Internet fame is a fascinating thing. As much as brands want to be able to churn out viral content, the best viral videos and memes are the ones that were total accidents. The people uploading them weren't necessarily trying to become famous; people just latched onto the content.
In the internet's short but expansive history, there have been a lot of viral stars — some who have flamed out faster than others. But even years after these stars became overnight sensations, people still remember the iconic memes and videos.
We've rounded up some of the best viral hits from the last two decades and did some intel on where the stars are now. Many of them have continued in the video content creating space, whereas others faded back into obscurity. But all of them will likely live on forever in pop culture for these unforgettable moments.
Rick Astley
Rick Astley's 1980s song "Never Gonna Give You Up" became an internet sensation when people started using it to troll other people. The premise was that you would interrupt a regular video with the clip of Rick's song, which became known as "Rick rolling." Now 55, Rick is still making music.
'Chocolate Rain'
The lyrics in Tay Zonday's "Chocolate Rain" are just as poignant today as they were in 2007. Then-graduate student Tay quickly went viral for the song, which is catchy but also an incredibly accurate reflection of racism in our society. These days, Tay, whose real name is Adam Nyerere Bahner, unsurprisingly does voice acting and narration. And he still posts songs to YouTube like the good old days.
'Leave Britney Alone'
In 2007, 19-year-old Chris Crocker uploaded a video passionately defending Britney Spears, who at the time was in the midst of her very public meltdown. Though the reason why the video went viral was that people were making fun of Crocker for caring so much, public opinion has changed over the years. Many now agree with Crocker and are sad about how Britney was being treated by paparazzi and the media.
Crocker, who identifies as trans and uses they/them pronouns, is now 33 and recently sold the video for more than $40,000. Crocker wants to use the windfall to fund their transition.
'Charlie Bit My Finger'
This cute video from 2007 featured Harry Davies-Carr and his little brother Charlie Davies-Carr playing around. When baby Charlie bit down on Harry's finger, Harry exclaimed in a cute British accent, "Charlie bit me! Ouch, Charlie, that really hurt." Charlie just giggled.
The Sun reported that the video has made the family more than $2 million. These days, the brothers are 17 and 14, and their parents have had two more boys since, Jasper and Rupert. Their father has kept his IT job despite the cash rolling in. The family wants to use the video royalties to help pay for their children's schooling (a wise choice.)
'Oh My God, Shoes'
In 2007, everyone was singing Liam Kyle Sullivan's song "Shoes," which was mostly him just saying the word "shoes" over and over again. The 47-year-old comedian is probably still best known for this video, but he's made a lot of other content in the past 14 years as well, including several popular TikTok videos. And of course, he has "Shoes" merch.
He's also since become a husband and father and is a professional video editor.
'Disaster Girl'
A still image of a girl smiling while a house is in flames behind her became known as "Disaster Girl" in 2007. The girl in the photo is Zoë Roth, and she's now 21 years old and attending the University of North Carolina, per NPR. The news outlet reported that she recently sold the famous photo for almost $500,000.
'David After Dentist'
In 2008, 7-year-old David DeVore went to the dentist, and his dad recorded him afterward while David was still acting a little loopy. The video, which his dad posted a year later, is still funny even all these years later. David is now 20 and attending college in Florida. His dad recently sold a digital version of the video for more than $10,000.
'Double Rainbow Guy'
Paul "Bear" Vasquez became known online for his joy and excitement at seeing two rainbows outside his home. His love for simple living and nature became a series of videos on his YouTube channel, where he continued uploading content long after his 2010 viral hit. Sadly, Vasquez died in 2020.
Rebecca Black
Rebecca Black's "Friday" song is so bad it's great, and it propelled the teenager to stardom in 2011. Rebecca was just 13 at the time, and she dealt with a ton of hate from people who disliked her tune. But Rebecca never gave up on her dream of singing. The 23-year-old now records songs, makes viral TikTok videos, and recently came out as queer.
William & Kate's Grumpy Flower Girl
While the world swooned over Prince William and Kate Middleton's balcony kiss, young Grace van Cutsem covered her ears and scowled. In reality, she was just a 3-year-old who was over it, but it was so funny to see such a juxtaposition between the joy and frustration in the photo.
Grace is 13 now, and she's a regular kid who loves things like being outdoors and going hunting with her father.
Grumpy Cat
Thanks to feline dwarfism and an underbite, Tardar Sauce the cat had a permanent frown on her face. In 2012, it earned her the internet title Grumpy Cat and led to a ton of hilarious memes, merch, and even a Lifetime Christmas movie starring Aubrey Plaza. Sadly, Grumpy Cat died in 2019.
'Burning My Hair Off'
Tori Locklear was just 13 when she uploaded a hair tutorial gone wrong in 2013. As she tried to show her subscribers how to curl their hair, her hot curling iron singed a whole chunk of her locks right off. Her shocked expression was made for memes.
Now 21, Tori is still making videos, just these days for TikTok. And she mostly stays away from hair tutorials.
'Apparently Kid'
Noah Ritter was 5 when interviewed at his local county fair about the fun rides. He kept saying "apparently" about everything, clearly not knowing what the word actually meant.
He's faded from obscurity in recent years, but in 2017 he judged a toy invention TV show called the Toy Box. Besides that, he's apparently just being a regular 12-year-old now and apparently hanging out with his dog.
Left Shark
When Katy Perry performed at the 2015 Super Bowl, she was flanked by two dancers in shark costumes. The shark on her right danced to all the correct choreography, but the internet fell in love with the shark on the left, who was just kind of flailing around.
Inside the "Left Shark" costume was dancer Bryan Gaw, who'd been part of Katy's tour for five years. He's since left that life behind him and is working as a hairstylist in Hollywood, according to NPR.
'Chewbacca Mask Lady'
Candace Payne delighted the internet in 2016 when she donned a toy Chewbacca mask that changes your voice when you speak. But Candace couldn't stop laughing at how her altered laugh sounded, which just made her laugh more.
The hilarious video landed her on *Carpool Karaoke, Good Morning America, and more. These days, Candace runs a podcast called Shut the Should Up about breaking away from doing what you feel like you should do.
