The Bonus Jonas
Image Courtesy: Bustle
The Jonas Brothers were what you call “love at first sight” for many young girls. At seven years old, I became a changed woman as I watched the three musketeers perform as part of the Camp Rock 2 Tour. I couldn’t decide which brother I wanted to claim, so I claimed them all—they’re a package deal anyways. It is a rare occasion that you see one brother without the other.
As a follower of the Jonas Brothers, I genuinely thought I knew almost everything about them… until I was endlessly scrolling through TikTok a couple of days ago and Frankie Jonas appeared on my FYP. Frankie Jonas, who? There can’t be another Jonas brother. Nonetheless, I soon put the pieces together, and it turns out my whole life has been a lie. There is a fourth Jonas brother. “Since when?” I thought to myself. Well, I guess since always. Besides myself, many others were not aware of this mysterious fourth brother. But, there’s no need to research—here is everything you need to know about the fabulous fourth Jonas.
Image Courtesy: Pinterest
Around 2007, the three main Jonas brothers were on a roll, touring constantly and recording hit song after hit song. Didn’t Frankie feel excluded by his three older brothers? Although we can assume that he did, Frankie was just too young to be incorporated at the band's peak. Frankie turned twenty-one this past September, while Joe and Kevin are both in their thirties, and Nick will be turning thirty this upcoming September. That being said, it never would have worked for Frankie if he were a part of the initial sensational band.
As you can imagine, living in his three older brothers’ shadows was often challenging. When Frankie was only five years old, he and his family had packed up their belongings and moved from New Jersey to Los Angeles, all for his older brothers’ dreams. Frankie told Bustle, “They were like, ‘We’re going to move to L.A. for your brothers’ career.’ I had planned out my entire life in Jersey. I was 5, and I’m like, ‘I’m going to go to Princeton and be this college football star who comes back home and becomes an astrophysicist.’ That was my plan. And I watched it just fade to dust. My future just slowly died.”
Frankie was admitted into Belmont University to study filmmaking at the early age of sixteen. Frankie thought he would feel normalcy by studying at a university and retreating from his brothers’ shadows. Unfortunately, he sourly spoke of his classmates at Belmont to Bustle, “It’s easy to lose compassion for individuals because they have attention… that was my biggest issue with my name and with my public image. The second that people knew who my family was or who I was, I felt that connection, that tether of empathy, get cut.”
Through these stories, spectators can obviously pick up on the fact that Frankie struggled, as anyone would. It must’ve been difficult to form genuine connections without feeling used, which is often a feeling that many celebrities or relatives of celebrities experience.
On a more positive note, it seems that Frankie Jonas has escaped his brothers’ shadows as he recently became a splash of commotion on TikTok. He’s been posting on the platform for just over a year and has a following of 1.9 million and over 51 million likes. He’s created a fan base of his own! Frankie is quite comical, which is probably why his TikTok page has grown so significantly this past year. The newfound TikTok star often pokes fun at the label “bonus Jonas” and makes jokes about his family on the account. According to PopSugar, Frankie’s fan base has even started leaving comments on Joe, Kevin, and Nick’s page, like “Wait, aren’t you Frankie’s brother?” So, is Frankie the new Jonas heartthrob? If his TikTok page continues to succeed, I think the answer is a clear YES. Despite all of his hardships, Frankie prevailed and came out on top of the pyramid. He’s made a name for himself, and maybe now I’ll be claiming all four Jonas brothers!
Strike Out,
Lili Jahromi
Boca Raton
Lili Jahromi is a Content Writer for Strike Magazine Boca Raton. She spends an unnecessary amount of her time idolizing Lady Gaga, sharing intimate moments with her friends, and beachin’ it with her b*tches. You can reach her at jahromilrose@yahoo.com
