Tucked away in his Rehoboth Beach home inside a gated community, Larry Pennington often patrols the comments section of his TikTok posts like a veteran officer of the punctuation police.

Looking spiffy in a suit jacket and fedora, Pennington cruises through the TikTok streets in his vibrant yellow 1993 Cadillac Allante, combing through countless comments in search of those golden messages that end with a question mark.  

Pennington, a 79-year-old style icon and rising TikTok influencer, is committed to engaging with his 243,000-plus fans, answering their questions with unwavering dedication. 

Why is answering his fans’ questions so important to him? 

“I think it’s rude if I don’t,” Pennington told The News Journal / Delaware Online during an April 16 interview at his Rehoboth home.  

“They are looking at my posts. They are making me what I am,” he continued about his fans. “I am nothing without those people.” 

New York Times featured dapper Delaware TikTok star

Pennington’s newfound TikTok fame has landed him in feature articles by The New York Times and Newsweek. He said the “Tamron Hall Show” reached out to him earlier this year, but he wasn’t able to be a guest because he and his fashionable husband David Lasher-Pennington were on a cruise.   

The beloved boomer is popular for sharing videos of thrifted items from his house, which he calls his “thrifted home.” Pennington also models his favorite outfits, many featuring colorful blazers. A number of his clothing items are from the major department chain Belk.  

It certainly helps that the West Virginia-born style influencer, who was raised in a household with fashionable parents, has a velvety southern accent that captivates his audience — plus, he’s well spoken. 

The wardrobe warrior’s Rehoboth home has six closets, and he owns over 90 jackets and suits, while his husband has at least 40 suits.  

Delaware TikTok star swamped by over 8,700 fan comments

A retired teacher from Cape Henlopen High School, Pennington said his TikTok account exploded on Jan. 1. That’s the day he posted a video of himself modeling a brown blazer and sweater in his closet, which is something he’s done before on TikTok. That video generated over 3.6 million views.  

“It was crazy, and I didn’t understand why that one went so viral,” he explained.  

The fashion bug’s video triggered a flood of engagement with over 8,700 comments. He almost drowned trying to respond to his fans.  

“That nearly killed me,” he said. “Now, fortunately, a lot of people just make a comment. But if they ask a question, I think it’s rude not to answer.” 

Hacker held new Delaware TikTok star’s account for ransom

Becoming an internet celebrity can come with risks, and Pennington discovered the harsh reality in March when his sudden fame made him the target of a ransom attack. 

The dapper Delawarean revealed his TikTok account was hacked, with the intruder changing his password and locking him out. The hacker also changed the name of his account from @larry.penninton to @pennsylvania91. 

Pennington said he tried to contact someone at TikTok to help him regain control of his account, but it led him nowhere. 

“When you deal with TikTok, you’re talking to a computer. It’s weird,” he said. 

After nearly a week of frustration, Pennington reluctantly gave in and paid the hacker, ultimately losing around $1,000 to the scam. Pennington said the hacker returned his account, which led the influencer to create a new password and beef up security on his phone.  

Once Pennington got back into his account, he said the hacker had the nerve to ask him for more money.  

“I kept getting, ‘Oh, I need this. Could you send this? My child [is] in the hospital,’ with a picture of the kid in the hospital bed,” Pennington explained.  

Other scammers also have tried to take advantage of the fashion guru, including one who claimed there was an issue with Pennington’s PayPal account. But the TikTok senior is hip to their schemes.  

There was pain in his voice when the influencer recalled how helpless he felt during the March ransom attack.  

“I was so involved in doing my TikToks that it was like a death in the family. I was devastated. I was in horrible shape,” Pennington said. “It was just awful.”  

His husband said he’s cautious of scammers trying to interfere with Pennington’s TikTok fame.   

“I’m kinda concerned that something is going to happen or someone is going to pull it out from under like the ransom thing,” said David, a softspoken man of few words, who likes to hang out in the background of Pennington’s videos.  

Pennington has no regrets paying his TikTok ransom.  

“It was worth every penny to get it back,” he said. “It was easier just to pay them. I mean, after all, I make money on TikTok, so I figured I’ll invest some of my TikTok money in getting [back] my TikTok account.” 

Ivy League grad with 3 degrees: Delaware influencer is a flight attendant who juggles fame

TikTok fashion guru from Delaware dresses up 7 days a week

Although the stylish gent posts often on TikTok, he and his husband spend a lot of time outside of the house. The couple said they dress up seven days a week. 

Here’s an example of what their weekly schedule around Rehoboth looks like, according to Pennington:  

Monday (visit Red, White and Basil), Tuesday (visit Rigby’s Bar & Grill), Wednesday (they’ll figure out a new place to visit), Friday (hang out downtown with friends), Saturday (“we’re usually open to do something different”) and Sunday (visit Kings Creek Country Club). 

Delaware friends talk TikTok fame: ‘Incredibly amazing’

Duane Liscinsky is a fellow member of Kings Creek Country Club and he’s been friends with Larry for about 10 years. He said Pennington’s TikTok videos aren’t a gimmick.  

“He’s dressed almost overly appropriate for [any] event. He always has a hat on. He always has a pocket square, and he always has a brooch on,” Liscinsky of Rehoboth said. “That is his everyday life.” 

Kent Swarts has known the Penningtons for about a decade. He said their TikTok fame is cool, especially for Larry. 

Goodbye, Dude: ‘Most famous cat in Delaware’ dies at 17. Here’s why he was different

Another Delaware influencer: Ivy League grad with 3 degrees is a food and fun influencer, flight attendant

“I think it’s incredibly amazing that as a senior gentleman, he took this inherent talent of being able to speak intelligently and clearly, especially on something he knows so well, and turn it into a modern-day success for himself,” Swarts of Rehoboth Beach said.  

Swarts said his own husband’s late mom used to refer to the Penningtons as “live cartoon characters.” That’s because the couple are well-known entities in Rehoboth.  

He added, when most people are wearing shorts, the Penningtons are wearing suits and “they are driving in this little yellow convertible Cadillac … into town to have a cocktail hour.”  

Delaware TikTok star on being famous at 79

Pennington has enjoyed the thrill of TikTok fame and looks forward to creating even more content for his growing fan base. 

Finding unexpected fame at nearly 80 years old is something that tickles the fashion expert. 

“It’s nothing I ever imagined. I thought my opportunity for fame had passed me by. You know, [I’m] in my late ’70s,” he said. “It just seemed improbable. But it has happened.” 

If you have an interesting story idea, email lifestyle reporter Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com. Consider signing up for his weekly newsletter, DO Delaware, at delawareonline.com/newsletters.