Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@dieunerst
Topics: Food and Drink, Life, Real Life, True Life, Social Media, Celebrity
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: Food and Drink, Life, Real Life, True Life, Social Media, Celebrity
For many Millennials and us older Gen Z, the golden days of Vine are nothing but a distant memory.
The social media platform, which was arguably a predecessor of TikTok, had countless short-form videos with the only rule being that they needed to be no longer than seven seconds a pop.
Many influencers and content creators we see to this day owe much of their fame and success to Vine - and that's exactly the case for Dieunerst Collin (AKA the 'Popeyes kid'), whose 15 minutes of fame didn't even last 15 seconds.
However, it's clear he put his overnight fame to use in the very best way now that he's all grown up.
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It all started back in 2021, when Collin became a state champion with his high school football team in East Orange, New Jersey, according to USA TODAY.
Once Twitter got wind of the child Vine star's success as a footballing pro, fans demanded he receive a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NIL deal with the popular fast food giant.
"The @Popeyes meme kid @CollinDieunerst is now a freshman offensive lineman at Division II Lake Erie College and if this guy doesn’t have a NIL deal by tomorrow, the Louisiana kitchen needs to clean house on upper management," podcast producer Jim Weber tweeted.
And that simple tweet sparked a brand new chapter for Collin who was just nine years old when he became a Popeyes internet sensation.
Loads of fans hopped on the request including Collin himself who posted: "I NEED EVERYONE TO REPOST THIS AND TAG @popeyes I JUST WANNA TALK BUSINESS."
Thankfully, Popeyes happily obliged and offered the then-teen a NIL deal in January of 2023.
"A lot can happen with the power of the internet behind you!" Collin said in a release, as per PEOPLE.
"I can't believe I can say I'm officially sponsored by Popeyes. Thank you to everyone who helped spread the good word!"
And, to really bring the whole thing full circle, Popeyes announced the news with promotional posters showing a still of nine-year-old Collin from the meme that started it all alongside an image of him as a freshman playing for Lake Erie College to officially mark the internet-induced partnership.
"Good job dude, your meme made a lot of people smiling, you've earned it," praised one fan following the announcement.
Another hyped: "The most wholesome Shi… well deserved indeed. Congrats man."
And a final fan echoed: "@popeyes good on you for coming through!!"