Where Are They Now? 15 Of The Most Iconic Meme And Internet Celebrities And What They're Up To Now

It's been several decades since internet memes first became a thing on the World Wide Web, with some of the internet's first famous "memes" going viral out of sheer luck (and in some cases, terrible misfortune).

Advice Animal style meme figures like Scumbag Steve saw their face plastered all over Facebook completely unknown to them, while someone like Bad Luck Brian had his own friend post an unflattering photo of him to Reddit, launching a meme that changed his life.

But relics from 2010 aren't the only meme-famous figures that have seen massive fame and dramatic evolutions in their lives since they first became memes.

Here's a recap of the dramatic changes some of the internet's most iconic figures have undergone over the course of the past decade-plus, featuring some greatest hits like "Four Lads In Jeans," "You Know I Had To Do It To Em," "BOXXY" and more.

Scumbag Steve

Back in 2011, Scumbag Steve clogged Facebook feeds with people's prettiest gripes about that one scumbag friend they all have. The photo of a smug-looking guy dressed in a fur-lined coat and a brown patterned flat-brimmed baseball hat perched precariously on his head, backward, was always accompanied by a setup line and a devastating punchline at "Steve's" expense.

According to Blake Boston (aka "Steve" himself), his mom, who took the photo for his MySpace page back when he was 16, took his viral fame even worse than he did. When Blake heard that the Annoying Facebook Girl wasn't dealing with the jokes very well, he penned an open letter offering her support.

Soon enough, Steve realized that internet fame may be more of a blessing than a boon. In the past decade, Blake has released a rap single, raised two kids and turned an image of "Scumbag Steve" into an NFT sold for thousands. He also told us in 2021 that he still has the hat kept safe in a glass case, perhaps primed for a meme museum some day.

Four Lads In Jeans

A classic Bri'ish meme called 4 Lads In Jeans, featuring four strapping young British men dressed for a day out in town in perhaps the tightest jeans known to man, has proved to be a litmus test for what is and what isn't trendy globally.

The image first went viral in 2019, posted to the Instagram page of one of the men pictured, and captioned in a rather self-aware manner: "Tight trousers chose us."

Sea shanty tiktok is WILD pic.twitter.com/rjY1iXFQkA

— Kristian (@vonstrenginho) January 14, 2021

The striking image went viral on Twitter after people began reposting it with captions ("Peaky Blinders is quality mate, Tom Hardy surely the best actor going innit") and the lads in question took their sudden fame rather well.

A commemorative papier-mache statue later, the boys made a comeback in April 2024 with an updated look. Gone were the stretched-to-the-pec polos and jeans so tight they looked sprayed on — the lad's new look features loose-fitting jeans, comfy basic T-shirts and a much more dressed-down attitude.

Creepychan / Allison Harvard

A lot of people might know Allison Harvard (aka Creepychan) from her stint on America's Next Top Model, but she actually got her start by being the internet's favorite creepy friend from back when she was posting self-styled shoots for her own MySpace and DeviantArt page at age 14.

Harvard's images made their way onto niche 4chan and gaming forum threads in 2012, where she was then dubbed "Creepychan." As she told us in 2021, her new moniker actually helped her land a spot on ANTM, and she continued her modeling career long after she left the show.

As of 2020, Harvard even released an NFT that sold for well over $100,000, and in March 2024, a happily married Harvard welcomed her infant son into the world.

‘Who Is She?’ Vine / ChloeLMAO / Chloe Frances Woodard

ChloeLMAO (aka Chloe Woodard) has had perhaps one of the most dramatic transformations in this "Where Are They Now?" list, with the Chicago native first going viral back in 2015 for hilarious Vines in which they often acted as the target of the joke. Their first brush with fame was their hugely viral Who Is She Vine in which they whipped her head around to the beat of A-ha's "Take On Me."

Chloe went on to diversify their Vine posts, eventually switching over to apps like Instagram and TikTok to post short comedic skits after the death of Vine. Sometime in the early 2020s though, the Chicago native began to go viral online under the moniker Chicago Grip Reaper.

A play on the name given to a deathly criminal in the Windy City, Grip Reaper memes about Chloe hinged on jokes that people were extremely attracted to Chloe's quirky personality and beautiful looks. In 2024 at age 24, Chloe Woodard is a model and influencer who sometimes goes by their middle name, Frances.

Doge

Doge is the Shiba Inu that has somehow become the very face of memes themselves. The goofy-looking dog was first pictured paws crossed and wide-eyed on her owner Japanese kindergarten teacher Atsuko Sato's blog. The puppy, whose real name is Kabosu, first went viral in the early 2010s, with people reposting the image of Doge with Comic Sans printed "Doge-isms."

Doge was 4 years old in 2010, back when her most famous photo was taken. In 2024, she is now 18 years old and seemingly going strong. Aside from a 2016 death hoax and a slight tilt to her head in 2024, Kabosu lives a lively and blessed life with an owner who takes great care of her and prides in her pup's fame.

BOXXY

Boxxy is the proto e-girl responsible for a giant schism that tore 4chan's /b/ board apart back in 2009. Her real name is Catherine Wayne, but back in 2009, Wayne was posting videos from a dark room donning heavy eyeliner and introducing herself as Boxxy to her YouTube audience.

Her videos eventually found their way to 4chan, where people either pledged their undying fealty to her or vowed to tear her down no matter what.

A YouTube hack and a few sporadic comeback posts later, Catherine Wayne has largely gone further and further offline over the past decade. She currently goes by Catie Wayne and does voice acting when she isn't dressing up to attend conventions. Wayne also followed in the footsteps of many meme legends in this list by releasing a Boxxy NFT back in 2021.

You Know I Had To Do It To ‘Em Guy

Lucky Luciano probably did not anticipate the storm he would be kicking off when he posted a seemingly innocuous photo of himself dressed in a country club classic outfit to his Twitter account with the caption, "You know I had to do it to 'em." Luciano's self-assured smile paired with his extremely Photoshopable sidewalk background made the image ripe for becoming an exploitable meme.

Luciano was probably around 17 years old and a senior in high school when he took that fateful photo, and he was 21 when he got into some trouble with the police back in 2018. At age 27 in 2024, Luciano still lives in Florida and posts about the occasional brand deals he rakes in thanks to his fame from the iconic "You Know I Had To Do It To 'Em" photo.

Yotube / Got Ur Nose Kid

Back in March 2015, a mysterious Facebook account only known as Yotube posted a series of Mac Photo Booth-style selfies. The photos featured a young boy gazing unsmilingly into the camera, and holding up his fist in a "Got Your Nose" style gesture. The images went viral in 2017, with people remixing the image of "Yotube" into different meme templates.

In 2020, Facebook user Anıl Krid tracked down the boy in the photographs and uploaded over 20 childhood photos of the kid known as "Yotube" without disclosing his real name. This was the last we heard from the legend, but perhaps Yotube will come forward with his own story when he's old enough.

Charlie Bit My Finger

Charlie Bit My Finger once held the record for the most viewed YouTube video back in the 2010s, but the kids in the original video are all grown up now. First posted to YouTube back in 2007, the video titled, "Charlie bit my finger – again," showed a violently British-sounding kid repeatedly poking his finger around his infant brother's mouth until the baby clamps down loud enough for him to say "Ow! Charlie bit me. That really hurt."

The video inspired remakes and parodies for years, but neither Harry nor Charlie appears to have heavily capitalized on their internet fame — beyond, of course, launching an NFT back in 2021. The family appears to have moved to the U.S. from the U.K. in recent years, with Charlie himself featuring in a random TikTok just to show off his personal yacht in 2023.

@tedzhar What Does Charlie ‘Bit My Finger’ Do For a Living? #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #charlie #charliebitmyfinger #youtube #og #viral #youtubecelebrity #youngboy #famous #clout #love #live #laugh ♬ original sound – Ted Zhar

Rebecca Black

Rebecca Black's unfortunate "hit" song "Friday" sank a thousand careers the year it was first released. Clearly created as a vanity project paid for by the young 14-year-old Rebecca's parents, "Friday" went from a fun project to a widely mocked viral video in the span of a few months back in 2011.

Over a decade after her first ill-received brush with fame, Rebecca Black has returned to the soundwaves with a new and updated persona. Now, Black makes hyperpop music and has been featured on songs with the likes of Dorian Electro, bbno$ and Slayyyter.

Ok Boomer Girl

YouTuber and streamer Neekolul was undoubtedly one of Bernie Sanders' major campaign spokespeople thanks to a video she posted at age 22 in support of the politician, back in 2020.

Set to the song "Oki Doki Boomer" the video showed a pink-nosed Neekolul dressed in a Bernie 2020 shirt and black skirt dancing on camera.

While the question of whether Neekolul single-handedly tanked Bernie's campaign remains to be answered, her influence on the e-girl archetype that fully developed in the early 2020s is undeniable.

Today, Neekolul streams on Twitch and posts fashion and cosplay content on her Instagram. Oh, and she posted a Dark Brandon post in support of the Biden campaign in 2024.

Bad Luck Brian

Bad Luck Brian is possibly the meanest Advice Animals meme to go viral back in the early 2010s, with an image of a red-faced ginger kid with a goofy smile becoming the go-to template to represent someone down bad and flat out of luck.

Brian's real name is Kyle, and his Yearbook photo was first posted to Reddit by Ian Davies, his long-time friend, with the caption, "Takes driving test . . . gets first DUI."

Part of Bad Luck Brian's internet fame hinged on him seemingly falling into the tropes he represents in memes IRL: he played hand chimes in a band, his Reddit AMA was removed by a disgruntled mod (who then raked in the most downvotes in Reddit history at the time), and he had to take his "Bad Luck Brian" photo twice because his teacher was convinced that he was pulling a goofy face on purpose.

Nevertheless, Bad Luck Brian has since turned 34 and capitalized on his fame. In 2018, he was even featured in a nationwide McDonald's commercial. Good for you Brian!

Bhad Bhabie

Bhad Bhabie rose to fame during a weird time in internet history, occupying the space between the Advice Animal style Impact font memes that ruled Reddit in the early 2010s and the rise of influencer culture in the mid-2010s.

Then aged 13, Danielle Bregoli made an appearance on Dr. Phil in 2016, and went viral for her abrasive and braggadocious persona.

Her taunt, "Catch me outside, how about that?" was turned into a meme that read, "Cash me ousside, howbowdah," and her likeness was shared in the style of image macro and video memes for months.

But Bregoli was not one to take mockery of any kind lying down. She reinvented herself as "Bhad Bhabie," and began releasing rap tracks that went hugely viral in 2017. Tracks like "Gucci Flip Flops" and "Geek'd" are arguably internet classics that propelled Bhad Bhabie to fame way beyond anything Dr. Phil could have landed her.

As of 2024, Bhad Bhabie is still releasing music and even welcomed her baby into the world in March.

Lil Tay

Lil Tay has had one of the most convoluted internet fam arcs on this list, first going viral in 2017 for publicly feuding with YouTube failson RiceGum and cussing out random people online. Tay's real name is Claire Hope, and videos of her using AAVE, dropping N-bombs, and cussing out B-words were all over Instagram and YouTube in late 2017.

What followed was a tumultuous few months of internet fame, peppered with fights with other minor influencers like "Woah Vicky" and "Bhad Bhabie," as well as a very public announcement where Lil Tay accused her birth father of censorship and abuse.

Fast forward to 2023, Lil Tay became embroiled in a death hoax after years of silence, a rumor she again pinned on her dad. The widespread media coverage of her "death" was followed by her releasing new music for the first time in years, leaving many wondering if it was all a ruse to promote her new creative efforts.

Disaster Girl

Disaster Girl is an iconic meme image that is even featured on GotFunnyPictures's own error pages. The striking image of a young girl looking over her shoulder and smirking as a house goes down in flames in front of her screams "I did it!" even as it says, "and I don't regret it." The image was reportedly taken by Dave Roth back in January 2005 during a fireman's drill in North Carolina.

Affectionately named "Disaster Girl," the iconic image was eventually submitted to JPG Magazine by Roth, after which it received considerable note and coverage. As for Disaster Girl herself, Zoe Roth was finishing up college back in 2021 and has fond memories associated with the meme and the bewildering fame she experienced as a young child.