Shapiro eulogizes beloved TikTok grandma ‘Mimmy’ who taught him 2nd grade

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) posted a video on TikTok commemorating Judith Bernstein, the grandmother of TikTok star Jake Kind who platform users affectionately know as “Mimmy,” who he said taught him in second grade.

“She was an incredible teacher,” Shapiro said. “I was proud to have her in the second grade and she taught me how to love learning. She just excited me when I came to class and I took those lessons with me.”

Bernstein regularly featured in videos on Kind’s TikTok account, who posts under the handle “Goobi Gubbi” on the platform. Several of their videos together went viral, amassing millions of views and drawing over 650,000 followers to the account.

Kind announced on Sept. 5 that his grandmother had passed away the day before at 82 years old. He shared a video that Bernstein filmed before her death to bid farewell to Kind’s followers. 

“I had a fabulous life,” she said. “That’s what you need to remember.”

Shapiro stitched Bernstein’s farewell video to say goodbye to “Mrs. B,” who he said had been there for him since the beginning of his political career. 

“Mrs. B was also really proud of the work I do in public sector and government, and really helped me along the way,” Shapiro recalled. “I still remember my first race for state representative, she hosted an event at her home and the pride she had in me, the pride she had in what I was pursuing really meant a lot to me.”

Shapiro served as a state representative in Pennsylvania between 2005 to 2011. He went on to serve as chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners and attorney general before being elected as governor.

He is widely seen as a strong contender to be the Democratic nominee in the 2028 presidential race. Former Vice President Kamala Harris considered taking him on as her running mate during her presidential bid last year but ultimately ran alongside Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D). 

“We’re going to miss Mrs. B,” Shapiro said, closing out his video. “I know her family is mourning now but I want her family to be comforted by knowing there is a whole lot of people out there who were touched by Mrs. B., who appreciated Mrs. B., and I’m surely chief among them.”