Her boyfriend's 'drama queen' antics to get his partner's attention go viral

A man's desperate cry for help after an argument with his girlfriend has caused fits of laughter on the Internet.

Antonia Perlinger, 22, (@antoniaperlinger) filmed her partner Samuel Shavin, 27, sitting in silence and playing dramatic songs until she gives in to him. The video received 1.2 million likes and 5.1 million views on TikTok.

“We had a little argument the night before, so we were pretty upset the next morning. So Sam likes to lighten the mood in a very funny and overdramatizing way. It lightens the mood and helps both of us get over negative feelings,” said Perlinger, a florist and barista from Tel Aviv, Israel. Newsweek.

In the video, which Perlinger filmed one floor above her partner, Shavin is seen sulking alone while cranking up the ultimate sad song, “All By Myself.” He looks up at his partner briefly before turning his melancholy gaze back into the distance.

“My personal drama queen,” Perlinger captioned the video.

According to Perlinger, Shavin's dramatic performances began when they became more comfortable in each other's presence. “He's a very funny person and loves to act out and be dramatic. He also loves to act and put himself in different roles.”

“The reasons for these meetings vary. Sometimes he does it out of boredom or because he wants to have a conversation. Sometimes it happens after an argument or when we're not feeling well.”

Perlinger said Shavin keeps up his act until he gets her attention, a hug or a kiss. Humor can be an effective way to defuse conflict, especially in relationships.

According to HelpGuide, humor helps distance yourself from the emotional intensity of an argument and creates space for partners to reconnect on common ground. This allows couples to work through their problems in a light-hearted, yet meaningful way.

However, using humor as a coping mechanism can be unhealthy if it is used to avoid painful emotions such as hurt, fear, anger, or disappointment rather than addressing them.

“It automatically brightens my heart and my mood. I love his demeanor and the fact that he can laugh at himself and be dramatic. I also like his way of communicating because he can take things very seriously, but also be very relaxed. He is my personal drama queen,” said Perlinger.

The commentators reacted hysterically to Shavin's antics.

“Cheer up, king, you don’t deserve to be mistreated like that,” joked Patrick.

“Treat him like a princess IMMEDIATELY!” demanded another viewer. The term “princess treatment” refers to pampering someone with special care and affection, treating them as if they were of royal blood.

“My boyfriend sings very sad songs in the shower to get my attention,” said one viewer.

“The way he looked up and saw you and then said nothing,” Danie noted.

“I thought I was being dramatic. Now I see that I finally have a worthy opponent,” joked another commentator named D.

“The deep sigh, hahaha,” laughed Isabella.

Perlinger concluded: “We have a very special relationship. We are each other's best friends and partners. We can have serious conversations and talk about important things and our feelings, but we can also laugh with each other and behave like little children.”