Explore More
Stand clear of the “voices of the subway,” please.
A West Village comedian received a personal thank you from MTA royalty — the voice behind the iconic line, “Stand clear of the closing doors, please” — after sharing a video of herself imitating him on TikTok.
Molly Clark posted the old clip, in which she emulates the famous New York City catchphrase in an NYU elevator, on Monday.
“This is a north-bound elevator — with connections on two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10,” Clark, 23, says in the original 2018 video.
“This is the fifth floor,” Clark deadpans. “Stand clear of the closing door.”
It wasn’t long before the skit caught the attention of the voice himself — Bloomberg radio reporter Charlie Pellett, who sent her a personal voice message to say he was “delighted and honored” by her impersonation.
Pellett, a subway voice since 2001, wrapped up with his iconic line: “Stand clear of the closing doors, please.”
Their interaction quickly went viral — with over 900,000 views on TikTok alone as of Friday afternoon.
“I think people haven’t been on the subway in so long that there’s something weirdly comforting in his voice,” Clark told The Post.
Previous1 of 5
NextAdvertisement
Advertisement
“We hate that voice when we’re on the subway, but now that we don’t have it, we want it more.”
But the saga was far from over. On Thursday, Clark woke up to an email from another “voice of the subway,” Bernie Wagenblast, who shared his own audio clip.
Clark then heard from yet another subway announcer, she said in a video posted on Friday — NBC host Jessica Ettinger, who voices the 4, 5 and 6 trains.
And there may be more to come: Veteran MTA dispatcher Velina Mitchell, who’s voiced subway announcements since 2017, has yet to chime in.
“I think every voiceover transportation person is looking for clout in this, which I totally appreciate,” Clark joked.
“I love it because we’re finally putting faces to all the names.”
ncG1vNJzZmimqaW8tMCNnKamZ2Jlf3F7j3JmanBfo8akecKopJ6cmZa7tHnSrpmwmaliwLG7zp9koJ2kqHqvu9Oimp6cXZfGbsLOopqeZZ%2BbeqqvzqegnGWdmsC0rcaeZg%3D%3D