Being internet famous surely has its ups and downs. On one hand, it can turn you into an
instant celebrity. But on the other, your face could end up being the butt of a lot of social
media jokes. Just like these people who found 15 minutes of fame, and went from zero to hero in the
most unexpected ways. It’s time to meet and greet these 10 Normal People Who Became Internet Memes!
What's up, fact-natics! This is Discovery Amuse,
serving up your daily dose of the most outrageous, outlandish, and out-of-this-world fun facts!
Stay tuned because our number one pick is not only the cutest thing to ever grace our newsfeeds,
he’s also a lifesaver IRL!
Now let’s break the internet with these awfully familiar faces!
#10: Bad Luck Brian
Who hasn’t seen this photo of a teenage boy dressed in thrift-store sweater vest
sporting geeky braces? His face has literally become synonymous with embarrassing situations
and cringe-worthy moments. But did you know that the actual person in this meme intentionally took
a hilariously bad yearbook photo as a prank?
According to Kyle craven, the real Bad Luck Brian,
the awkward image was taken in 2007 for the annual picture day at school.
Kyle: As I sit down, I was rubbing my eyes, making them really puffy.
And she goes, okay let’s smile. And I gave her that nice grin.
1.19 Kyle: When I first got the picture,
I thought it was perfect. Me and my buddies were all crying, laughing in class looking at it.
But it wasn’t until 2012 when his buddy uploaded the picture on Reddit as a meme that Kyle’s mug
took over the internet. The online sensation first didn’t think much of his newfound fame,
even though a lot of people started recognizing him on the streets.
Kyle didn’t even tell his parents about it, and his mom learned about Kyle’s minor
celeb status in the most awkward way possible! Kyle: My mom was at school, she’s a middle school
teacher, and a kid was walking around with a Bad Luck Brian t-shirt. And she asked, “Who’s that on
your shirt?” And he goes, “It’s Bad Luck Brian.” And the first thing his parents did?
Talk to an IP lawyer, of course! Because if retailers want to get his image on their merch,
he might as well get a slice of the pie too! From t-shirts to boardgames, Kyle was able to
make serious bucks from his unexpectedly bankable face, and he even scored a Superbowl commercial!
Who knew being the poster boy for bad luck could actually be your ticket to great fortune!
If you thought that was #blessed,
then stick around ‘til our number one pick! His face is practically everywhere!
#9: Disaster Girl
You’ve seen all those memes of this adorable spawn of Satan’s face plastered on various
unfortunate events. But don’t think for a second that she’s the real-life version of
that kid from The Omen because, that’s just how she normally smiles in pictures, y’all!
Zoe: Any picture from that period you could look at it and, “Oh,
this definitely looks like the same girl, because I just had an evil smile.”
She’s all grown up now, by the way. And besides,
the original photo was completely taken out of context!
The burning house behind then 4-year-old Zoe Roth was actually donated to the fire department
for controlled training. The year was 2005, and Zoe’s father, having just bought a new camera,
decided to take snaps of his kids near the blazing property.
In 2008, Zoe’s dad entered the picture in a contest for a photography magazine,
and won first prize! And that’s when Disaster Girl was officially introduced to the world.
But while Zoe--who’s 19 now and lives a normal life as an honor student and a fluent Mandarin
speaker--is mostly unaffected by all the memes generated with her macabre version
of Monalisa’s smile, she admits that some of the memes do get out of hand.
Zoe: Obviously, the Hitler one, the Alt-right photoshop make me pretty uncomfortable.
I never condone that or enjoy it, but I also know I can’t really do
anything about it so I don’t let it get to me.
#8: Senior Freshman If the viral memes
are anything to go by, this old lady is surely smarter than your average professor.
And it’s actually true for this Senior Freshman in real life too!
Born on November 22, 1911, Nola Ochs has taken lots of college units throughout her life,
but her dream was to officially graduate from a four-year university. Despite being older than
sliced bread, Nola kept herself informed about the latest technology. She became a meme in 2011 from
a photo of her in class, but by then she has already graduated with her bachelor’s degree.
At 95 years old, Nola is the Guinness world record holder for the oldest college graduate!
And when she turned 98, she graduated with a master’s degree in Liberal Studies.
Ok, boomer, you’re definitely an inspiration to all of us.
And for the Gen Z’s out there, here’s a piece of advice from the Senior Freshman herself.
Nola: We don’t ever quit learning. Just imagine the things out there that we don’t know.
#7: Side-eye Chloe
If you wanna low-key judge someone without really wanting to offend them,
then make it funny with Side-eye Chloe!
It seemed like the real life Chloe and her sister Lily were destined for internet fame
because the side-eye mem wasn’t their first shot at instant stardom. In 2010,
Lily became viral for her reaction when her mom Katie surprised her with a trip to Disneyland.
That video literally garnered millions of views overnight. But just when mommy Katie
thought her daughter’s 15 minutes of fame was finally up, in 2013,
it was Chloe’s turn to become an accidental internet superstar! Katie yet again surprised
Lily with a trip to Disneyland, but when she turned the camera towards then 3-year-old Chloe…
Chloe: I remember sitting in the car. Katie: Do you remember making
that face? Chloe: Uh-huh!
The video took the internet by storm, and Chloe’s reaction pretty much sums up all the
feelings we have about everything that’s going on in the world right now: confusion, concern,
and utter annoyance. It was just so evocative that it even became an ad for Google Brazil!
4.42 Chloe: Oh
yeah the elevator, it’s my meme on the elevator.
Katie: We had to ride that elevator like 20 times Katie: She had billboards all over Sao Paulo.
Who knew making weird faces can take you places!
#6: Overly Attached Girlfriend
Step aside, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,
because Overly Attached Girlfriend is out to take your man. Fight her.
But how did this creepy girl, named Laina Morris in real life,
skyrocket to internet royalty? Well, it all started with a Justin Bieber contest in 2012,
where the Biebs asked fans to publish a parody of his hit song
“Boyfriend.” Being the true-blue Belieber that she is, then 20-year-old Laina posted
her version of the song on Youtube that started with this sociopathic stare-down.
After just one day of posting, Laina’s video went viral and
she became the face that launched a thousand memes… and nightmares.
Laina: I remember like seeing 59 comments and being like, “59 people have watched my
video like, this is crazy!” And then the next day it hit a million, and
I remember Bieber’s manager tweeting it and that’s when I knew that it was like…
And the rest, as they say, is internet history. Laina eventually decided to quit her job and focus
on being a YouTube creator, which turned out to be a pretty lucrative decision for her. Her JB parody
video alone has garnered 20 million views, and her channel has amassed over 1.27 million subscribers
to date! She was even featured in a number of shows, red carpet events, and TV commercials!
However, in July of 2019, Laina decided to take a break from being a YouTuber
to focus on her mental health. Laina: Priorities have changed
and my relationship with YouTube honestly started to become like more negative than positive,
and I’m just in a place where I know, as much as I don’t wanna admit it,
I know that this part of my life is done, and it’s time to say goodbye.
#5: Ridiculously Photogenic Guy
At one point in 2012, women all over the world wide web swooned over this guy,
who looked like he just got out of the shower even though he was in the middle of a 10k run,
essentially making everyone else look like sweaty hobos.
In March 2012, photographer Will King intended to take a snapshot of his friend at the Annual Cooper
River Bridge Run. But instead, the Ridiculously Photogenic Guy named Zeddie Little photobombed
said picture and flashed the most perfect smile like he’s filming for a toothpaste ad.
Zeddie: I was running and waving at a friend that was in the sidelines,
and I turned around and I just caught a camera lens and that was history.
The photo has been viewed 4.7 million times on Flickr and Zeddie has become the object of a lot
of thirsty women’s—and men’s—desire. But unlike some of the mem celebs on this list, Zeddie didn’t
really capitalize on his internet fame, instead he chose to focus on his work as a bartender,
running more marathons, and living a simple life with his long-time girlfriend.
Sorry ladies.
#4: First World Problems Girl
Ever got a poor Wi-Fi signal or ran out of wine and thought it’s the worst day of your life?
This woman can totally relate to your first world problems.
Meet Silvia Bottini, whose mug accidentally became the symbol of overly dramatic people
who need to check their privilege. But if you’re wondering why her crying looks so darn convincing,
that’s because Silvia is actually an Italian actress and model!
Silvia’s boyfriend took the iconic photo in 2009 and uploaded it to stock photo websites. Silvia’s
training at a film institute in LA made it very easy for her to turn on the waterworks for the
camera. But she does have a knack for comedy too! Silvia: This meme has changed my life. I’m not
saying it ruined it, but it’s weird being associated to this
dumb girl who doesn’t care about anything…
#3: Scumbag Steve
We’ve all met a Scumbag Steve at one point in our lives. You know, that person who comes
to your house unannounced, borrows your stuff and never returns them. I know so many people.
But Blake Boston, the IRL Scumbag Steve,
isn’t really the awful dude all the memes make him out to be. And as it turns out, the real scumbag
was the one who used his photo in the hopes of destroying his career early on as a rapper.
When Blake’s mom who took the picture posted it on Blake’s Myspace account in 2011,
someone grabbed the image without his permission.
Blake: Someone saw that and he’s like, “Oh that dude looks like a scumbag.”
And it backfired in their face. Instead of everyone hating me, everybody started to like me.
I think the original person who made up Scumbag Steve was
actually trying to ruin me, ‘coz I’m an aspiring hip-hop artist.
If you’re interested to see Scumbag Steve spitting rhymes,
then head on over to his YouTube channel where he has posted… well… 1 song. (play song)
#2: Ermahgerd Girl
Nerdy face, outdated outfit, and Goosebumps pocketbooks, this photo looks like it was destined
for internet greatness! But it didn’t blow up until 13 years after the original photo was taken.
One day in 1999, Maggie Goldenberger and her friend were just goofing around with their
new Polaroid camera, snapping goofy photos of themselves and basically forgetting all about it.
Fast forward to 2012, and Maggie was out backpacking halfway across the world when
she suddenly got weird messages from family and friends. When she got back from her trip,
lo and behold, her awkward mug was literally everywhere! Turns out a random stranger found the
photo on her friend’s Myspace page and uploaded it on Reddit, where it has spread like a plague!
But while Maggie doesn’t regret taking the viral picture, she does feel sorry
that she didn’t make the most out of what could’ve been a lucky million-dollar break.
Maggie: I wish I had more of like an entrepreneurial spirit. Like,
one of my friends, she’s a businesswoman, like “I wish this happened to me! What is
wrong with you.” I’m like, I just keep thinking it was gonna go away.
FYI, Grumpy Cat is reportedly worth 100 mil now. Just saying.
Before we go to our number 1 pick,
do us a solid and make sure to smash the subscribe button and hit the notification bell!
Don’t forget to choose “all” so you won’t miss out on any of our latest life-changing,
boredom-busting content! And of course, be sure to turn on notifications in your app’s settings!
#1: Success Kid
At just 11 months old, the Success Kid looks like he just keeps on killing it at life!
So much so that he’s become the poster kid for beating all the odds! However,
there’s so much more to this viral photo than meets the eye.
When Sammy Griner was still a baby, her proud mother Laney uploaded a photo of him clenching
a fistful of sand in 2007. And slowly but surely, the image gained traction online
in the years that followed. Laney couldn’t be prouder that her baby eventually became
Success Kid, because in real life, Sammy overcame so much at a very young age.
See, Sammy was born six weeks premature and
had to go through brain surgery which he conquered like a boss!
Laney: Seeing it called Success Kid just ruined my
heart. I felt like that was the most appropriate title for him.
But his success story didn’t end there.
In 2015, when Sammy’s dad was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease,
Success Mom set up a GoFundMe page, and thanks to their kid’s popularity,
they reached their goal of $100,000 in less than a week!
Sammy: I am very thankful for everybody who has
helped us and everybody who has used the picture. Sammy: I do hope one day I’ll be able to create
something that inspires people just as much as Success Kid does.
Talk about living up to your internet name!
So, did your favorite meme make it to this list? And do you have any honorable mentions
you want us to feature next? Let us know in the comments section below!
Take home any of our exclusive gear by browsing our merch shelf,
or clicking the link in the video description! And while you’re at it, take our quiz to find
out how you can earn extra cash online doing what you do best! Awesome, right!
Couldn’t get enough of viral-worthy snaps? Then don’t miss our countdown of the 12 Most
Satisfying Sets of Photos on the Internet!
‘Til then, stay meme-orable, fact-natics! And see you in the next video!