whole personal life online. I just think we're now starting to see the Netflix documentaries. Yeah, I think it's knowing your boundary and knowing how much you're willing to share and what can happen with that.

What are the pros of it? What are the cons? and if the cons that way, then don't do it. But there's a lot of people I know that they do it really well. They do it in a way that they've got their boundaries in place. Yeah, I think it's such a learning curve. I think you can have boundaries, but I also think once you invite people to this party, can't tell them to go home.

No. That's the problem. You know, they're there. Yeah. Yeah. And I guess that feels like pressure. Yeah, I think it muddles your personal and work life. and that's something that has always scared me

because you want to know that your personal life is not I guess monetised or there's just not any pressure on that side of it you just want to be pressure on that. The only thing that monetises my dog I'm sorry you will get monetised. We've seen a little doggy over here look at this little black and white cutie

and one thing that I find interesting about the nature of the work that you do is certainly from my generation I think there can be a tendency to feel, oh, well, this isn't a proper job. You're just making videos in your bedroom. Is this a career? When, of course, actually, it takes so much a hundred times more drive, ambition, determination, to motivate yourself every day. You don't have a boss.

No. You know, someone working a nine to five, they don't turn up, they get sick pay. do you know what I mean? Or they get it noticed, they've got a boss, they're incentivised. You, it all starts with you. And it's interesting to me that a lot of people say, oh, it's so easy, that's not a proper job. And I think, well, why haven't you done it? Yeah.

Because I think it actually requires, it's the kind of, you know, it requires that sort of entrepreneurial spirit, I think. Yeah. No, I agree. But I also do think that anyone has the opportunity to do it. And I also understand when people are like, oh, it's a lazy job or it's not, job because it I mean like the position I mean I feel very privileged to have this and I have worked really hard for it but I do feel privileged I don't think you should you I think it's a good I think it feels like it's a guilt you always kind

of have that that comes in but no I have I have worked really hard and there were years before anything happened and it was just a commitment to it and I do think that's that's the secret everyone's always like what's the secret and I'm like perseverance wanting it it's there's no recipe it's just if you want it enough I do think it will happen do you know and also I think it is perseverance and also a willingness to be vulnerable. Yeah. Because by putting those up.

Oh, honestly, people said so much behind my back. Yeah, and the first time you upload a video, what you're saying is I think this is funny. Yeah. No, it is, it is, you do, like in the early days when it is just your friends following you or people you went to school with or people you went to uni with or people you've worked with following you, it feels so humiliating. But if you enjoy it, it's fine. I'm I, I'm always, yeah.

It's worse, them looking. It's worse people you know. I'd rather you didn't see it. Go to strangers. But, you know, I did have to go through that. And I knew people were laughing at me. And I'd had people come up to my face and be like, why are you still doing that? It's, you know, no one's watching it. Well, now you're doing.

Yeah, now I'm like, well, it worked. Well, now you're doing videos, which I love, by the way. Thank you. And they're themed a lot. A lot of your content now is themed around. You have this, the vagina hotel, essentially, where it's, to explain you really have to watch them I cannot do it justice it's so brilliantly surreal and funny but it's essentially your personifying so in the

case you might have someone you know you're coming in dressed in a red coat and a red polo and it's your and you've got this there's a caption saying period yeah and you're waking you up saying hi wakey-wakey you're at your boyfriend's house and I've arrived and similarly with the vagina hotel there's some brilliant. Well, maybe you can explain it better than me. Well, yeah, it's just, I guess it is just personifying them or putting them in a situation where they are human. Interacting. Yeah, their characters. So you might have in the vagina hotel there's a reception here. Well, it's not a receptionist, but it is. Yeah. Yeah. But the vagina hotel, she says, um, oh, we had an unexpected guest

check in and I think he might have left some of his belongings behind. Yeah, and that's the pregnancy scare. That's the pregnancy scare. So they're brilliantly surreal and it really just works. Thank you. And you have one. I love all. One of my favourite ones you do is about this sort of ongoing battle between your bra draw and your sock bra. They're personified.

So the bras are saying, you have the push-up bra saying, well, look at nipple covers. They didn't exactly do a good job tonight, did they? They humiliated you. And you dress up as the various bras. I do, yeah. No, yeah, so that one's more like this in the style of like the office or like a mockumentary but yeah, it's just, I think it's just funny

bringing those things to life that you wouldn't normally have like a personality and creating that whole look, feel and vibe of them. I love it. They are so funny and I absolutely love them and I love the stuff that you do. I think it's brilliant. I want to talk a little bit if you're okay with this about you lost your dad and I'm really sorry you lost your dad and I I know that's difficult

something I've experienced and just with losing close family members yeah but you know it was young to lose a parent yeah because you were how old so he he was diagnosed with dementia when I was 23 and he died when I was 28 yeah yeah so it was the time like I I talk a lot about it with my my therapist now that it was the time I needed him most. It wasn't, you shouldn't think it's the time you need the most, but I think in your 20s you're, just, he was like my person and I spoke to him before he got dementia, like 10 times a day on the phone. But he was such a, a mum, like my mum's obviously such a mum in my life as well, but he didn't have, you know, what's the stereotypical dad role

in my life. He was also like a maternal figure to me, which is really awful that you have to say he was like a maternal food because that's that's your parent he should be a parent but he you know he was just very hands-on so so sweet um but yeah when he was diagnosed that was really difficult and I completely compartmentalised it and ignored it and just really did not address it at all and so then when he died it was even harder so it happened basically my social media had all kind of you know really taken off and then months later in April I'd gone through like a breakup of a long-term relationship and then a week later my dad died

so it was like these big life changes all in one go but I really don't think I process his death for such a long time I still don't know if I fully processed it but it was like at the time when I really needed him and I also wanted him to see

the stuff that I'd done because in the early days of when I was making YouTube videos my dad was like he'd ring me in the morning on his way to work and be like you've got five new subscribers and it was like you know, he was so, so supportive, and I'd make videos and I'd show him. And if he laughed, I was like, one, that's a good one.

And I just, like, have all these memories of him giving me the feedback of, like, it's not a good video, don't put that one out. And then I'd be like, oh, but I don't have a video for Thursday. And he'd be like, well, just try again. Like, you know, it's not awful, but you can do better. Or he would just give me the best feedback. And he was just, you know, I really wanted to have him there and to be like, it worked. everything worked out.

So yeah, it was a horrendous, a horrendous thing to happen. But yeah, it's just, yeah, that was, I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Well, I think also, a friend of mine, David Bediel, his dad had PICS disease. Yeah, yeah, I saw his documentary.

Was that helpful at all? Yeah, but he had, his, his dad's PICs disease was very different to my dad's, but I felt way less alone. with it. I'm really glad. Yeah, I thought that was... It was hard with Colin, David's dad,

because he'd always said... I know this answer, but Colin had always said incredibly inappropriate sort of weird things anyway. And so I think that's what was tough for David was he was thinking, well, how much of this is just Colin being Colin

and how much of this is the picks? But it's a very cruel disease, isn't it? Because did you... I imagine you get a sense of losing that person. Oh, I completely, yeah. Before they've gone in a way. And you're mourning them. And he'd gone completely mute.

He didn't speak anymore. And I remember the first day I'd gone to his care home when he'd moved in. I hadn't been there the day they'd moved in because of work. But my mum came with me and I was like, oh, this is a lot. And I just remember bursting into tears. Just him in that setting. just didn't seem right. And then, you know, I visited him a couple of times a week every week.

And there was one of the days I went in there. And it was never just me and him. It was always like he had either one-to-one or two-to-one care. So there was a day where it was just me and him were walking down the corridor. And I went, if this is a joke, just say now. Like I was so delusional with it. Like I really genuinely in my heart of hearts did not believe it to be real. I kept being like, there's just surely.

this is like some weird dream or an elaborate prank on me. And he just, I just, I was really looking in his eyes. And I was like, are you like aware of me? Can you, are you there? And it just felt like completely nothing. I do think he probably really, there must have been something in his brain that wanted to communicate, but just wasn't able to.

But yeah, it was a really odd experience, like seeing him that way having had him such a strong figure in my life. Yeah, it was devastating. I'm so sorry you went through that. And every loss is different, but I have experience loss. And I know from my own experience, you know, with grief, it's so difficult because there's, I know this is a sort of well-worn phrase, but it's well-worn because it's true that there is no manual.

prepares you for how to deal with it and there are some surprising things about it. I was so angry. Yeah, but I've never experienced anger like that. That was like spells of anger like I could not. I did not what to do with it. I was like punching cushions, sprinting out my house and pyjamas just to try and let it out in some sort of way. It was that I did not expect. I've never experienced anything like that since either.

It was a really, it was anger in not being able to be awake. I would just be sleeping like 14 hours a day, wake up angry, punch a couple of pillows, fall asleep again. Like I just wasn't really, my brain was obviously just really struggling to grasp what had happened. So it was like, you're better off just being asleep. Or when you're awake, let's have a burst of anger and then let's go back to sleep. I just couldn't. It was a really, really bizarre way of coping.

And that was only for like the first. month or so but it was really odd really bizarre not much crying it was all just sleeping very strange and I do think that's something with grief no one no one tells you how to grieve no one tells you what's right and wrong and you do feel like if you're not crying you're doing it wrong you do feel like I should be hysterical like I should all I should be doing right now is crying but that comes so much later it's really um there's all these sort of there's so many different weird phases, like the weird

carpe diem phase when you go off doing slightly weird things. I remember flying to a party in Barcelona for the night and coming back again. You know, it's like, but I think one thing we really should be taught is how to be literate in grief, how to talk

to people who are going through this and because we don't discuss it. And I understand why I think it starts in childhood. It's the, particularly now, you know, we protect our kids more than And it's this idea of, I don't want them to read the sad story. I don't want them to go to the funeral. We won't tell them that person's died.

We'll keep that upsetting news from them. But then what I think you risk ending up with is kids who haven't learnt how to feel. Because Disney and giddy and happy, that's not real feelings. No. And I think it's really, people don't know. I don't know if you experienced this, but I often. have people saying, oh, my friends died. I don't know, you know, a man of mine has lost a dad or lost their, whatever, I don't know what to say to them.

And I have to say, should I leave them alone? And I say, no, no, no, get in touch with them. Yeah, yeah. Don't leave them alone. Oh, but I don't want to intrude. I think that's not there for. No, that would mean the world that you reach, and all you have to say is, hello. And I think this is the thing that with grief, when you first lose someone, you are surrounded by people for about, you know, maybe a month, checking in every day. are you okay sending you stuff turning up at your door and then it goes it goes that's the hardest thing and i think people who have had babies have the same thing or you know when you get married you you've got like a wave of people congratulating you and then it goes and with with grief when that

goes that's when the worst that's when it's bad that's when it's really bad you're suddenly like oh my god i've got a process this on my own i'm all alone now i've got no one here with me and that for me was like a real, real low point for me. And I think... That's the time. It got really bad, yeah. That's the time to reach out. You're absolutely right.

I always... And I only know that, and I'm sure you do, because I've been through it, that I usually, I contact them a bit, but it's always about four weeks in that I start really ramping up the contact. Yeah. Yeah, that's it.

Oh, I've got my timing. Yeah, because you feel, you suddenly feel alone and you don't know how to manage that. And it's even like, you know, a year on, two years on. You don't know when it's going to suddenly sprout its little head out. Do you know what? Even 10 years on, sometimes longer, 15 years on, someone will say something and you'll cry. Yeah. And you don't know why and you feel ridiculous. But what I've learned about grief is that the wound will heal, but there'll always be a scar. The scars don't disappear. And you just have to

after that score? 100%. But it does creep up. We went out for breakfast the other morning and I feel like my dad communicates through whether people believe that or not but I feel like my dad communicates

through music. So like I said, he always put like albums or songs to a holiday we'd gone on. We were in this cafe the other morning and a song came on. It was basement jacks. I was like, whenever I heard a basement jacks song

like an old one on a random playlist of, you know, it was playing all sorts but nothing like that. it just suddenly came on. We just sat there and I was crying in this cafe. And my boyfriend was like, do you want to leave? And I was like, yeah, because I feel like I was facing everyone. And it just looked like we were breaking up.

I was like, I want to go. Let's pay and go. But it does just suddenly like come out of nowhere and you can't, you can't control it. And I don't want to control it because you can't keep those emotions in. That's what it does get like, I did that for so long that the grief was so delayed because I didn't want to cry. Do you know what I've tell myself as well is every time I cry over my sister who I lost or about the, you know, her kids don't have a mum and all that kind of stuff.

I used to, all my parents, I used to feel very kind of guilty and embarrassed that I was still upset by that. And now I feel, oh, that's a sign that they're still loved because they can inspire that emotion. And I think the day I stopped crying, um, I don't know. I think that's sort of denying their memory in a way if I try not to cry. It's like, oh, they still make me feel. Imagine being dead for that length of time and still inspiring that kind of emotion in someone. That's pretty amazing.

So I think it's really lovely to your dad. And people say, well, what they would have wanted is for you to get on with your life. Yes. But come on, you need to be acknowledged and remember sometimes. You've got to remember me. I know when you'd have too good a time. Yeah, come on. Well, I just want to say I have an enormous amount of empathy,

and it sounds like you really have done the work, because it takes work dealing with grief. And I want to give you a hug. And I wish I'd met your dad, because he sounds an amazing man. Yeah, he, 10 out of 10. Lovely, lovely man. So this water bottle, I thought the bottom could go in the dishwasher. So this I should say is my water bottle,

which is, I think, one of the greatest inventions known to man. And it's, you explain, you're cleverly. So it's got the water at the bottom, and then you release it into like a bowl that's attached. So you don't have to like... And also, if they don't drink it, well, they can just pour it back in. Yeah. So we're saving water. It's true.

But yeah, I put the bottom of mine in the dishwasher and it was so shrunk. Really? It was like a little shot cup. So that was the end of that. Straight in the bin. Sadly. Oh, it's like when they used to shrink those crisp packets. Come on, Ray.

Oh, God, he's so cute. Oh, he really likes you, Haley. So cute. He's just toddling along, taking in all the world. He goes at his own pace. Yeah, I love it. Yeah. Donnie does not go at.

Well, he goes at his own pace, which is very different. Come on, Raymond. I presume you're earning a decent amount of money now from your online career. career. Pays the bills. Doesn't it? Yeah. You kind of get out of it what you put in. That's the thing. What's the nicest thing? What have you bought yourself that you didn't think you'd be able to afford had you not done this? I don't know. I don't love, I don't love spending money. Do you not? Not in like big amounts. The nicest thing I bought myself is probably Invisaline. Invisaline? Yeah. Is that the racist?

on the teeth. Yeah. So I'd always had like quite crooked teeth but you didn't really see it front on but underneath they were all like overlapping. I was really self-court. I've always been really self-conscious of my teeth so I got myself in Visalime. That was painful.

But you didn't because presumably when the money comes in is it staggered? It's not like you suddenly get a lottery winner's chair. Oh God no no, no definitely not. So that's quite good in a way. Because you're sort of getting used to it. Yeah, I think it's, I think social media, there's like a, you know, some people think there's a lot more money. People make varying amounts of money.

It's not a one-size-fits-all. But no, it's, and it also develops as your, I guess, your content develops. Would you ever do live stand up? Because I've heard you say before that you'd be a bit frightened to do that. Well, because I don't stand-ups. I think it's one of those things that you have to really want to do. And stand-ups never really been something that I've gone, oh, I really want to be a stand-up.

So, you know, I've tried it a couple of times, but it's just not really the style of what I'd do. I would definitely do live shows of some sort, but not stand-up. Does it frighten you doing stand-up? It would me? Yeah, and do you know what it is? It's not like the being on stage and doing the jokes and them landing is really nice. It's just the before and the after.

It's the lead up to it I hate is the overthinking it and then the after, the overthinking it as well. So it's before and after I just haven't enjoyed of it. You don't have the, what I'm going to call the necessary death wish that I think all comics kind of have. I call it it's like the foreign correspondence, June. My dad worked in TV. He also used to bang on to me about foreign correspondence. That's what he actually said to me. It was never marry a foreign correspondence.

Right. But his thing about foreign correspondence was that they all had this slight... They kind of enjoyed the adrenaline. Yeah. So much more than the rest of us. And that's actually what made them brilliant at the job. Right. Was that situations where the rest of us would think everything about this is dangerous and I need to remove myself from it?

They're like, I want more of this. Oh, no, no, yeah. No, that's not a feeling I don't enjoy that mass adrenaline. I think you're quite a good friend. I hope so. I like to think I am. Ask my friends. Why do you think that?

I think because you just seem quite calm and kind and quite a decent person I feel and I know Ray likes you and he has such a good instinct about people there you go got very very sweet little soft paws oh thank you I put some moisturiser on this one god look after those hands I think you've got very good energy oh thank you do you ever get angry Yeah, definitely, but not, not like, I think it, you know, it depends. Not like that child only we saw earlier. No, definitely don't get like that. Definitely don't get like that.

It does take a lot, but yeah, I think from time to side, get angry at things. But, you know, emotions, they only last at 90 seconds, I think. So it will be gone in 90 seconds. You say that, but there's something to be said for bearing a good old grudge. No, I don't like to bear a grader, definitely not Oh, it gives me energy Does it? I can hold on to them for 25 years

Oh, okay, fair Well, it depends what someone's done You know, if it's been bad enough It'd be like, yeah, here, I'll hold a grudge on that Well, we should let you go And also it's getting hot now So we should let Ray get Ray out of the sun I have absolutely

loved walking with you today Me too, it's been such a pleasure Have you enjoyed it? Yeah, I really have It's been so lovely Well, I think you're a thoroughly lovely person and I recommend everyone watches your brilliant content. Thank you. Which they can get via, firstly, your YouTube channel.

Yep. So my YouTube channel is Haley Morris and I've got the YouTube shorts and then I've also got, I'm doing some short films on there. Then I've also got my TikTok, which is Haley Georgia Morris. And then I've got my Instagram, which is Haley Morris 3. So I don't keep it consistent, asshole. I can see your lovely PR who's here, slightly raised his eyebrows there. I love how well. Yeah, really all over the pace on those.

No consistency. Look at that big old Doberman, Ray. That Doberman looks lovely, but I'm going to keep you away. Oh, darling, little doggie. He's got a very big Willie. I think he's still quite young. He has a huge willy. That Doberman has got a Willy like a man.

Yeah, that is massive. I didn't know they had big Willie. massive, like, wild. Have you seen the Widdings? Honestly. You couldn't miss it. Really? I've never seen a dog with a Widdly.

Yeah, that's intense. That sounds like something from Aladdin. I ain't ever seen a Willy, I bet. And you can't help but... You've seen a dog. The Saz. That is... I've dated men with smaller genitals.

Yeah. I'm not joking of you. No, agree. Yeah. Yeah, with that shadow of death. Oh dear. I can't believe. You feel in self-conscious? That dog.

It's all right, don't worry. It's all right, darling. We're all built differently. It's okay. It's all right. You'd look silly with a penis that size. You don't want to pack it that size. Bye-bye, Doberman.

Wow, we. Yeah, that was huge. He'll be dragging himself home on three legs. Yeah, that's got to still have intact balls, surely. Do you think it's inappropriate? They definitely shrink, don't they? Yeah, it's always, you know, change the topic. I'm just saying, I'm really.

Sorry if anyone finds as offensive, but you just don't often see something like that out in the wild. You don't, okay? On a human, let alone a bloody dog. I have adored speaking to you today. Me too. And I'm meeting you. I think you really like Ray, didn't you? I'm a big fan.

Do you want to give him a hug? Bye-bye, Haley. Bye, darling. I really hope you enjoyed that episode of Walking the Dog. We'd love it if you subscribed. Do join us next time on Walking the Dog wherever you get your podcasts.