Top 10 Times Someone Broke the Internet
#10: #NuggsForCarter
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It’s a Wednesday evening and you’ve got a hankering for some chicken nuggets. You kindly tweet @Wendys, asking how many retweets you need to get a free year’s worth. They respond with an impossible number: 18 million. You ask your followers for help and go to bed with hope in your heart. You think nothing of it... until the next morning. This was the story of Carter Wilkerson, a 16-year old from Reno, Nevada. Carter found himself in the national spotlight over his quest for more nuggets. His request was retweeted over three million times, and landed him a guest spot on the Ellen show and a cameo in Katy Perry’s “Swish Swish” music video.
#9: The Hot Felon
Top 20 Celebrity Interviews That Broke the Internet
Does the name Jeremy Meeks ring a bell? If not, you’ll probably still recognize his face. In June of 2014, his mugshot became all the rage across social media. Dubbed “the sexy felon”, Meeks was arrested by the Stockton, California police department for grand theft and the possession of a weapon. After police posted his photo on their Facebook page, Jeremy’s mugshot received over 15,000 likes and a plethora of adoration from people impressed by his good looks. The attention worked in his favor as he jumped straight into a modeling career after serving 13 months in prison. He’s since appeared in multiple runway fashion shows and has also branched off into acting. Talk about a ‘picture-perfect’ ending!
#8: The Potato Salad Kickstarter
Top 10 Celeb Moments That Broke The Internet
If the world of viral videos and online campaigns have shown us anything, it’s the fact that no one can predict how the simplest of things can become so huge. Zack Brown of Columbus, Ohio just wanted to make a potato salad. Initially as a joke, Brown launched a Kickstarter campaign asking for $10 to help him make his side dish. The prank exploded and resulted in almost 7,000 backers donating a combined $55,000. It ultimately turned into the first ever “PotatoStock 2014” event which saw more than 3,000 lbs of the salad being made--and for a good cause! In addition to the money already raised, a fund for the Columbus Foundation was also set up.
#7: Solange & Jay Z's Fight
After attending the MET Gala in 2014, Beyoncé, her husband Jay-Z, and her sister Solange left the event without notice, only to go viral soon after. TMZ aired footage of Solange attacking her brother-in-law in the elevator of the Standard Hotel in NYC. Specifics of what fueled the outburst were few and far between, but that didn’t stop the rumor mill from churning out countless bits of speculation. Some have said it was just a few too many drinks, while others have claimed Jay-Z triggered the whole thing with an off comment. Regardless of the reason, it certainly gave fans and internet viewers a memorable moment preserved by the likes of YouTube.
#6: The “Imagine” Controversy
Top 10 Celebrity Interviews That Broke the Internet
March of 2020 was a pretty frantic time, to say the least. As many people went into self-quarantine, “Wonder Woman” actress Gal Gadot put together a cover of the Beatles song “Imagine” featuring herself and other notable celebrities. The intention was to try to send out a positive message and show solidarity during trying times. But… it definitely wasn’t received that way. The video faced a lot of backlash, with many feeling it was insensitive coming from a group of rich, privileged actors. A few of the participants, including Gadot herself, have since gone on record saying they had good intentions.
#5: Is It Blue or Gold?
Top 10 Celebrity News Stories That Broke The Internet
Do you see a black and blue dress, or a white and gold one? This was a question first posed by Caitlin McNeill on Tumblr back in 2015. The bride, a friend of McNeill’s, posted the picture to Facebook after she and her fiancé disagreed over the colors in the picture, which was taken by the bride’s mom. When none of their Facebook friends could agree, McNeill decided to share with a wider audience. From there, millions saw “the dress” go viral. Even Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, and Kim Kardashian got in on the debate as it surged around the world. Apparently, the dress is actually blue and black, but scientists are still investigating why so many see the white and gold.
#4: The Ice Bucket Challenge
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It’s easy enough. You nominate a few others for the challenge, get a bucket filled with ice water, then dump it over your head, all in the name of raising awareness for ALS. Similar challenges for other causes had been around for a while, but it was in 2014 when the ALS version went viral. It began with news anchor Matt Lauer, who dubbed it the “Ice Bucket Challenge” on “The Today Show”, after being nominated by golfer Greg Norman. From there, someone else was nominated, who nominated someone else, and the rest is history. Countless celebrities, politicians, sports players - you name it - participated in the challenge, raising more than $220 million dollars worldwide for ALS research.
#3: Jennifer Aniston’s Instagram Debut
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When you hear the term “breaking the internet”, it usually refers to some massively popular topic of interest that everyone online is talking about. However, in the case of Jennifer Aniston’s Instagram debut, it literally did break part of the internet. Upon posting a “Friends” reunion selfie, fans flocked to the image sharing site to follow and like the post, causing the platform to temporarily crash. Gaining over a million followers in a little over five hours, Aniston went on record apologizing for crashing the website, but was more than happy to receive such a big welcome.
#2: That Kim Kardashian Photo
Top 10 Times Celebs Clapped Back on Social Media
Kim Kardashian has made a living out of going viral. Whether it’s the antics of her reality show and family drama, or the attention received by being formerly married to Kanye West, Kim has consistently remained at the forefront of people’s attention. Never before was this more palpable, though, than on the cover of Paper Magazine. Shown in her birthday suit, back towards the camera, this cover was the catalyst for the mainstream use of the term “break the internet”. We didn’t think it was possible for Kim to become more famous than she already was but, like she does time and time again, she proved us wrong!
#1: The Oscar Selfie
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The 2014 Academy Awards were hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. To commemorate her Oscars experience, she took a selfie. But it wasn’t just any old selfie. It was taken by actor Bradley Cooper, and included some of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Lawrence, and Meryl Streep were just some of the people in this iconic photo. It was also taken at a time when selfies - or at least the term ‘selfie’ was picking up steam, so it was a pretty big deal! Prior to our aforementioned chicken nugget guy, it was the most retweeted Tweet on the platform, with an accumulated over two million likes. It will go down in Academy Award history as probably the most viral selfie ever taken at the ceremony.
