Celebrities Who Enjoyed 15 Minutes of Fame: Where Are They Now?

By Samantha in Entertainment On 27th June 2022
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#1 Judson Laipply

Anyone from the 90s would remember the "Evolution of Dance." The YouTube video showed Judon Laipply performing a six-minute dance set to popular songs of the last century.

The video racked up a whopping 70m views in less than 8 minutes and was the most viewed and top-rated video on the platform.

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Since releasing his iconic video, Judson Laipply has released a further two updated versions. He has also worked as a motivational speaker.

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#2 Alex Lee

This one is a little weird. Back in 2014, a British teenager Alex Lee went viral after someone uploaded his picture of bagging groceries in Target. 

The picture was posted to Tumblr and captioned with the eloquent, “YOOOOOOOOOOO.” Because this was the early internet, Alex from Target went viral.

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The teenager didn't have a phone with him during his shift and eventually, his manager was forced to put him in the back shift to avoid his female admirers.

Alex is still on social media and has some famous friends.

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#3 Rachel Dolezal

The shock of what happened with Rachel Dolezal back in 2015 is still real. Back in the day, it was revealed that Rachel presented herself as a black woman when in reality she was white. 

To add fuel to the fire, she was a president of an organization for people of color, and taught Africana studies at a college.

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The controversy only got bigger with many accusing her of fraud and cultural appropriation. Since then, she has changed her name to a Nigerian phrase and relocated to Arizona.

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#4 Russell Horning

In a live performance of Katy Perry’s 2017 song “Swish Swish,” a young man named Russell Horning became famous for his moves.

The little kid also appeared in the music video for his perfect flossing moves while wearing a school bag. But where is the backpack kid now?

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Well, Russell Horning has 1.6 million followers on Instagram so he’s doing pretty well. He shares his life and music with his followers on both YouTube and TikTok.

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#5 Kris Humphries

Kris Humphries was not spared by the Kardashian-Jenner machine. In 2010, the basketball player started dating Kim Kardashian and the duo quickly got engaged. They got married in a huge, televised, celebrity-filled wedding.

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However, the marriage was not meant to be, and only after 72 days, Kim filed for divorce after she said “I do.” Since then, Humphries has basically dropped off the radar, though he’s still active on social media. Kim has recently admitted she owes him an apology.

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#6 Zoe Roth

Who does not remember the disaster girl? The iconic meme picture was taken back in 2004 when Zoe Roth’s dad snapped her as she watched firefighters near their home in North Carolina. The girl’s mischievous expression made the picture go viral, and ultimately become a classic meme.

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In 2021, Zoe Roth sold the original photograph as an NFT for $473,000. She had previously hoped it would put her through college, and it looks like that wish came true!

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#7 Ylvis

Remember in 2014 when everyone was stuck on singing ‘The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)” Yeah…so do we. This tune actually came from Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis, who wrote the track for their talk show.

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In 2021, the bizarre video of this song surpassed 1 billion views and brothers Vegard and Bård Ylvisåker have turned the song into a kid’s book, released an album, and created a series of musical documentaries about Norway.

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#8 Nusret Gökçe

Everyones' beloved Salt Bae started out with so much love and fame. Turkish chef Nusret Gökçe became super viral after a picture of him sprinkling salt went crazy viral. 

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The ridiculous popularity of Salt Bae was great for Nusret Gökçe’s career and brand. He’s still salting like a champion, and has a whooping 38 million followers on Instagram. 

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#9 Mason Ramsey

This tiny internet sensation got his 15 minutes of fame in 2018 after a video of him yodeling went viral. Dressed in full cowboy attire, Ramsey yodeled “Lovesick Blues” while standing in Walmart. How could the world resist?!

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Following this overnight fame, Ramsey found himself sitting opposite Ellen DeGeneres, and making a cameo at Coachella.

The talented kid has released several singles and appeared in the remix of “Old Town Road” with Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Young Thug.

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#10 Nancy Kerrigan

Figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was a top-level athlete training for the Olympics. When the athlete was training one evening, she was badly hit in her knee with a baton and this was planned by her competitor’s ex-husband to sabotage Kerrigan’s Olympic chances.

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But Nancy Kerrigan managed to make it to the Olympics and took home the silver medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics. After that, Kerrigan toured and performed with ice skating troupes and worked as a commentator.

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#11 Heather Mills

There was a time when Heather Mills McCartney used to be all over the British tabloids. The second wife of Beatle Paul McCartney was a model who lost part of her left leg in a 1993 traffic collision.

The couple married in 2002, welcomed a daughter in 2003, and eventually divorced in 2008.

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Ever since her time on the front pages, the model has continued with the animal rights advocacy and in 2019, she launched a huge project in England providing space and manufacturing for vegan companies.

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#12 Psy

Many in the western world might not be aware of Psy but the South Korean rapper was all over the news for some time over his song 'Gangnam Style' which received over a billion hits on YouTube. 

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Because of the huge success of “Gangnam Style,” Psy is considered the first K-Pop artist to break through in the West. He's married to Yoo Hye-yoen and the couple have twin daughters together.

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#13 Tila Tequila

Early reality star Tila Tequila had the most known profile on MySpace. Then, she fronted her own reality series, A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila, in 2007.

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However, it seems like the reality star lost her way in the mid and was kicked off a UK reality series for her extremely offensive tweets and claiming that she was possessed by Satan.

Now, she goes by Tornado Thien and has two kids.

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#14 Ted Williams

Back in the 80s, the radio announcer Ted Williams had a successful radio career. But due to his addiction issues, the man ended up on the streets. 

Then in 2011, someone filmed a homeless Williams speaking in his beautiful radio-friendly voice. The clip went viral, and he was offered help, and various jobs.

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Known as the Man With the Golden Voice, Ted Williams is still working as a voice artist. He has a contract with Kraft, has promoted Pepsi, and landed a book deal.

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#15 Drew Scanlon

Remember this Blinking White Guy? The super-viral meme is famous for expressing shock, surprise, and even confusion. 

The original clip comes from a live stream of professional gaming website Giant Bomb. Video producer Drew Scanlon made the expression when his editor made a joke.

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When this meme became huge in 2017, Drew Scanlon left Giant Bomb. On a podcast, he clarified that he had already intended to leave before his face became massively famous.

He's active on Twitter.

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#16 Cara Cunningham

Cara Cunningham is an early internet hero who posted a tearful video in 2007 defending Britney Spears. 

It seems like Cara was way ahead of her times, as we now know that the pop star has been trapped in an abusive conservatorship for decades. In the video, she cried, “Leave Britney Alone!”

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Since the famous clip, Cara has been parodied and mocked many times. However, she continues to create content. Cara has always been open about exploring her gender, and came out as trans in 2021.

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#17 Constantine Maroulis

Constantine Maroulis is an alum of American Idol who came in 6th place in the 4th season of the show. This was the year when older contestants were allowed to audition and this worked in favor of both Maroulis and Bo Bice.

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Constantine Maroulis was in Off-Broadway productions before his 15 minutes of fame but was catapulted onto Broadway afterward.

He’s even been nominated for a Tony award! The performer married Angel Reed in 2010 and the couple has one daughter, Malena James, together.

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#18 Pippa Middleton

This one is definitely a weird one! It was the time when the world was going crazy for the 2011 Royal Wedding between Kate Middleton and Prince William, they briefly fixated on something else.

As Kate walked gracefully into the church with her sister Pippa behind her to lift her long train, for some reason Pippa got viral on the internet for her booty.

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This really does not make any sense because Pippa’s backside isn’t exactly shocking. In 2017, the socialite married hedge fund manager James Matthews. Together, the couple has two children.

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#19 Grace Van Cutsem

Now that we are on the topic of the royal wedding, how can we miss another viral moment from the event? When the happily married couple stepped onto the balcony at Buckingham palace in 2011, one of their flower girls looked a little grumpy.

Grace Van Cutsem’s huffy face became a meme in no time at all.

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Now, a decade later, Grace is a teenager. She’s the daughter of Lady Rose Astor and Hugh van Custem, and a big sister to Rafe and Charlie.

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#20 Melanie Amaro

We’re off to the world of The X Factor USA to see what happened to the show’s first-ever winner. Melanie Amaro won the show in 2011 and was the youngest person to ever take the crown.

Even though Amaro won a whopping $5 million dollar recording contract with Simon Cowell’s record company, sadly, Amaro’s career never really took off.

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More sadly, the singer’s debut album Truly never made an appearance. However, she has released music and is now signed with a label in Atlanta.

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#21 Nadya Suleman

There was a time when Nayda Suleman was all over the tabloids. The infamous mother of six was pregnant with octuplets. Naturally, this led the media to relentlessly refer to her as "Octomum."

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At one point, Nadya Suleman faced charges of welfare fraud and even dabbled in celebrity boxing. She has described her younger self as “young, dumb, irresponsible, selfish, reckless” but says she doesn’t regret having any of her children.

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#22 Charlie and Harry

Back in the early internet days, there was little on the internet to get amused with and “Charlie Bit My Finger” is the perfect example.

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In this video, one child bit another child’s finger, and that child said, “Charlie bit my finger.” Inexplicably, that delighted us. Now, Charlie is a Twitch streamer and thoroughly sick of acting out his once-famous video with brother Harry.

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#23 Astro

We’re back to The X Factor USA to investigate the disappearance of yet more fleetingly famous figures.

Back in the day, Astro was just 14 years old when he auditioned for the talent show. The cute kid charmed the audience with his rap, “Stop Looking at My Mom.”

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After his time on the show, Astro kept releasing music and also landed some great roles. He appeared in a Spike Lee movie in 2019 and was slated to star in Euphoria.

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#24 Maddie Poppe

Continuing with the talent show theme, this time with American Idol. The show has been on the air since 2002, and has created lots of full-on stars. Maddie Pope won the show in 2018 and impressed the judges by playing multiple instruments.

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It seems like Maddie Poppe is doing well. She released her first album in 2019 and then joined Ingrid Michaelson on tour. Now let's see if the younger singer manages to turn her 15 minutes of fame into something magnificent.

 

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#25 Keenan Cahill

It is very difficult to explain the early internet people. 

But, does this explain the popularity of Keenan Cahill who appeared on the scene in 2010?

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Make it make sense! It’s fair to say that the internet celebrity predicted TikTok. He’s still out there, though he’s making his own music now.

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#26 Alex and Sierra

On the third and final season of The X Factor USA, couple Alex Kinsey and Sierra Deaton took home the grand prize. The duo was so popular on the show that they even received the highest phone vote from viewers at home every single week. Now, that’s something!

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Unfortunately, the duo didn't work out for long and since then both musicians have since released music by themselves. Sierra is currently engaged to Luke Hemmings from 5 Seconds Of Summer.

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#27 Darci Lynne Farmer

Singing talent shows gave us plenty of people with short-lived fame. 

However, America’s Got Talent is a whole different ball game. On the show, contestants can audition with any talent, not just singing and dancing. That’s how 12-year-old ventriloquist Darci Lynne Farmer got her 15 minutes of fame.

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Darci Lynne has created a pretty decent life for herself and now tours with her puppets, has starred in a movie, and continues to appear on a bunch of talk shows. Check her out on TikTok!

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#28 Tonya Harding

Who does not know the infamous Tonya Harding? When the Olympian ice skater was attacked off the rink, it was later traced back to the ex-husband of her competitor, Tonya Harding.

On suspicions of her possible involvement in the attack, Harding was banned from sports for life and many years later, Margot Robbie played her in a movie, and Tonya found herself on the red carpet beside the star.

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#29 Liam Kyle Sullivan

Remember the dark age of the internet when in 2007 everyone was singing Liam Kyle Sullivan’s catchy tune, “Shoes.” If you haven’t seen it, it’s lots of Liam dressed in a blonde wig singing the word “shoes.” It doesn’t make much sense, but the people liked it.

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Well, it turns out, Liam Kyle Sullivan is a comedian. He’s made many more videos, some of which can be found on TikTok. The online star is also a husband and a father.

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#30 Lauren Caitlin Upton

Lauren Caitlin Upton went viral on the internet for all the reasons wrong. In fact, we all admit to laughing out loud on her viral video. In the video, Lauren is competing in the Miss Teen South Carolina pageant. She's asked to explain why one-fifth of Americans can’t find the US on a map.

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Unfortunately for her, Lauren stumbled on her answer, to say the least. Sadly, she struggled with the wave of online hate afterward. She’s now a real estate agent with two children.

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#31 Kevin Federline

The big news that pop star Britney Spears got married to dancer Kevin Federline made it to the headlines back in 2004.

The couple was together for only 3 months when they announced their big plans. Plus, at that time, Federline was expecting a son with his ex-girlfriend.

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Because Britney Spears has been back in the limelight, Kevin Federline has made some appearances too. He has six children in total — Sean Preston, Jayden James, Kori Madison, Peyton Marie, Kaleb Michael, and Jordan Kay.

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#32 Igor Nazarov

This picture of Russian schoolboy Igor Nazarov went viral for a very weird reason and intrigued internet users across the world. What was this child doing sitting at a desk while floating in a swamp? What was going on in Russia?

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In reality, the 16-year-old Igor had staged the series of pictures to enter an “unusual photo” photography competition. Due to his stony-faced expression, he was shortly pasted on endless other shots, becoming a verified meme. Today, we don’t know where he is!

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#33 Quintavious Johnson

Here is another kid who appeared on America’s Got Talent stage. Quintavious Johnson was just 12 when he appeared in front of the show’s celebrity judges. Thankfully, his amazing vocals took him all the way to the final. The kid could even sing whistle notes!

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Years after this show, Quintavious is still performing. He released a song titled “Your Grace” in 2021 and is active on social media. Who knows, perhaps his time for fame is still to come.

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#34 Laina Morris

People who go viral for the wrong reason or funny memes usually face a difficult time in their personal lives. Suddenly they get fame and that too for not very good reason. Imagine how overwhelming and embarrassing that must be!

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Laina Morris became known as “Overly Attacher Girlfriend” after she posted a parody video to YouTube.

She had a successful career on the platform but eventually decided to step away in 2019. Laina Morris is still active on Instagram, so perhaps she’ll return someday.

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#35 Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt

These two started off quite well on an MTV reality show and managed to tune it into something huge for their career. For some time, it even felt like Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt — or Speidi — were everywhere. They appeared on various reality shows, Heidi released a flop album, and of course, there was all the plastic surgery.

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However, is Speidi ever really done away? They now have a son named Gunner and still make public appearances.

Currently, the drama-loving couple has a podcast together.

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#36 Olate Dogs

It is now an established fact that America’s Got Talent is great because of the variety of acts? Here’s a wonderful example! Chilean-American father and son Richard and Nicholas Olate won a million dollars on the show with their dog act.

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Incredibly, Richard Olate met his wife Rebecca Smith at the circus. She was a human cannonball and he did his dog act. The two fell in love despite speaking different languages. How romantic! Thankfully, the Olate dogs are still doing their thing.

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#37 Vanilla Ice

The rapper Vanilla Ice might have enjoyed his 15 minutes of fame but do you know the rapper and actor — real name Robert Matthew Van Winkle — released “Ice Ice Baby” in 1989 as the B-side for his first single.

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Well, the rapper had a pretty decent career and since his heyday, he’s appeared on reality TV and been arrested multiple times.

The star has three children in total.

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#38 Tay Zonday

Almost 10 years ago, Adam Nyerere Bahner — known as Tay Zonday — uploaded a video of his original song “Chocolate Rain.” After a few months online, the song took off, and now it’s one of the most popular songs to ever appear on the platform.

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Apparently, since 2021, the race-related song has over 130 million views. Known for his low singing voice, Tay Zonday went on to work in the entertainment industry. He has worked as an actor and singer.

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#39 Gotye

Gotye's most popular song ironically defines his relationship with the mainstream audience — “Somebody I Used to Know.”

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After his hit song took the public by storm, Gotye got famous worldwide. After the release of his album, “Making Mirrors” in 2011, he was absent from the music industry for about seven years.

He has now lost the relevance, which could’ve made him a superstar. He's actively promoting side projects on social media right now.

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#40 András Arató

András Arató became an international sensation for one of the most relatable memes of the century — 'Hide the Pain Harold.'

The creepy-looking meme of a man who stares at the camera with a painful smile on his face and sad eyes says it all.

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He's an electrical engineer turned stock photography model that went viral in 2011. 10 years later, he's still well-known. In 2019, he became the face of advertisement for Coca-Cola in Hungary. Currently, he resides in Budapest with his wife and son.

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#41 Ronnie Miller

Amber-haired Jessica very shakily sings Flo Rida’s “Low” at the top of her lungs into the camera. It is all peaceful for a moment when a woman angrily storms into the room and asks Jessica if she slept with her teacher.

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Well, this was a skit made by comedian Ronnie Miller. The video was made public in January 2019 on Instagram. Miller blew up overnight and gained thousands of followers on both Instagram and recently, TikTok.

Her “mother” was apparently a friend of hers.

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#42 Rebecca Black

Rebecca Black’s “Friday” was released in September 2011 when she was only 14. However, the song recelved a lot of ridicule and the teenager received lots of flak.

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“Friday” is one of the videos on YouTube where the likes to dislikes ratio is extremely skewed, about one to three. Black barely held onto the spotlight for 15 minutes and that was not really a pleasant experience for her. Although still active in the industry today, she's much more low-key.

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#43 Muhammad Sarim Akhtar

Muhammad Sarim Akhtar became a viral hit as the “Disappointed Pakistani Guy” and went viral for a very amusing reaction. The man had put on one of the most iconic expressions of disappointment when the camera panned toward him in a cricket match between Australia and Pakistan.

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The epic reaction became a big part of Pakistani meme culture but the other parts of the world equally enjoyed it. And if you didn't know, Akhtar is a highly qualified and acclaimed company executive based in the UK. His qualifications and degrees could put a lot of us to shame.

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#44 Farrah Abraham

The viewers first met Farrah on an episode of Teen Mom and everyone had so much sympathy for her. Her daughter’s father had recently been the victim of a car accident, leaving her to raise their daughter alone.

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But this sympathy didn't last long when the viewers realized that Farrah made one wrong decision after another and underwent multiple cosmetic surgeries, which has rendered her unrecognizable. She later became an adult entertainer, a profession she's also criticized for.

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#45 Sam Griner

This “Success Kid” meme can never go old. The hilarious picture of the kid that went around with the title, “I Hate Sandcastles.” The adorable blond child in the picture is Sam Griner, and the photo was taken in 2007.

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The picture was posted by Laney Griner. She had posted picture of her son on Flickr as he was trying to consume sand. Since then, the meme has been used numerous times on various advertisements and events.

At the moment, Sam is 13 and lives with his parents as any teenager would.

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#46 Side-Eyeing Chloe

Chloe went viral in 2013 after a video of her was posted on YouTube. YouTuber @KAftC uploaded a video titled, "Lily's Disneyland Surprise… AGAIN" where viewers can see little Chloe reacting to hearing she's being taken to Disneyland.

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Not happy, Chloe's facial expression quickly changed to a mixture of confusion and annoyance, and the meme was born.

To this day, the meme is relevant and used everywhere. Chloe runs an Instagram account where she has more than 600k followers. 

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#47 Kayode Ewumi

His amusing facial expression made him a hit in 2016. This is Kayode Ewumi. He was cast in a mini-docu series titled Hood Documentary where the camera captured his priceless reactions.

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Euwni’s comedic genius eventually captured the eyes and hearts of BBC who took the second series of the show under its wing in 2016. The show got viral with the mainstream audience and the comedian was also seen in Enterprice, another BBC show.

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#48 Kyle Craven

Bad Luck Brian became a meme in 2012 after a yearbook photo of Kyle Craven was uploaded by his friend, Ian Davie, on Reddit. Apparently, before having the photo taken, Craven used a sweater to rub his face and then proceeded to slap on the most unpleasant smile he could possibly muster.

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The meme became famous in the context of expressing tragic, unlucky or embarrassing events. Today, Brian lives in Ohio with his wife and beloved dog. He's a manager at a commercial construction company owned by his father.

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#49 Michael McGee

The “Trying to Hold a Fart Next to a Cute Girl in Class” meme came into being in 2014. Reddit user u/aaduk_ala uploaded the picture to a subreddit forum with that caption.

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McGee must have been seriously devoted to taking that picture; his veins were popping out like crazy! This is another meme used to express embarrassing, annoying, and annoying situations.

About two years ago, the face behind the meme was still in high school, where he studied broadcast media academy.

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#50 Zeddie Little

Sometimes all you need is something very charming to become an overnight Internet sensation. For Zeddie Little, it was his photogenic features and his handsome face that became a hot topic after he was snapped running in the Cooper River Bridge Run in 2012.

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His beautiful smile was enough to melt the hearts of many. Will King was the photographer who posted this on the internet and to no one’s surprise, Little blew up! He presently lives an under-the-radar life in the Big Apple.

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#51 Maggie Goldenberger

For those who still aren’t clear about the term, "Ermahgerd" is a rhotacized pronunciation of the phrase "Oh My God!” Maggie Goldenberg’s hilarious meme first popped up on the internet on March 14th, 2012 — with the title, “Just a book owner's smile…”

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Goldenberger shared the story behind the viral photo and stated that she was in 4th or 5th grade at the time. She and her friends were seriously invested in dress-up games and this unintentionally became the next big meme. She's now a nurse based in the United States.

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#52 Frostbit Boy

Well, it won't be a lie if we say that this is one of our favorite entries from the list. Back in 2015, Northern Ireland faced some seriously cold weather. On the local news, schoolboy Ruari McSorley declared, “You wouldn’t be long getting frostbit” in a thick rural accent. And a star was born.

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Ever since the meme, Ruari has found himself as the center of attention, and back in 2021, he was rescued from the Irish Sea. He later revealed that he was surrounded by a pod of dolphins in the water.

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#53 Ghyslain Raza

Making people put through hell and then making fun of them can never be funny. Ghyslain Raza never intended for a video of him using a golf ball retriever as a lightsaber to go viral. However, someone found it and released it against his will.

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The man, unfortunately, faced a lot of bullying and his family sued the people who released the tape, claiming mental distress. 

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#54 Antoine Dodson

This man here will always be remembered as a true superstar. When someone entered Antoine Dodson’s home and tried to attack his sister, he spoke to the community through local news cameras. In his iconic style, Dodson warned, “Hide your kids, hide your wife, and hide your husband.”

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Antoine Dodson’s viral clip went on to inspire the opening theme song of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. He now works as a substitute teacher.

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#55 Robert and Marion Kelly

If you want to experience a heartwarming moment today, then look up to Robert Kelly's clip on YouTube. The professor of political science was giving his expert take in 2017 on BBC News when his family decided to interrupt.

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Little Marion was the first to burst into her dad’s office, followed by her baby brother, and then Robert’s panicking wife. Since then, Robert Kelly has managed to continue with his work with no more major incidents.

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#56 Sweet Brown

Here comes another viral star born from a local news station. Sweet Brown’s apartment complex caught fire in 2014 and she was pretty irritated by the time she spoke with reporters outside. Famously, she commented of the disaster, “Ain’t nobody got time for that!”

As the video went viral, Sweet Brown released her own merch and appeared on various TV shows. It seems that she may have struggled with addiction in the past, but is now clean.