Why Ice Road Truckers Fans Love Lisa Kelly

"Ice Road Truckers" may have gone off the air in 2017, but fans of the show still have as much loyalty to their favorite personalities as they had when it was still on. For example, "IRT" honcho Alex Debogorski is still active on Facebook and Twitter, with followers totaling well over 100,000.

Lisa Kelly also appears to still have a sizable chunk of fans. She did a video interview with Overdrive Magazine in 2021, where she spoke about everything from her time on the show to her philosophy when it comes to material possessions. Since the series' end, Kelly has been doing more or less what we would expect from her: driving 32-hour logistics trips between Kenai and Prudhoe Bay in the dead of winter.

Granted, these trips aren't made with a camera crew bearing down on her, but it points to why fans continue to have such admiration for her. The comments on the YouTube video of the Overdrive interview show as much. 

Lisa Kelly without a doubt had to show a lot of bravery during her time on "Ice Road Truckers," as does anyone who is willing to drag hundreds of tons of supplies across a frozen lake. Though many of the conflicts and conversations on the show were indeed staged, the dangers portrayed were very real. Sticking it out for as many seasons as she did clearly earned the respect of fans. To them, it showed that she was the real deal. "Love to Lisa Kelly," @imjustbrowsingok commented. "She's so genuine to the industry keep on truckin' Lisa." @jimgordon2399 added, "Love Lisa! I have so much respect for her hard working, brave attitude."

Her following has taken note of how she proved herself to be as tough as any of the male drivers on the show. "You have shown that woman can do as much as men can do," @janhudson539 added. "Love watching you on the show. Just keep hitting that road." 

Message boards and comment sections aren't the only way that fans show their admiration for Kelly. Even now, years after the end of "Ice Road Truckers," Kelly still gets fan mail, presumably from those who have gotten into the show through reruns. "I did hear they were doing reruns," Kelly said during the Overdrive interview. "Most comments are just really positive, just saying, that they're, like, watching me on the show, and like the show, and all that stuff." For her part, even as she called her current life boring, and admitting that she doesn't have any news for her fans, she was appreciative of the support. "But I'm really glad they're watching the reruns and keeping me in mind."