Doorbell repair, James style.#JT #JamesTaylor #Handyman #RepairMan pic.twitter.com/Szi0kFtQVQ
— James Taylor (@JamesTaylor_com) August 11, 2025
James Taylor, at 77 years old, is indeed considered elderly by medical and safety standards, where risks associated with ladder use escalate significantly after age 65 due to reduced muscle strength, flexibility, balance, and bone density. With an estimated net worth of around $80 million, he could easily hire a professional handyman for such tasks, avoiding unnecessary personal risk. The video from his X post shows him climbing an extension ladder placed unevenly in garden foliage to install a new doorbell higher on the house exterior, which amplifies hazards like instability and overreaching. Moreover, his footwear—appearing to be flat-soled casual shoes (possibly loafers or boat shoes with minimal tread)—falls short of recommended ladder safety standards, which emphasize slip-resistant, sturdy shoes or boots with a defined heel to securely engage rungs and prevent slips.
Given these factors, no, he probably shouldn't be doing this himself, as the potential for severe injury outweighs any benefits, especially when safer alternatives are readily available....
Why He Might Do It Anyway: While the risks argue against it, Taylor's choice reflects a DIY ethos seen in his past work like the song "Handy Man," and maintaining independence can boost mental well-being for seniors. However, with his resources, hiring help doesn't diminish that spirit—it just prevents avoidable harm. Replies to his post echo this concern, with fans urging him to "stay off ladders" for safety. Ultimately, though it's his prerogative, the substantiated dangers make it unwise.
The correct answer is, and now this is me writing: A handyman could install the bell, but cannot do what James Taylor is doing here, which is making a beautiful, charming video of James Taylor installing a bell.
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35 comments:
Those appear to be some type of sandals on his feet.
Or a narcissistic fool who doesn't know how important it is to level the feet of a ladder and wear the right shoes while climbing it. Why make a video anyway? What is he, 12?
I've read Carly Simon's autobiography. James Taylor is one tall asshole.
He is maintaining three points of contact so he has that going for him. The Crocs are a big no as far a safety.
Doorbell is broken, Jimmy won't fix it...
I don't think "Handyman" was about home repair.
"Over time, our cells, tissues, and organs can accumulate molecular damage that may accelerate biological age relative to chronological age. In contrast, other people may experience lower levels of molecular damage compared to those of their peers, thus slowing biological aging. This distinction explains why there may be considerable variation in how “old” different men and women look across a group of 60-year-olds, for example."
"The biology of aging"
Yale School of Medicine
https://medicine.yale.edu/news/yale-medicine-magazine/article/the-biology-of-aging/
We don't all age the same.
The video of him putting the ladder up would have been more interesting.
No pencil, no rule?
So James is headed for Angels in the Flowerbed. Great.
Grok is not more intelligent than Ann Althouse. It was a promo video!
Grok is no good at guessing the net worth of James Taylor..:
Two things: I am 74 and have pounded hundreds (thousands??) of asphalt shingles in my previous life as a DIY guy. The days of going on a roof are over for me.
And 2) My elderly friend climbed an extension ladder. At the top he reached too fall to the right and the ladder went sideways. He fell and landed on his head. He broke his neck and died.
I’m not as old as you guys but my doctor puts ‘stay off ladders’ on my physical homework. Fortunately I can get on the roof through a window…
And the walking man walks
He doesn't know nothing at all
Any other man can fix a doorbell
But the walking man walks on by
Walk on by
"James Taylor is one tall asshole"
The Zenn Diagram intersection of nice musicians, and artists able to succeed in the cutthroat business world of music, is a null set.
Reminds me that I need to fix some gutters.
If the doorbell is broken this is probably a good time to replace it with a Ring or some comparable doorbell camera.
Per boatbuilder, my understanding was that Handyman would be working to ring Anita Ward’s bell.
If I could put a heart emoji here I would
Where most people would be thinking of a doorbell solution that's wireless, Taylor thinks of string.
He's at least following my dad's "Rule of Ladders": Only go high enough that when you fall off and they bring you to the hospital they call Orthopedics rather than Neurology.
I'm 70. I don't mind getting on a ladder, provided it is a Little Giant with a leg leveling attachment, and a stabilizer brace at the top.
And I'm wearing the right shoes.
We kitted out our big van for van life rolling around America. I was going to install a ladder to reach the roof when my sig other looked at me and said, "You're in you 70's you have no business being on a ladder or on top of that van". Point taken.
It's on of the reasons I keep her around, being quick to remind me I'm no longer 20 years old and one of the immortals
Crocs are actually pretty grippy, at least when everything is dry.
Angle of the ladder shows he's not familiar, way too steep. Extend it higher, so you can reach the bell at a less steep angle. I've had lots of outside chores involving higher ladders, but noticed my balance was not what it was , so pretty much gave up high work at 73.
I think the person filming should instead be steadying the ladder.
Humperdink: “ I am 74 and have pounded hundreds”
THAT’s what the Handyman song is about!
RR
JSM
I climb ladders frequently. Right now I am making a carport for my 1951 Ford Victoria. I wear flip flops and I am 75. Sometimes I roll around on the concrete when I work under that car
I hope to be going up ladders at 77. I'm 69 now, and going up on the roof today.
Man, Humperdink, sorry to hear that about your elderly friend.
A great family friend, also too old to be doing it, died by falling off a roof he was working on.
Love ya JT but want you around for a bit longer. The ladder angle was ridiculous and YES have someone steady it!
I'm 73 and go up and clear the gutters. On my two story house.
It's impressive that James Taylor owns a 24 ft extension ladder, but it seems medium quality and not very sturdy.
JT isn't wearing Crocs, which would be deadly on a ladder. He's wearing sandals that seem firmly attached.
The ladder is tucked into a corner so it's not going anywhere. He should stop turning toward the camera.
Going up a ladder at his age is fine if he feels up to it. Don't be too eager to limit yourself, just be more cautious.
Why isn't JT awake when people come to visit? Do people make unscheduled, middle-of-the-night visits?
When people visit while he is sleeping, are they supposed to tramp around in his flower bed looking for a piece of string in the dark?
When it's windy, that little bell is going to ring, triggering false alarms. Did he consider leaning a bamboo pole up against the house, so visitors could tap on his window? Or maybe a coffee can full of pebbles to be tossed at his window.
Will there be a sequel to this video, where he removes the doorbell, fills the hole and repaints? If he doesn't repaint the entire door frame, I'm going to burn all of his records in protest.
Nobody pointed out yet that Jimmy was too busy fixing broken hearts to fix anything else?
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