SJU first-year reflects on Guinness World Record

Most people can open their mouth about 1.4 to 2.2 inches, but SJU first-year Isaac Johnson can stretch his to 4.108 inches–a feat that makes him a Guinness World Record holder.

When I met him in the library, he had a reserved demeanor and a large frame sticking out of his backpack. It was one of his plaques from Guinness. He didn’t want to bring it to college, he said, but his mom made him.

When he was younger, Johnson’s brother brought home a Guinness World Record Book, where Johnson discovered the largest male mouth gape at the time. It belonged to Bernd Schmidt of Germany, at 3.46 inches.

Johnson, who was nicknamed “Mouth” in high school, knew he could beat that.

Johnson applied for the Guinness World Record in 2019 and was awarded three months later. He remembered the process as an extensive one; he had to submit a rather substantial amount of evidence (including photos and videos) so the officials knew he was making a legit attempt. He also had to have two witnesses, one of which was required to be a licensed medical official.

Johnson went to his dentist. I had to preface each question I asked Johnson with “I hope this isn’t weird,” to which he shrugged with the indifference of a person who has, in fact, been asked all these things many times prior.

I asked if he does mouth exercises. He said no.

I asked if his jaw can unhinge. He said no, but the muscle in his mouth can take more stress than an average person.

I asked if his family has a history of large mouths. He said no; he’s the only one.

I asked if that makes him a kind of genetic marvel, and he just nodded. Johnson briefly lost his record to Pennsylvanian Phillip Angus.

The loss prompted him to extend his mouth .021 centimeters past his previous record, leading him to reclaim the world record title.

Johnson received news of this while he was in the dressing room for Lo Show Dei Record in Milan, Italy. His status has been solidified since then.

“We’ll see how long it is until someone breaks it again,” Johnson said.

Johnson also appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2021, where he played a self-explanatory game titled “Will It Fit?” Under the supervision of Wanda Sykes and audience, Johnson stretched his jaw over items such as a brick, a magnifying glass and a doll head. Through his stints in national productions and local news outlets, Johnson has met other world record holders, like a man who walks on machetes barefoot and another who can lift weights through a hole in his tongue.

With such a strange physical trait, one might wonder if he tires from the attention he gets. But Johnson regards his mouth casually, as if it’s only the luck of happenstance that he got it.

“To me, it’s more of just something I can do. I don’t like to show it off… I think everybody has talents and abilities they can do. This is mine,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s ability has led him into many situations. He remembered when he was little and shoved “an alarming amount” of strawberries in his mouth, continuing to ask for more before he finished. His mother was shocked.

He remembered the awkward day of high school after the news broke. Kids came up to him in the halls and lunchroom and took pictures.

He remembered going to summer camp and a counselor offering a Poptart to the crowd. Johnson really wanted the Poptart, so he bore his mouth wide to get the counselor’s attention. Needless to say, he went home with a silver packet.

“It’s weird to have something that people only read about in books,” he said.

I looked down at the enormous plaque between us and agreed.