Menifee's 7-year-old bug expert is guest on The Ellen Show
By Tommie Brown, Staff Writer Menifee has seen its fair share of citizens making it big in athletics and the arts, but this week 7-year-ol...
http://www.menifee247.com/2019/10/menifees-7-year-old-bug-expert-is-guest-on-ellen-show.html
By Tommie Brown, Staff Writer
Menifee has seen its fair share of citizens making it big in athletics and the arts, but this week 7-year-old Garrett Clay made his mark on The Ellen Show for being an expert in -- who could’ve guessed -- bugs.
Garrett, the Santa Rosa Academy second grade Blue Track student and Menifee resident, took on Warner Brothers Studio with his mother, Patricia Clay, on Sept. 26 to film an episode of The Ellen Show that aired Friday in front of millions of viewers.
When the show aired, the Clay family was tucked into the Pitstop Pub with well over 50 guests made up of Garrett’s classmates, friends, their parents, and some SRA staff.
Sectioning off an entire half of the Pitstop Pub with table cloths, balloons, confetti, and TV’s surrounding the entire area, the Clay family served their guests with as much pizza, french fries, cupcakes, and bendy straws as they could muster during the midday viewing party for Garrett’s debut.
Announced on air as “The Adorable 7-Year Old Bug Expert,” Garrett falls nothing short of being exactly that. At first sight of Garrett, his small frame and beaming personality are paired with his overflowing confidence and eloquence.
“Nice to meet you, my name is Garrett Clay and I’m really glad you’re here,” said Garrett as he stuck his arm out for a handshake with this Menifee 24/7 reporter.
After viewing his Youtube channel, “Garret Clay’s Life Channel,” the producers of The Ellen Show were enchanted by Garrett, surely for his sparkling personality, but especially for his astounding knowledge and comprehension of insects, as well as all living organisms.
“He has been interested in bugs since he was born,” said his mother. “No one else in our family from any side loves bugs or animals like this. Garrett truly is one of a kind.”
“I’ve loved bugs my whole life,” explained Garrett. “I’ve tried to find out every single thing I can about them. I read things, I watch things, I listen to things, whatever you can use to learn about them, I use. I think bugs are cool. They are different from any other animal.”
Garrett’s understanding and studies of insects goes far beyond the bugs’ cool factors. The plethora of knowledge Garrett has absorbed in a short seven years of life is staggering. From mating habits to venom, flying patterns, and number of eyes to their specific task and importance here on Earth, Garrett has become a tiny encyclopedia for even tinier creatures -- his favorite being the pollinators.
“Wasps, hornets, yellowjackets, and bees - which are almost all exactly the same thing, except bees,” was Garrett’s answer to which insect was his favorite. “They’re not just cool, but they pollinate and help the whole Earth.”
But Garrett’s interests stretch further than his many-legged friends. He also studies all animals in the animal kingdom, as well as the universe as a whole. On his Youtube channel viewers can see Garrett giving lessons on things like the significance of planet rotations, the environment, sea animals, the prehistoric age, and plants, to name a few.
His devotion to all things environmental has stretched even further than his online and television presence; he has made an impact in his own home.
“Garrett has made our whole family so much more gentle,” said Patricia. “We constantly are thinking about living creatures now and how to be kind to living things. We don’t even kill flies in our house anymore. We figure out ways to get them outside without hurting them because Garrett has taught us that even flies matter.”
“People say too many bad things about flies,” Garrett interjected. “From being a fly to when it's a maggot, it’s a myth that flies are dirty and eat trash. Flies eat dead animals, and dead animals carry diseases. If flies didn’t exist, that would leave dead animals decomposing and collecting diseases, and then other animals would eat those bodies with diseases. Which would make those animals go extinct, and if they go extinct, they’re taking humans with them.”
The 7-year old bug prodigy respects living things so deeply, that he is even a 7-year old vegetarian.
“Everyone in our family eats meat,” laughed Patricia. “Full meat eaters, have never not been. But Garrett decided on his own that he wasn’t going to eat anything living, and he stuck to it.”
Entirely his own person, Garrett was a producers’ favorite when it came to casting for Ellen. Having started his Youtube channel roughly a month ago, the Clay’s have undoubtedly seen tremendous success. And though Patricia had submitted his videos to Ellen’s team, the producers at The Ellen Show were already aware of Garrett’s existence.
“One of the producers called me while I was in the Temecula mall and told me they were calling from The Ellen Show and I told them they had to be joking,” laughed Patricia. “She told me she saw the video we sent them, but before that she was told by another producer that there was this little boy who knew everything about bugs and she needed to look him up. Once she put two and two together, she said she knew it was meant to be.”
Taking to the studio with guest host Sean Hayes, amid actor Adam Devine, singer Lewis Capaldi and Ellen’s regular host, the well known dancer tWitch, Garrett fit right in on the famous Ellen DeGeneres stage.
Watching a display of scorpions and tarantulas, the audience members sat with mouths agape as Garrett held each bug in his hand, trying to convince a nearly repulsed Hayes that there’s no difference between a spider with five eyes and a human with two.
“I was so terrified before the show aired and right before he went on stage,” said Patricia. “He’s just a baby, and then I got so nervous that he wouldn’t be able to handle that pressure. I just kept thinking, 'What if he runs off stage, what if he freezes'. Seven is a hard age; they are completely their own people with their own plans, but they’re still so young.”
But Garrett immediately put any jitters to rest as he commanded the Ellen stage, like he had been visiting those famous white guest chairs his entire life.
“The producer told me, 'Listen, we have been doing this for a long time, and I have never had a child run off the stage,' " Patricia said. " 'It isn’t just about his knowledge of why we chose him. We take you all through so many interviews and through the whole process because we want to know how he will handle it. We chose him for his maturity.' ”
And after Garrett hopped into the seat next to Hayes, cracking jokes and pulling up his perfectly pressed pants that match his perfectly placed suspenders and bow tie to reveal bright yellow socks decorated with insects, it was clear to everyone watching that Garrett was going to do just fine.
“We really just want to thank Menifee,” said Patricia on behalf of herself, husband Anthony, and their four children. “We are just really grateful and excited about all of this and we love Menifee.”
And Garrett has a strong message he wanted to share with Menifee 24/7 readers as well.
“Don’t be afraid, and help animals live. If you don’t, you’ll learn when the mass extinction happens because they’ll take insects, animals, plants, and humans with it.”
To view Garrett’s episode on The Ellen Show, visit The Ellen Show’s Youtube channel for clips. To see more from Garrett and the Clay family, visit his Youtube channel, “Garrett Clay’s Life Channel.”
Menifee has seen its fair share of citizens making it big in athletics and the arts, but this week 7-year-old Garrett Clay made his mark on The Ellen Show for being an expert in -- who could’ve guessed -- bugs.
Garrett, the Santa Rosa Academy second grade Blue Track student and Menifee resident, took on Warner Brothers Studio with his mother, Patricia Clay, on Sept. 26 to film an episode of The Ellen Show that aired Friday in front of millions of viewers.
When the show aired, the Clay family was tucked into the Pitstop Pub with well over 50 guests made up of Garrett’s classmates, friends, their parents, and some SRA staff.
Sectioning off an entire half of the Pitstop Pub with table cloths, balloons, confetti, and TV’s surrounding the entire area, the Clay family served their guests with as much pizza, french fries, cupcakes, and bendy straws as they could muster during the midday viewing party for Garrett’s debut.
Announced on air as “The Adorable 7-Year Old Bug Expert,” Garrett falls nothing short of being exactly that. At first sight of Garrett, his small frame and beaming personality are paired with his overflowing confidence and eloquence.
“Nice to meet you, my name is Garrett Clay and I’m really glad you’re here,” said Garrett as he stuck his arm out for a handshake with this Menifee 24/7 reporter.
After viewing his Youtube channel, “Garret Clay’s Life Channel,” the producers of The Ellen Show were enchanted by Garrett, surely for his sparkling personality, but especially for his astounding knowledge and comprehension of insects, as well as all living organisms.
“He has been interested in bugs since he was born,” said his mother. “No one else in our family from any side loves bugs or animals like this. Garrett truly is one of a kind.”
“I’ve loved bugs my whole life,” explained Garrett. “I’ve tried to find out every single thing I can about them. I read things, I watch things, I listen to things, whatever you can use to learn about them, I use. I think bugs are cool. They are different from any other animal.”
Garrett’s understanding and studies of insects goes far beyond the bugs’ cool factors. The plethora of knowledge Garrett has absorbed in a short seven years of life is staggering. From mating habits to venom, flying patterns, and number of eyes to their specific task and importance here on Earth, Garrett has become a tiny encyclopedia for even tinier creatures -- his favorite being the pollinators.
“Wasps, hornets, yellowjackets, and bees - which are almost all exactly the same thing, except bees,” was Garrett’s answer to which insect was his favorite. “They’re not just cool, but they pollinate and help the whole Earth.”
But Garrett’s interests stretch further than his many-legged friends. He also studies all animals in the animal kingdom, as well as the universe as a whole. On his Youtube channel viewers can see Garrett giving lessons on things like the significance of planet rotations, the environment, sea animals, the prehistoric age, and plants, to name a few.
His devotion to all things environmental has stretched even further than his online and television presence; he has made an impact in his own home.
“Garrett has made our whole family so much more gentle,” said Patricia. “We constantly are thinking about living creatures now and how to be kind to living things. We don’t even kill flies in our house anymore. We figure out ways to get them outside without hurting them because Garrett has taught us that even flies matter.”
“People say too many bad things about flies,” Garrett interjected. “From being a fly to when it's a maggot, it’s a myth that flies are dirty and eat trash. Flies eat dead animals, and dead animals carry diseases. If flies didn’t exist, that would leave dead animals decomposing and collecting diseases, and then other animals would eat those bodies with diseases. Which would make those animals go extinct, and if they go extinct, they’re taking humans with them.”
The 7-year old bug prodigy respects living things so deeply, that he is even a 7-year old vegetarian.
“Everyone in our family eats meat,” laughed Patricia. “Full meat eaters, have never not been. But Garrett decided on his own that he wasn’t going to eat anything living, and he stuck to it.”
Entirely his own person, Garrett was a producers’ favorite when it came to casting for Ellen. Having started his Youtube channel roughly a month ago, the Clay’s have undoubtedly seen tremendous success. And though Patricia had submitted his videos to Ellen’s team, the producers at The Ellen Show were already aware of Garrett’s existence.
“One of the producers called me while I was in the Temecula mall and told me they were calling from The Ellen Show and I told them they had to be joking,” laughed Patricia. “She told me she saw the video we sent them, but before that she was told by another producer that there was this little boy who knew everything about bugs and she needed to look him up. Once she put two and two together, she said she knew it was meant to be.”
Taking to the studio with guest host Sean Hayes, amid actor Adam Devine, singer Lewis Capaldi and Ellen’s regular host, the well known dancer tWitch, Garrett fit right in on the famous Ellen DeGeneres stage.
Watching a display of scorpions and tarantulas, the audience members sat with mouths agape as Garrett held each bug in his hand, trying to convince a nearly repulsed Hayes that there’s no difference between a spider with five eyes and a human with two. “I was so terrified before the show aired and right before he went on stage,” said Patricia. “He’s just a baby, and then I got so nervous that he wouldn’t be able to handle that pressure. I just kept thinking, 'What if he runs off stage, what if he freezes'. Seven is a hard age; they are completely their own people with their own plans, but they’re still so young.”
But Garrett immediately put any jitters to rest as he commanded the Ellen stage, like he had been visiting those famous white guest chairs his entire life.
“The producer told me, 'Listen, we have been doing this for a long time, and I have never had a child run off the stage,' " Patricia said. " 'It isn’t just about his knowledge of why we chose him. We take you all through so many interviews and through the whole process because we want to know how he will handle it. We chose him for his maturity.' ”
And after Garrett hopped into the seat next to Hayes, cracking jokes and pulling up his perfectly pressed pants that match his perfectly placed suspenders and bow tie to reveal bright yellow socks decorated with insects, it was clear to everyone watching that Garrett was going to do just fine.
“We really just want to thank Menifee,” said Patricia on behalf of herself, husband Anthony, and their four children. “We are just really grateful and excited about all of this and we love Menifee.”
And Garrett has a strong message he wanted to share with Menifee 24/7 readers as well.
“Don’t be afraid, and help animals live. If you don’t, you’ll learn when the mass extinction happens because they’ll take insects, animals, plants, and humans with it.”
To view Garrett’s episode on The Ellen Show, visit The Ellen Show’s Youtube channel for clips. To see more from Garrett and the Clay family, visit his Youtube channel, “Garrett Clay’s Life Channel.”
