Charles Lincoln II, also known as Charles Lincoln Neal Jr. or Charles Neal, is best known as the father of Charles Lincoln Neal III, better known to millions of viewers as Link Neal of Rhett & Link and Good Mythical Morning. Yet Charles has developed a personality and following of his own through Dispatches From Myrtle Beach, the father and son podcast that began in 2022.
His story is not the traditional celebrity biography. Charles has spent much of his life away from entertainment headlines, working with his hands, raising a family, traveling, painting houses, gardening, dancing, and enjoying the everyday rhythms of life in coastal South Carolina. Through his conversations with Link, those ordinary experiences have become entertaining stories that offer listeners a glimpse into a distinctive Southern family.
Early Life in North Carolina
Charles Lincoln Neal Jr. was born around the early 1950s in the Lee and Harnett County area of North Carolina. He grew up around Sanford and Lillington, a part of the state where family connections and community ties played an important role.
His father, Charles Lincoln Neal Sr., was born in 1928 and became a respected figure in Lillington. He served as the town’s chief of police for approximately 30 years before retiring. Charles Sr. was also involved with the Masonic community, Lillington Baptist Church, and local Little League activities.
Growing up with a police chief for a father gave Charles Jr. a strong connection to the community around Lillington. His childhood and teenage years unfolded in a period when North Carolina life was considerably different from today’s world of smartphones and social media.
As a young man, Charles explored different kinds of work. He has talked about working around gas stations and mechanics and taking temporary jobs as opportunities appeared. He also developed a taste for adventure. One memorable story involves motorcycle travel from Lillington toward Florida with friends during the 1970s.
These experiences helped shape the storyteller listeners would later meet on Dispatches From Myrtle Beach. His stories often have the loose, winding quality of conversations shared around a kitchen table.
Charles Lincoln Neal II and His Working Life
Charles has described much of his adult working life as self-employment and trade work rather than a conventional corporate career. Painting became one of his recurring occupations, including large residential projects and interior work in multi-story homes.
Mechanical work, gas station jobs, painting, and other practical occupations gave him a broad collection of experiences. He has also discussed periods of farming and other hands-on activities. Rather than presenting himself as someone with a carefully planned career, Charles often portrays his life as a series of opportunities, jobs, adventures, and family chapters.
That practical background is still visible in his interests today. Gardening, home projects, cooking, repairing things, and working outdoors are recurring subjects in his conversations with Link.
His personality also comes through in the way he talks about the past. Stories about speeding tickets, drag racing, motorcycle trips, lightning strikes, old jobs, and youthful mistakes are rarely told with the solemnity of a formal memoir. Charles tends to turn them into humorous recollections, allowing the listener to imagine the younger man behind the older voice.
Family and Marriage
One of the main elements of Charles’s public narrative is family. According to podcast talks, he has been married at least four times throughout his lifetime.
His marriage to Sue Capps, Link Neal’s biological mother, was one very significant relationship. When Link was about two years old, Charles and Sue were divorced. Link was raised primarily in the Buies Creek region of North Carolina, and Sue eventually married Jimmy Capps.
As a result, Charles’s family history spans multiple generations and branches, with relationships that have changed over many years. Nancy, who frequently appears in stories related to Dispatches From Myrtle Beach, is his present wife. Cooking, gardening, traveling, home renovations, and regular seaside activities are all part of their shared existence in the Myrtle Beach region.
Another significant aspect of Charles’s identity is his relationships with his children and grandkids. Charles has mentioned additional children, such as Lauren Neal and Whit Neal, even tho Link is the most well-known member of the family.
Link Neal and the Father Son Relationship
Charles Lincoln Neal II became much more recognizable to the public because of his son Link.
Link was born Charles Lincoln Neal III on June 1, 1978, in the Boone Trail and Buies Creek area of North Carolina. He eventually became one half of the comedy duo Rhett & Link alongside Rhett McLaughlin. The pair built a large online audience through comedy, music, advertising, and eventually Good Mythical Morning.
Charles’s relationship with Link provides a fascinating contrast between two generations. Link built a career around internet entertainment, while his father spent decades in practical work and ordinary Southern life.
Their differences are part of what makes their conversations entertaining. Link often approaches Charles with curiosity, while Charles responds with stories, jokes, opinions, and unexpected details. The relationship feels less like a formal celebrity interview and more like listening to a son call his dad.
Dispatches From Myrtle Beach
In June 2022, Charles and Link turned their regular conversations into a podcast called Dispatches From Myrtle Beach. The program quickly became a distinctive extension of the Mythical entertainment universe.
Most episodes center on conversations between the two men. Charles usually speaks from his life around Myrtle Beach, while Link often joins from California. Their geographical distance gives the podcast its basic premise, but the real attraction is their chemistry.
The episodes commonly explore family news, gardening, food, travel, memories, local life, Southern expressions, old jobs, and listener questions. Charles might discuss tomatoes or a painting job one moment and then drift into a story about motorcycles, dancing, or an unusual event from decades earlier.
The podcast also reveals Charles as a character in his own right. His customized golf cart, sometimes associated with the humorous phrase “Belch Life” or “Beach Life,” has become part of his coastal persona. Shag dancing, Myrtle Beach clubs, barbecue, gardening, and local radio appearances all contribute to an image that feels distinctly his own.
Listeners are often called “Myrtle Beasts,” connecting the podcast to the broader Mythical fan community.
Charles Lincoln Neal II and Myrtle Beach Life
Myrtle Beach represents an important later chapter in Charles’s life. The coastal environment has become almost another character in his stories.
His daily life includes gardening, cooking, home improvement, painting, golf cart outings, and local activities. He has also developed an interest in shag dancing, a Southern coastal dance tradition strongly associated with the Carolinas.
Food is another recurring theme. Charles has discussed barbecue and a signature sauce, while gardening stories frequently involve tomatoes and other produce. These details may sound simple, but they help explain the appeal of his podcast appearances. Charles does not need a glamorous setting to tell a good story. A backyard, garage, golf cart, or kitchen can become the stage.
His visibility has also grown locally. Fans sometimes recognize him around Myrtle Beach, and he has appeared in local radio contexts. What began as a family podcast has consequently given him a modest form of local celebrity.
Charles Lincoln Neal III and the Next Generation
Link is not the only younger member of the Neal family connected to Charles. Through Link, Charles has grandchildren including Lillian Grace “Lily” Neal, Charles Lincoln Neal IV, often called Lincoln or Charles IV, and Lando James Neal.
The Neal family therefore spans at least four generations bearing the Charles Lincoln Neal name.
This multigenerational connection has appeared in Link’s public discussions and family photographs. Charles has also talked about having several grandchildren overall, with one podcast reference placing the number at eight. The wider family includes additional relatives and descendants, creating a large network extending beyond the people most familiar to Mythical fans.
Charles’s own father, Charles Lincoln Neal Sr., remains an important figure in that family history. When Charles Sr. died in 2018, he left behind a legacy rooted in public service and community involvement in Lillington.
The Neal Family Roots
The Neal family has deep North Carolina connections, particularly around Lee County, Harnett County, Lillington, Sanford, and neighboring communities.
Charles’s parents were Charles Lincoln Neal Sr. and Nell Buchanan Neal, also identified in some family references as Fannie Nell. They married in 1950 and remained part of a broad extended family network.
Charles’s sister Teresa N. Honeycutt of Coats, North Carolina, is among the relatives associated with the family. Other extended relatives include members of the Neal and Honeycutt families.
Family genealogy also points toward English, Scottish, German, and Scots-Irish ancestry. These roots add historical depth to a family whose more recent identity is strongly associated with North Carolina and the American South.
A Timeline of Charles Lincoln Neal II
| Year or Period | Family and Life Event |
|---|---|
| 1928 | Charles Lincoln Neal Sr. is born in Lee County, North Carolina |
| 1950 | Charles Sr. and Nell Buchanan marry |
| Early 1950s | Charles Lincoln Neal Jr. is born |
| 1970s | Charles works various jobs and takes motorcycle trips |
| June 1, 1978 | Link Neal is born |
| Around 1980 | Charles and Sue Capps divorce |
| 1980s onward | Charles continues working in trades and self-employment |
| 2018 | Charles Lincoln Neal Sr. dies |
| June 2022 | Dispatches From Myrtle Beach begins |
| 2022 to 2026 | Charles gains wider recognition through the podcast |
Why Charles Lincoln Neal II Stands Out
Charles’s remarkable career accomplishments are not what make him intriguing. The richness of his existence is what makes him appealing.
He stands for a generation that has been molded by hands-on employment, neighborhood communities, family bonds, road trips, mechanical skills, and in-person social interactions. Thru his career, Link transported that world into the digital era, establishing a unique link between his background in North Carolina and contemporary online culture.
On Dispatches From Myrtle Beach, Charles can switch between a story about a household project, a family joke, an old recollection, a conversation about food, or his thoughts on something Link has shown him with ease. Because daily life is unexpected, the discourse is as uncertain.
As a result, Link does not fully define his public identity, but it is inextricably linked to his family. Charles’s personality, which includes humor, candor, practicality, occasional stubbornness, and a strong connection to his memories, has made him well-known.
FAQ
Who is Charles Lincoln II?
Charles Lincoln II is another name associated with Charles Lincoln Neal Jr., the father of Link Neal. He is a North Carolina native whose later life has been centered around the Myrtle Beach area and whose public recognition grew through his son’s podcast.
Who is Charles Lincoln Neal III?
Charles Lincoln Neal III is better known as Link Neal. He is one half of the comedy duo Rhett & Link and the co-host of Good Mythical Morning. He was born on June 1, 1978.
Who is Charles Lincoln Neal II’s father?
His father was Charles Lincoln Neal Sr., who was born in 1928 and served as chief of police in Lillington, North Carolina, for approximately 30 years. He died in 2018.
Who is Charles Neal’s current wife?
Charles’s current wife is Nancy. She is frequently mentioned in Dispatches From Myrtle Beach stories involving their home life, cooking, gardening, travel, and other activities.
How many children does Charles Lincoln Neal II have?
Public family references identify Link Neal along with Lauren Neal and Whit Neal among Charles’s children. His wider family includes several grandchildren and later generations.
How many grandchildren does Charles Neal have?
Charles has several grandchildren through his children. Through Link, his grandchildren include Lily Neal, Charles Lincoln Neal IV, and Lando James Neal. Charles has also referred to having multiple grandchildren overall, including a podcast reference to eight.
When did Dispatches From Myrtle Beach start?
Dispatches From Myrtle Beach began in June 2022. The podcast features regular conversations between Charles and Link, combining family stories with humor and observations about Southern and coastal life.
Where does Charles Lincoln Neal II live?
Charles has been associated in later life with the Myrtle Beach area of South Carolina, where he and Nancy enjoy coastal living, gardening, cooking, dancing, home projects, and local activities.
What kind of work did Charles Neal do?
Charles has described a working life involving self-employment and practical trades. His experiences include painting, mechanical work, gas station jobs, and various other forms of hands-on work.
Why is Charles Lincoln Neal II famous?
Charles is primarily known because he is Link Neal’s father and because of his role on Dispatches From Myrtle Beach. His stories and personality have made him a recognizable figure among fans of Rhett & Link and the Mythical community.
What makes Dispatches From Myrtle Beach different?
The podcast feels more like a family phone call than a conventional entertainment program. Charles and Link discuss ordinary events, memories, family matters, Southern culture, food, travel, hobbies, and humorous stories. That casual atmosphere gives listeners an unusually personal view of their father-son relationship.
