LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – After seven years of helping build Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s carefully crafted online persona, the woman behind many of the governor’s TikToks, viral stunts and social media posts is leaving the building.

Julia Pickett, Whitmer’s digital and creative director and photographer/videographer, announced on Monday, July 13, that she is leaving the Executive Office of the Governor at the end of the week. So if you ever wondered who was behind the Barbie doll videos and the other TikTok viral videos, wonder no more.

Seven years of pretending to be Whitmer.

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“After seven years of writing for someone else’s account, writing this post for myself feels oddly difficult,” Pickett wrote on X announcing her departure.

Pickett said she built and led the digital and creative operation behind Whitmer’s online presence, taking risks and experimenting with ideas designed to make government communications more entertaining and reach people who might otherwise scroll right past politics.

Among her proudest accomplishments? Turning “Lil Gretch” from what she called a “ridiculous idea” into an award-winning campaign, building Whitmer’s TikTok following from zero to approximately 377,000 followers.

Yes, Pickett was behind “Lil Gretch,” the Barbie-inspired miniature Whitmer who cruised around Michigan in a pink Corvette promoting the governor’s agenda – a social media campaign that went on to win Shorty and Webby awards.

@biggretchwhitmer

Barbie Land ➡️ Michigan @barbie @Barbie Movie

♬ original sound – BigGretchWhitmer

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The voice behind the voice.

“One of the most unique parts of this job was creating in someone else’s voice,” Pickett wrote. “You get to know their humor, what feels authentic, and what doesn’t quite sound like them.”

Authentic? In the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, the definition of authentic is “not false or imitation.” That seems to be the exact opposite of what went on when Pickett was writing for Whitmer for the past seven years. The account said “Gretchen Whitmer” ‘but the person writing the posts was NOT Gretchen Whitmer. Or at least not most of the time according to Pickett’s own accounts.

In other words, while Whitmer was the face of “Big Gretch,” Pickett was one of the key people helping decide what Big Gretch sounded like online.

Who is Pickett?

Pickett, a photographer and creative professional, says her work has been featured in The New York Times, Politico, Hour Detroit, the Lansing State Journal and Newsweek.

An “out” lesbian according to Pride Source, Pickett was also behind some of Whitmer’s more controversial social media moments. In 2024, the governor appeared in a viral video feeding a Dorito to an influencer in a pose that Catholic leaders said mimicked the reception of Holy Communion, prompting accusations that the skit mocked the Catholic faith.

Pickett also designed Whitmer’s “pronoun jacket” for Motor City Pride after she and the governor brainstormed ideas for the event. Pickett said she developed the concept, designed the lettering and painted the jacket herself – and that Whitmer did not see the finished product until it was time to wear it.

Seven years of manufacturing “authenticity.”

Now, after seven years of shaping Whitmer’s digital image, Pickett says she is ready to put her own name on the “next thing.” Ironically, one of the biggest pieces of Whitmer’s online brand – “Big Gretch” – wasn’t even created by her digital team. Detroit rapper Gmac Cash popularized it with his viral 2020 song, and Whitmer’s team ran with it. So much for authenticity.