Memes: ideas, behaviors, or styles that spread by means of imitation from person to person, with the term colloquially referring to pieces of media going viral on the internet, through rapid duplication often with slight variations. In modern internet culture, memes have evolved to also include people who physically appear in these viral pieces of content that rapidly reach the eyes of hundreds of millions of people; practically overnight. My name is Anthony Padilla, and today I'm gonna be sitting down with viral meme stars, to learn the truth about what this overnight rise to fame really means. Do these sensations get to live their lives normally, or has their main success completely destroyed any hopes of having a regular life leaving them subject to ridicule, bullying, and judgment from future employers? Is this instant burst of fame a blessing that has allowed these creators to kick-start their careers, or has it left them feeling like one-hit wonders with just a taste of success before falling into the dark hole, where viral content goes to die? Hi, Kat! [Kat: Hi.] Hi, Tay! [Hey, how are you doing?] Hey, Brittany! [My man.] Thank you so much for coming out and teaching me about the "Wondrous World of Viral Meme Stars"! You're welcome. [AP]: What do you consider yourself? A viral meme star, an internet sensation...? [Kat]: I just consider myself as a content creator. [Tay]: That's, a-ahm- I'd say an entertainer. [Brit]: For it, like, a title... just comedian, [Comedian..?] cuz, I wanna- that's the future that I kind of want to pursue. To be real, I hate the word 'influencer'. [Oh God, yeah.] I despise it, and I've kind of been cast into that category. ['oOh, WhO yOu iNfLuEnCiNg?'] So you wanna-- ahm, nobody. ['WhO aRe YoU mAnIpUlAtInG?'] NobodyYyY. [AP]: What was your most viral meme and how many views do you think that has? [Tay]: 'Chocolate Rain', a video I uploaded to YouTube in 2007 [smooth music, singing] Chocolate raaaain, some stay dry and others feel the pain, chocolate raaaain. [Parody to same melody] He made me mop the floor-- [Ad, smooth music to dubstep] Cherry chocolate raaain. [Claymation] It's all corn, marshmallows, other stuff-- [Cover] Chocolate raaain [Tay speaks while Chocolate Rain continues] There's-- a whole world... was interested in it. [Justine]: TAAAAY! [Tom]: The biggest legend... on YouTube. [Man, high pitched]: Chocolate raaain. [Man continues, man on left snaps to beat] Chocolate's falling. On my window. [Young Tay]: Oh boy. [Tay]: How many views does it have on YouTube? Humdred ten, hundred twenty million? Somewhere in there. [AP] 124 MILLION views. [T] Yeah. It was... Hit Or Miss. [song plays, distorted] HiT oR MiSs, i GuEsS tHeY nEveR miSs, hUh? [Kat] And... it's hard to tell the views, because it's on multiple platforms. It started on TikTok, but then people reuploaded it a lot on YouTube. [AP] Do you have any idea how many views that might have in total, around-- like, any guesses? [Kat] Probably billions...? [BILLIONS?!] (laughs) Last time I checked it was B[illion], so... (lots of laughter :) ) [AP] Oh my God-- how long ago did that first meme blow up? [Kat] All the way back in 2018-- towards the end. Does it feel like a lifetime ago at this point? [Kat] Yes. It doesn't feel real. [Brit] The 'Kombucha' meme went viral [Meme clip plays] It really smells like a public restrOOM-- (cuts herself off by laughing) Y'know what? (lipsmack) No. ...well-- (laughs) [Brit] So ahm-- for reference, I posted that video August 6th. I was like, "This kind of funny. Just-- Kambucha's nasty." [AP laughs] It did not do well on TikTok. [Oh, really...] Maybe a couple thousand likes. [Okay, okay.] Someone downloaded the video, [Uh-huh.] uploaded it to gay Twitter, and it went viral. It got uploaded with the caption 'me when I ate ass for the first time'. [AP laughs hysterically] You think I'm kidding... I'm not. (lipsmack) No. Well... (laughs) That's how it went viral?! [Brit] That's how it went viral. I was private on Twitter. I had four hundred followers. I, in a day got twelve thousand requests. [whOA!] and then from there just kept growing I think I just hit six hundred and seventy thousand. [Tay] Someone posted it on digg.com-- someone stole it from digg.. [AP] Oh my god, Digg!! That doesn't even EXIST anymore, does it?! [I know!!] Someone saw it there, put it on 4chan ...kind of a joke on 4chan, and they prank called Tom Green, who did his web show in his living room at the time, [Yeah.] Aaand... so I first saw a video clip of Tom Green picking up the phone-- It was just some random call [Yeah.] and the caller breaks out singing Chocolate Raaaain- and im like, oHHH That's kind of cool. The dude who was in "Freddy Got Fingered" saying-- saying this thing I put up on YouTube. [AP]
You're more well-known than the Freddy got Fingered guy at this point- point-- do you think your meme went viral for the same... reasons that you made it in the first place? I wrote it as a serious ballad. I wrote Chocolate Rain. And hey, this is a ballad about institutional racism into a song, but it was going viral for many reasons beyond that. I'd say about 20% of people got the more serious message but a lot of people like... 'vAnNiLLa SnOwWw' It was first posted by more of an offensive meme account and then people Started getting traction on that and people were like, you're gonna be booked out. You're on a main page I was like, oh and then I looked on it and it wasn't nice And so after that more meme accounts would post me and it started off not very nice Oh, were they making fun of you? Yes. Oh, really? You're calling me a trap So initially it was there's actually offensive the reasoning that it got thought there was offensive to you I was already going through a lot at the time too, and it just added to it but And and I decided I didn't want people Told those people to win and I just kept pushing through so you were able to embrace. Yes I'm part of this thing and know these things that you say about me up art kind of hurt me Yes, it started lightening up and people were like this videos addicting Yeah, her smile is nice and then that helped a lot It went through a whole rollercoaster really it started as really offensive hopeful comments and it became something that you took to be positive Yes, how has your life changed since becoming a meme, you know Chocolate Rain blew up I was still working on my PhD. I thought I'd continued to be a university professor and be on that trajectory yeah, I left my history PhD with a master's degree Wow, and Moved to Los Angeles. I worked in a bank. I worked in trust and investment services. Okay, really riveting stuff. Mm-hmm I showed my boss Yeah, when I was like I want you to know this is happening in my life, right that's word two weeks she pulls me into her office and she's like you need to pick if you want to be a meme or a corporate professional Like me being like I Got fired September 4th Less than a month after that. Yep a week later. I was annoying Do you think it's a blessing to have one piece of content go so viral or do you think it's more of a curse? It's a blessing to the extent that people work their entire lives to have one calling card in that regard I'm lucky you're lucky to have one If it's something that you're kind of struggling to find your place in and monetize and make a life out of yeah, then Yeah, I wouldn't use the word curse But it can be a challenge the pressure to keep up like each video needs to be better than the last The pressure to be nice to every single person you meet even when you're having a bad day Yeah You get in this headspace of like there are so many other people that deserve this absolutely from like my home town People got in college. Yeah that are way funnier than me. Yeah. I just got lucky. I don't really deserve any of this I know I still do was that 14 years? Into doing this I deal with that just as Intensely as why does that mean I'd feel better Knowing that you're gonna deal with it for possibly 14 more years You are an OG like the concept of a digital Star comes from like the time when you were first starting on YouTube You know Casey Neistat Ryan, he's all of them. Jenna Marbles Yeah, these names that like created what it is that I do you ever wish your face was in part of your viral game? Yes I'm wondering if it was kind of a blessing that cuz I made a viral meme once the two bros join in a hot tub Vine two bros chilling in the hot tub five feet apart cuz they're not gay. That's your video Yes so my face wasn't in it and I'm like Is this a blessing or a curse that no one knows it was me that you saw shock on my face Iconic no and that yeah, cuz I would have been first if I had to go up to everyone to be like That's me two bros chillin in a hot tub If I had to do that everyone just aply that it was me and that I deserved some recognition I'd be pretty butter. Ya know. I'm very glad it was me in the video. Yeah, did you even want to become famous? No, you never desired that Robert did a bank. What do you think? You're gonna do beforehand? Um diet 50 from a heart attack. That was your goal Alexis Carlin wants to know if this is five seconds of fame Situation or if you feel like going viral is something that you'll hold on to forever I'll hold on to it forever because it's a part of my life and it doesn't just go away I think the meme will always be the foundation for what I'm doing now, but I'm definitely past Kazumi wants to know if you've made any money off your viral meme. Yes It's happen from time to time I got shirts in hot topic you got sure These are the original Hot Topic shirts. Oh my god. There we go. Whoa, it's just brown Yeah liquid dripping out of the sky and then uh-huh and I move away from the pegs ago These were in our top one point Yeah, I was I was right there with the cool kid right there all the emo kids just wearing their chocolate rain shirt There you go. No, none. I bet then my patreon and those that want to support me No, how do you feel about the fact that that song became? Popular because of you. I have no idea Someone's rolling in dough right now. Yep, not me Big talk give me money Stella K wants to know if people have started recognizing you on the street because of your meat that happened in 2007 That's my life immediately. You were recognized everywhere. Yeah this planet that's my life in the last six months Yeah, because of all of this. Yeah New York Orlando Chicago, Dallas In LA literally like five corners of the United States. Yeah. I've been recognized in every single city It's a lot right? It is yeah. Hey Doug wants to know if you can recreate your mean You'll have to hold a gun to my head if you want me to recreate the baby Chocolate Rain, this won't be edited to be the first gosh darn thing in this segment You have to do it with me I can do okay, I'll do it with you, okay? Did I do it, right? Hitter minimus, I guess I never miss And then walk forward you got a boyfriend to the side. I bet he doesn't kiss ya Mwah, and that's the weird dance. I don't know what I was thinking If there's someone watching this who wants to become a viral new sensation what kind of advice would you give them? Too late It happened What's one thing you wish you could say to the people who express harsh Criticism against you for the meme that you were part of don't be a negative Nelly Stop it. Well, I wish I could get to know each critic Yeah, of course just a face-to-face conversation. Of course ABI Hey, you're probably pissed off about some stuff and you have concerns and and loves and passions We're all right. Let's get to know each other Yeah in something that is greater than this Forrest equation of hater versus attention receiver What is it about being a star of a viral meme that brings you the most joy? The easy answer is how I make people laugh whatever. I mean, that's cool. But that's the easy answer Yeah, the better answer is the beauty of a meme is watching people create from my creation So it inspires them. Yes, what do you think? The biggest misconception is about being part of a viral meme probably the whole one-hit wonder narrative That's like oh it's dead. So she's dead. Mm-hmm There's so much more - yeah Yeah that we don't have feelings yeah, and that we're just on the screen people will leave comments almost like it's a message board to Dissect the meme and not really realizing that you are part of the Mema You will be affected and you will obviously want to read the comments. Yeah, because you can't hold back. Yeah I actually have a parting gift for you Interviewers shirts you can get this up for dildo shop calm, but for you, I'll give it to you for free. It's that real Goodie yeah, we're gonna subscribe to Anthony Padilla Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I felt I felt the groove there I wanted to do with put a little boogie in it Alright. Alright, you got 5 seconds a shout-out or promote anything you want directly into camera You can follow me on in and constantly on Twitter Instagram tic toc and patriotic Please stream fine line by Harry Styles on Spotify and follow me on Twitter Britany underscore, okay Thank you so much follow cheese on date everywhere, especially on tik tok. Ta y zo & da why? Was that five seconds? Thank you so much Britney, I feel like now I fully understand the wondrous world of viral meme stars Welcome after spending the day with these viral meme stars I've come to learn just how much talent was required have created pieces of content that speaks so loudly to such a vast amount of people No One can predict internet fame and it's certainly not something everyone can handle with grace and integrity when it comes knocking on your door But the way these mean stars have managed to handle their time in the spotlight is truly commendable. See you later bye guys, I still like But I use me family-friendly viral videos Soldier boy I love soldier boy is not necessarily family-friendly, right, right. Oh, is it about nothing? All right. Okay. I didn't see that Videos you've been watching but
