A six-foot man often 'wished he was a dwarf' when he was a little kid.
TikTok star, Peet Montzingo, has amassed a huge following on the social media platform, with over 12.7 million followers enjoying his comedy skits with his family, which often includes his 4ft 8' mum, Vicki.
Though he told Today that he’s 'finally found his place in the world’, he wasn’t always so comfortable with how different he looked from his family.
Advert
Both his parents and siblings have dwarfism, with Peet being the only tall person in his family.
This led to him feeling like the ‘odd man out’ when growing up with his family.
Peet, who is based in Los Angeles, California, also admitted that he ‘hated’ how people would treat his family by staring or taking photographs – adding that he was 'always ready to fight someone’.
Advert
Even the 32-year-old’s relationship with his brother, Andrew, was strained as he was 'envious' of the attention that Andrew received.
Andrew has a rare form of dwarfism which required regular trips to the hospital.
"I'd be like, 'Well, why did he get a teddy bear and not me?'" Peet said.
And his brother said he also felt 'some jealously' because he 'loved sports'.
Advert
“We played little league together and he’d be the kid out in the left field picking daisies, and not competing. And I’m like, ‘Peet, you have the perfect build and you’re not even putting it to good use. Switch bodies with me'.” he said.
Vicki also said that things weren’t so easy for Peet as a child.
“Peet as a little boy would say to me, ‘Mom, I wish I was a dwarf’." she said.
Advert
“He fit society’s idea of what a person should look like, but at home, he felt like the odd man out.”
Andrew said that Peet also had his challenges, like at theme parks, he would often have to go on rides himself since his family were restricted to certain ones, which made him feel bad.
And he was also very sensitive to how others treated his family.
“I definitely sensed anger and sadness from him when we were younger,” Andrew said. “The pointing, the stares and the name calling — the name calling really got to him.”
Advert
But Peet has decided to use his platform to educate people on TikTok, often through his sketches.
Usually his mum would be the butt of the joke, with Peet playing light-hearted pranks on her such as creating 'sound effects’ on a trombone as she goes about her day.
He has also documents his families' lives and the challenges that their condition brings them.
Peet even recently wrote a book called 'Little Imperfections: A Tall Tale of Growing Up Different', which explores 'the universal themes of being different'.
And he’s happy to help educate others, saying: "I’m educating people about differences. I get so many messages that are like, ‘You’ve changed my perspective, thank you for opening my eyes’.”
Katherine Sidnell