The Reptile Zoo in Fountain Valley lands reality TV series

Jay Brewer believes he is dwelling the desire.

Afterwards this year, he will insert “reality Tv star” to his wonderful life journey.

Brewer is the founder and owner of the Reptile Zoo in Fountain Valley, which includes hundreds of species of reptiles, from unique snakes to alligators to tortoises and every little thing in involving.

His bigger-than-life character and enjoyable small business has lent by itself to millions of followers on social media, primarily on TikTok, the place he has 20 million followers and the zoo has 12 million more. There in no way appears to be a boring minute for Brewer, who operates the zoo with the assist of his a few grownup daughters — Laura, Juliette and Andrea — and a workers of about 20.

Monitor lizards at the Reptile Zoo in Fountain Valley.

“Honestly, we have an astounding total of varieties of animals for such a modest position,” Jay Brewer stated. “But we never have lions and tigers and bears, factors that just take big place. Reptiles, particularly snakes, really do not have to have a ton of room. Most reptiles really feel relaxed in a more compact enclosure with the capacity to disguise and feel risk-free. As prolonged as they get their food items and every thing they require, they’re material.”

The zoo has garnered the curiosity of Roku, which will start a 6-episode actuality collection titled “Reptile Royalty” afterwards this year. The collection will focus on the adventures of the Brewer household and workers, as they care for far more than 600 of some of the rarest and most exotic reptiles on Earth.

Jay Brewer, who identified as himself “58 several years old likely on 7,” initially opened the doors of what was then regarded as Pet State in 1988. The place expanded above the several years to its present-day dimensions of 13,000 square feet, and the Reptile Zoo was officially launched in 2009. It is also regarded as Prehistoric Pets.

An adult American alligator rests in a tank at The Reptile Zoo in Fountain Valley.

Jay and Juliette Brewer have become net stars and have lately labored with celebs like Snoop Dogg, Kevin Hart, Diplo and many others. To this, Jay presents a hearty laugh.

“When I commenced, I by no means believed I could have went this far,” he claimed. “I indicate, 60 million followers among my company account that my daughter runs and mine? That is weird. They did not have world-wide-web back then, you know what I indicate? It is just bizarre. From being a weak orphan, which is just nuts.”

Brewer grew up in Tustin. His adopted mother passed absent when he was 4, he explained, and when he was 14 his father drank himself to dying.

Soon right after that, Brewer dropped out of Newport Harbor Substantial, befriended by a person named “Uncle Louie” who took the teen beneath his wing. He at some point became a business fisherman he experienced already built excellent income fishing at the Dory Fishing Fleet in Newport Seaside on weekends.

“When I got married [to longtime wife Becky], I resolved I did not want to be a fisherman due to the fact there was a lot of drugs and alcoholic beverages,” he stated. “I didn’t want it all-around my children, and I did not essentially like it myself.”

Juliette Brewer holds up a juvenile American alligator for visitors to pet at the Reptile Zoo.

Doing the job with animals grew to become a passion, which built feeling, thinking about Jay’s childhood.

“This is like a childhood desire in a way,” he claimed. “I basically would wake up in the morning and go out and catch frogs and lizards, go in irrigation ditches at night time. That is what I favored to do. I would have finished other stuff, but when you have no cash, you don’t have a ton of choices. I savored the wilderness.”

His good results story may well be persuasive, but he explained element of what compels him is meeting children that remind him of himself.

A legless lizard at the Reptile Zoo in Fountain Valley.

On Thursday early morning, Amber Dude of Huntington Seaside walked about the zoo with two boys — a person 9 months previous, one particular just about 3 many years outdated — that she nannies.

“It’s a hidden gem,” Person claimed. “Every time I post, individuals are like, ‘Where is that?’ … [The kids] appreciate it, especially taking images with the snake. I feel like which is a hit.”

Juliette Brewer, 31, claimed she is also on the lookout forward to the launch of the Roku demonstrate. Though the Brewers now do a large amount on social media, it will provide even extra insight into the reptile rambunctiousness that goes on driving the scenes.

“If there is even a minute it goes to his head, which it virtually hasn’t, then we’re like, ‘Chill out,’” she explained of her father. “He functions here constantly, so it’s not like he’s far too large now. He just suits it all in, which is truly wonderful. Listed here at the zoo, people today occur to go to from all over the world and hope to see either my dad or I, and men and women just go ballistic when they see him. I consider both equally of us just see it as a way to meet new people today.”