Man released from jail after 22 years becomes TikTok star as he adjusts to regular life

‘He had to change. And he did, he did the work, he changed, and now he’s here. And we couldn’t be happier,’ daughter says

A woman has spoken candidly about what it has meant to her to be able to record a TikTok dance with her father after he was released from prison following a 22-year sentence.

In October, Justine Tuckett, 28, picked her father Bill Lorance up from a California state prison, where he’d spent the last two decades following the murder of his stepfather in 1999.

Shortly after Lorance’s release, he and his daughter decided to create a TikTok dance together, which Tuckett then shared on the platform, where she goes by the username @justinetuckett106.

The clip begins with Tuckett dancing alone, with the caption reading: “My dad has been in prison for 22 years.”

Tuckett’s father can then be seen entering the frame and joining his daughter for the remainder of the dance, with the caption changing to: “I got to pick him up this week.”

On Instagram, where Tuckett also shared the video, she opened up about the emotional reunion between herself and her father after so long, as well as the transformation she has witnessed in Lorance.

“Words can not express the emotions and feelings I’ve had this week. Picking up my father from prison after 22 years was amazing,” Tuckett wrote in the caption of the video. “When I was younger every time I blew out my birthday candles I would wish that he would get out of prison…until I was old enough to realise that he wasn’t going to be wished back to me.”

Tuckett then went on to reflect on her father’s dedication to bettering himself, with the 28-year-old describing Lorance as “unrecognisable from the person he used to be”.

“My dad put in the work everyday, he is unrecognisable from the person he used to be before prison,” she continued. “Some resilient people CAN be reformed. Some people DESERVE to re-enter society again. Some WILL embrace their children, grandchildren, and family one again. Someone like my dad.”

While speaking with BuzzFeed about the video, the father-daughter duo revealed that it was Lorance’s idea, as he had heard about the app, and social media trends, while he was incarcerated but had never used it. He also felt it would be a fun activity for him and his daughter to do because Tuckett, who teaches a dance fitness class, loves to dance.

On TikTok, where the emotional clip has been viewed more than 18.5m times, it has prompted a range of comments, with some addressing the US justice system and the rehabilitation of people in jail, while other viewers were just happy for Tuckett.

“I’m so happy he’s changed and can be with you now,” one person commented, while another said: “You’re a great daughter. Regardless of what this man did, he changed and healed and having a daughter to come home to has probably made his entire life.”

Someone else added: “I love how much social media is normalising going to prison. Being an ex-con was so demonised when I was growing [up]. But people make mistakes, they learn and grow. And I wish society would give ex-cons a break.”

Since the popularity of the video, the pair have continued their social media presence, with BuzzFeed reporting that the father and daughter did an Instagram Live where Lorance discussed the crime he’d committed as well as his past struggles with anger and addiction.

In a follow-up video shared to Instagram, the pair discussed how they maintained a relationship while Tuckett’s father was in prison, with Lorance explaining that they kept up frequent communication through letters, phone calls and occasional visits.

The candid conversations have been met with overwhelmingly supportive comments, with many viewers praising Lorance’s “accountability” and transparency.

“The accountability in this video is absolutely incredible. I am so impressed with your dad’s ability to own what he did without pause, while at the same time conveying his remorse and personal transformation. Thank you for sharing,” one person commented.

Another said: “This was so incredible to watch and be a part of. Thanks to you both for sharing your story and being strong enough to do it.”

According to Lorance, who became certified in Braille transcription by the Library of Congress while in prison, according to BuzzFeed, he is grateful for the opportunity to be able to discuss his experience and how he used the time in prison to better himself.

“I’m interested in speaking about how guys can be rehabilitated while doing time,” he told the outlet of his social media presence.

In a video posted to Instagram late last month, Tuckett also reflected on what it has meant to have her father in her life again, with the dance instructor sharing a montage of photos from her childhood with Lorance before sharing moments that they have captured since he was released.

“My dad said the other day that he ‘became a picture on the fridge’. I never realised how those seven words would affect me. It was so unbelievably sad, and 100 per cent true,” Tuckett wrote in the caption. “But now he’s not just a picture on the fridge anymore and that’s what counts.”

The Independent has contacted Tuckett for comment.