His video documenting the experience got over 17 million views on TikTok and 20 million views on Instagram
Credit: Courtesy of Mathew Lewis-Carter; mathewlcarter/TikTok
NEED TO KNOW
- Mathew Carter struggled with daily tasks like tying his shoes and driving after accepting his wife’s fake nails challenge
- His TikTok video documenting the experience went viral, earning over 17 million views and surprising him with its popularity
- Carter now admits his wife was right, saying fake nails are “nearly impossible”
Mathew Carter never put too much thought into the length of his nails until one challenge set forth by his wife shifted his perspective.
In January 2026, the 37-year-old's wife told him that he wouldn’t "last a day" wearing fake nails. Up for the challenge, the content creator bought a pack of long, press-on nails and went on about his day, which he documented in a now-viral TikTok.
The video shows him struggling with different tasks, such as unzipping his backpack, putting on his headphones, lifting weights and even turning on the engine of his car, which required him to get creative, using his knuckle instead.
Credit: Courtesy of Mathew Lewis-Carter
“It's like it's a claw,” he said in the video while trying to tie his shoes.
When talking to PEOPLE, Carter admits, “there’s nothing easy about fake nails.” Social media users, however, seemingly loved watching him struggle, and Carter says he was “very surprised” by the reaction, as the video got over 17 million views on TikTok and 20 million views on Instagram.
@mathewlcarter
A serious question ladies how do you get anything done?! I only lasted a few hours 😬 #fakenails #relationshipprank #prank #couplegoals
♬ original sound – Mathew Carter
One person commented, “he did everything like his nails were still wet,” while others assured him that the nails “looked good.”
Toward the end of the video, he finally conceded that his wife "was right," admitting that he "couldn’t last a morning.”
Credit: Courtesy of Mathew Lewis-Carter
Carter tells PEOPLE that “doing anything with fake nails is nearly impossible,” and while he struggled through many actions in the video, the hardest part was “getting them off.”
For those who want to possibly follow in his footsteps and see what it’s like, Carter shares, “The best advice is to take them off gently. They hurt, ripping them off!”
On whether he would ever do it again, the London resident jokes that it “depends on the occasion.”
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