Boy, 5, Is Jimmy Carter’s Biggest Fan. After the Former President’s Death, He’s Trying to Be ‘Like Jimmy Every Day’

A 5-year-old boy named Ryan has become something of a Jimmy Carter superfan — and he’s doing his best to follow the late president’s example in his everyday life.

In a now-viral TikTok video, Ryan proudly announces that he’s “only sleeping on Jimmy Carter.” And he isn’t exaggerating. Wearing Carter-themed pajamas he calls his “Jimmy jammies,” Ryan snuggles up with a Carter blanket and rests his head on a Carter pillow, ready to fall asleep surrounded by reminders of his hero.

According to Ryan’s mom, Lauren Ramos, his fascination started early.

“He was 3 when he first learned about Jimmy Carter,” Ramos says. “My mom got my kids an [interactive] president’s chart, and after learning about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, at first he was super impressed by how old Jimmy Carter was.”

As Ryan learned more, the admiration only grew.

“Then he heard how nice he was, how many people he helped and how he built houses for Habitat for Humanity,” Ramos says. “[Ryan] loved that about him.”

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Ramos adds that Ryan’s friends have been encouraging about his passion — especially since he’s been with the same classmates in pre-K for the past two years.

“He is in his last year of pre-K, and he has taught them a lot about Jimmy Carter,” she says.

A Bedroom Full of Carter Memorabilia

The “Jimmy jammies” are just the beginning. Ryan has built a small collection of Carter items — some gathered through gifts from others, and some even sent by the Carter family.

“He has about four Jimmy Carter T-shirts, a Jimmy Carter bobble head, a Jimmy Carter cardboard cut-out that stays in his room,” Ramos says. “People have been very generous and sent him Jimmy Carter coins and books and other memorabilia.”

“The Carter family has also been amazing and sent him gifts like a goodie bag from [Jimmy Carter’s] 100th birthday party,” she adds. “He now has two pairs [of Jimmy jammies] so he likes to wear one pair [and] have me wash the other so he’s constantly wearing his Jimmy jammies.”

“What Would Jimmy Carter Do?”

One of the hardest moments for Ryan came when Carter died. Ramos says her son was heartbroken after hearing the former president passed away on Dec. 29, 2024.

“Ryan was very upset when he heard about Jimmy Carter passing away,” she says. “There were a lot of tears that day; however, we talked about how Jimmy Carter lived to be 100 years old, which is really amazing, and how he had a good, full life, and how Ryan can honor Jimmy Carter, even though he will miss him.”

Since then, Ramos says their family has leaned into a simple question to keep Carter’s values close.

“We say a lot like, ‘What would Jimmy Carter do?’ ” she says. “And he would be kind. He would include people, he would be friends with everyone.”

Ryan is already trying to put those lessons into action. Ramos says he has helped build a playhouse with Habitat for Humanity and hopes to volunteer more when he’s older.

“But always be kind to everybody and do the right thing like Jimmy would,” she says. “He tries to be just like Jimmy every day.”