Andy Warhol is credited with this prophetic statement from 1968, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.”
While the true author of the prophesy has been put in doubt, the words themselves have never been truer. With the rise of the internet and subsequently social media we are inundated with more “famous” people than ever before. But what happens when your 15 minutes of viral stardom are over?
2019 was yet another year of viral stars, made famous for viral moments, from the FYRE Fest oral sex guy to Alyson Stoner and her surprise appearance at the MTV VMAs, to an advertising gimmick that both failed and worked (is there any other kind in today’s cynical, woke, divisive world?).
TooFab has compiled a list of the biggest stars (and one pup) who went viral in the past year — and what they are up to now. It most certainly is not a complete list, as a viral star is born every minute in the digital age.
Model Kelleth Cuthbert became a viral sensation after holding a tray of Fiji water bottles on the 2019 Golden Globes red carpet last January. Cuthbert gained popularity, particularly on Instagram, after she flawlessly photobombed stars like Idris Elba, Judy Greer, Richard Madden and Amy Adams. Not only did Cuthbert go viral, but the photos spawned thousands of memes. She even appeared on “The Late Late Show” sketch where she photobombed James Corden’s guest introductions.
Fiji Water, meanwhile, leaned into the viral meme by photoshopping their photobomber into all sorts of iconic images on their Twitter feed, including “Star Wars,” “Rocky” and riding in the backseat with “Thelma & Louise.”
However, things went downhill…fast. First, Cuthbert, real name Kelly Steinbach, filed suit against Fiji, claiming they were using her image for marketing without authorization. Not long after, Fiji fired back with a cross-complaint filed, saying Cuthbert had “bitten the hand that feeds her” and attempted to extort the company for half a million dollars, TMZ reported at the time. While Fiji claimed Cuthbert had agreed on being a brand ambassador for $90k, she sought $500,000.
Cuthbert remains a professional model and actress and lives in Los Angeles. She currently has 200k followers on Instagram.
While Alyson Stoner was already famous before going viral this year, she deserves a special mention nonetheless. The 26-year-old actress/dancer/singer has starred in popular movies like “Camp Rock” and “Cheaper By the Dozen.” However, she is probably best known for starring in Missy Elliott’s “Work It” music video when she was just 10.
In August, Stoner turned Twitter into a complete frenzy when she appeared on stage during Missy’s epic Vanguard performance at the 2019 MTV VMAs — and Stoner proved she can still “Work It” like it’s 2002. The performer absolutely killed it on stage with her dance moves.
After going viral for her surprise cameo, Stoner was a guest on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” 17 years after her first appearance on the talk show as a kid.
“It was absolutely perfect,” she told Ellen of the VMA performance. “First of all, credit goes towards Missy for allowing me to participate and honor her and kind of recreate that timeless moment.”
The triple-threat is still working in the entertainment industry and also has her own podcast. We have a feeling this is just the beginning for Stoner.
FOREVER WORKING IT @AlysonStoner #VMAS pic.twitter.com/BOxYVJUbUg
— Video Music Awards (@vmas) August 27, 2019
Who can forget Andy King? King, a.k.a “the FYRE Fest blowjob guy” was undoubtedly the breakout star of the Netflix documentary “FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened,” the film which chronicled the luxurious-turned-disastrous music festival.
King, who was one of the event’s producers, made our jaw drop in the doc when he reluctantly told the film crew about the time Billy McFarland — the conman behind the event — asked him to perform fellatio on a customs official in order to “fix” a water problem to “save the festival.”
Fortunately for King, he didn’t need to bend the knee in the name of FYRE. However, after the film gained popularity, King became a viral sensation, spawning thousands of hilarious memes and even appearing in a commercial for Ryan Reynolds’ Aviation Gin. The event producer was shocked by his newfound fame — which seems to be just getting started. In July, it was announced that King is set to get his own TV show after striking a deal with Spoke Studios, Deadline reported at the time. The producers are also pushing King for original talk shows, unscripted series and podcasts.
Speaking of his new deal, King said, “No one was more surprised than I was that a documentary spotlighting my only professional strike-out would result in an unbelievable outpouring of love and support, and overwhelming amount of interest and offers.”
Not unlike Stoner, Keke Palmer has been successful in the entertainment industry long before this viral moment. The 26-year-old actress, singer and television personality only needed to say sorry to a man to break the internet. While on a press tour for “Hustlers” in September, Palmer participated in Vanity Fair’s popular series where celebrities answer questions while taking a lie detector test.
At one point, the “Rags” star was shown a picture of former Vice President Dick Cheney — and Palmer had no idea who he was.
“I hate to say it. I hope I don’t sound ridiculous. I don’t know who this man is,” Palmer said in the clip. “I mean, he could be walking down the street and I wouldn’t know a thing. Sorry to this man.”
That little snippet created one of the greatest memes of the year and maybe even one of the best of all time. If people didn’t know who Palmer was before, there’s a good chance they do now. The actress even joined in on the fun and shared some memes to her social media. But she didn’t stop there. Palmer also created merchandise.
“Sweetie, the sorry to this man meme has definitely changed my life,” she told Time last month. “I could have never imagined saying sorry to a man could be turning out this way.”
Palmer can currently be seen in the critically-acclaimed film “Hustlers,” opposite Jennifer Lopez. She also co-hosts the ABC talk show “Strahan, Sara & Keke” every weekday.
One of the stars who went viral in 2019 may have four legs, but that doesn’t mean he or she (it’s up for debate) is any less worthy of being on this list. At the end of October, a Belgian Malinois canine named Conan, a special operations military working dog in the United States 1st SFOD-D (Delta Force), became an Internet sensation after they assisted in U.S.-led raid of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. After Conan chased the terror leader down a tunnel, Baghdadi detonated his suicide vest.
Conan, who is named after Conan O’Brien because of their shaggy hair, was sadly injured during the raid. However, last month, the special pup was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Donald Trump for their brave deed.
U.S. Special Operations fashioned a one-of-a-kind medal for Conan as the real medals are for humans only.
To be honest, we’re not exactly sure what Conan is up to, but we hope they’re enjoying their well-deserved fame and glory.
Got a story or a tip for us? Email TooFab editors at tips@toofab.com.
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