Woman CEO brings 'Lumon Industries' to life for her epic 'Severance'-themed birthday party

A birthday, typically, is considered special due to its celebratory nature, but this once-a-year day is also noteworthy as an opportunity for personal expression. Some dress like princesses while others light up their party with "Sixteen Candles." However, Jay-Ann Lopez—who goes by @jayannlopez_ on TikTok—the founder and CEO of "Black Girl Gamers" from Los Angeles, hosted a birthday party based on the theme of "Severance," the 2022 American science fiction psychological thriller television series. For one fun evening, she transformed her apartment into the halls and corridors of "Lumon Industries." Her friends dressed up to mirror the movie characters and let loose, letting their hair down.

Lopez’s video, which has garnered over 1 million views, unfolds into a lively party scene. The scene opens with Lopez appearing in an office costume, the typical combination of a white shirt, black trousers, and a black tie. Gazing at the screen with the attitude of a top-star employee, she flashes the blue ID card slinging from her neck with a strap. The video then cuts to a scene where a friend appears as she opens the door of a room decorated in bright, cobalt blue-colored balloons.

Wearing the same kind of ID card, this friend seems to be playing the character of Seth Milchick a.k.a. "Mr. Milkshake," with his signature coiffed look, curly tuft of hair, and bushy mustache. The woman was Latasha Mercer (@justlatasha), Lopez’s friend, according to PEOPLE. One frame revealed a placard with Lumon’s logo, reading, "Welcome Severed employees to Acknowledgement of Jay-Ann L’s birth date." A sheaf of sheets embossed with the company’s logo was kept adjacent to the placard. "I made all the props for my 'Severance' party myself, including the keycards," Lopez shared in the video caption.

Someone flipped a card to reveal a message printed on the other side. “Your outie is a bumbaclart,” was the message. The party offered a "Severance-exclusive" “music dance experience” with finger traps, defiant jazz, cozy coffee, an egg bar, and party hats. As they grooved and whirled around in jazzy moves, the make-believe employees appeared to have a fun-filled evening. Lopez also recreated the wellness cards scrawled with puns and jokes. The bar oozed with a delicious buffet of waffles, eggs, jam, cake, and snacks.

There was also a plaque that offered a variety of music experiences to the birthday party guests, including “Bawdy Funk, Bouncy Swing, Buoyant Reggae, Defiant Jazz, Effusive Ska, Exalted Choral, Exciting Rap, Hootin’ Tootin’ Country, Lofty Orchestral, Maximized Rhythms, Playful Punk, Reckless Disco, Spooky Ambient, Tearful Emo, Thoughtful Grunge, Wholesome Big Band, and Wistful Pipes.”

In the comment section, people expressed amazement at how Lopez managed to secure an entire gang of friends, all of whom seemed to be “Severance” fans. “I can’t find one person who watches 'Severance' and you got a whole friend,” said @croissant. @brookeomara commented, “That’s how you do a theme! This is so fun.” Many people commented specifically on the friend playing Milchick’s character. @lalaphoto wrote, “The Milchick door opening killed me!” Lopez’s video even attracted the attention of the show’s characters like Adam Scott and Patricia Arquette, who reposted the video, per the outlet.

Lopez told the outlet that she was grateful to have the experience of planning the party, as it helped her focus on something she cared about. "It's important to do what you want and not wait on someone else. Even if none of my friends watched the show, I'd still do the theme because it's my birthday party, and I want it celebrated this way."

You can follow Jay-Ann Lopez (@jayannlopez_) on TikTok to catch up on more exciting videos from her everyday life.