If you've ever wondered how much people in memes can make from their fame, then wonder no more.
You may be familiar with the 'disaster girl' photo that was a regular fixture of early meme culture, but in true 'where are they now?' fashion, here's exactly how much the girl made from the viral snap.
Her name is Zoë Roth, and back in 2021, she made the decision to financially benefit from the famous picture, which sees Roth, aged four, looking at the camera with an evil smirk while a house is on fire in the distance.
Often used when someone does something mischievous or sinister, it almost looks as if the child started the fire herself.
Roth made the move to put the original photo up for sale, as a non-fungible token (NFT), also known as a digital ownership certificate.
Zoe Roth made some serious money out of the meme (Noam Galai/Getty Images for BuzzFeed)
You may remember the hype around NFTs - basically, they are encrypted with the artist's signature, verifying its legitimacy.
This allows memes, tweets, or anything posted online to be sold like they're art pieces.
The picture in question was snapped back in January 2005, when Roth and her father watched a controlled burn, which is an intentional fire set ablaze to clear a property, in Mebane, North Carolina, USA.
Her father, Dave Roth, is an amateur photographer, and was the man behind the camera when she did her infamous smirk in front of the house fire.
Away from the internet and social media, the picture won a photography prize in 2008 before gaining traction when it was posted online.
Roth, who was in university at the time, sold the original photo for 180 Ethereum, a cryptocurrency, to a buyer known as @3FMusic.
At the time, 180 Ethereum was equal to $473,000 (£341,000).
As well as this, the token included a code that allowed the family to keep the copyright and pocket 10 percent of any future sale.
The 'disaster girl' meme has been re-edited several times to fit different scenarios over the years, with anything from celebrities to famous tragedies being edited in to fit the format.
Roth (right) has gone down in internet folklore (Noam Galai/Getty Images for BuzzFeed)
Speaking to the New York Times back in 2021, she admitted that she likes the different versions of the photo, saying: "You just make it fit however you want to fit it.
"I love seeing them because I'd never make any of them myself, but I love seeing how creative people are."
The Roth family have agreed to split earnings from the NFT between them, while the subject of the photo herself said that the funds would help her pay off her student loan and that some of the proceeds would be going to charities.
She explained: "People who are in memes and go viral is one thing, but just the way the internet has held on to my picture and kept it viral, kept it relevant, is so crazy to me.
"I'm super grateful for the entire experience," Roth admitted.
Featured Image Credit: Dave Roth
Topics: Cryptocurrency, Social Media, Viral
Joshua Nair
Published 13:28 8 Feb 2025 GMT
Hawk Tuah girl opens up about her boyfriend’s reaction after losing money in her crypto crash
Haliey Welch admitted that her boyfriend also invested in her controversial cryptocoin
It seems like yesterday we were running around shouting 'Hawk Tuah' at each other, but the internet comes at you fast.
Things seem to speed up though, particularly if you're getting accused of a 'pump and dump' crypto coin scheme.
The meaning is in the name, it's when a coin is 'pumped up' in value by a celebrity or something else driving it, and then sold so that the creators can make profit.
From hero to zero in almost no time (YouTube/TimanddeeTV)
'$HAWK token' lost its buyers millions, and as the face of it, 'Hawk Tuah Girl' Haliey Welch was cancelled on social media.
The cryptocurrency scandal threatened to end her career as quickly as her viral street video started it.
News of her alleged transgressions with the coin did the rounds online, but it looks like Welch is back, in a leaked podcast episode with content creator FaZe Banks.
The cryptocurrency, which reportedly reached a jaw-dropping value of $490 million (£393 million) at the end of 2024, CoinTelegraph reported that it dropped by more than 90 percent.
Lawsuits have been filed against those behind the coin, while the conversation around the unlawful promotion of selling cryptocurrency also became a popular topic online.
The viral star admitted her boyfriend lost money in the crypto crash (Instagram/@hay_welch)
She took to her podcast to reveal that it wasn't just regular people that suffered, as her own 'pookie' (boyfriend, for those not down with the slang), was also hit.
Kelby Blackwell, Welch's significant other, even teases her about it.
“Pookie lost money too,” she revealed. “He said, ‘How you going to take my money?’ He still gives me s*** all the time. He says, ‘I wish I had my $300 back’,” Welch added.
It may just be $300 (£242), but the fact he had to bring it up really sends the message across.
Speaking more about the crypto venture as a whole, Welch admitted it didn't go to plan, and felt sorry for those who lost money.
She admitted that she felt bad for promoting the coin (Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)
Explaining that it was a 'friend of a friend' who came up with the idea, she said: “It was brought to me as a long-term coin that would change the way everybody thinks about crypto,
“And I feel really bad for all the people that got affected by it. It just didn’t go the way I planned.”
Looking back, the internet star also said that she should have reacted more to red flags that she noticed about the person behind the project.
She admitted: “I probably should have looked into him a little bit more.
"He was acting a little bit weird on the day of the launch, and that made me suspicious.”
Featured Image Credit: X
Topics: Cryptocurrency, Social Media, Viral, Celebrity, Podcast
Joshua Nair
Published 19:36 17 Apr 2024 GMT+1
People only just discovering original video behind iconic awkward meme and it’s not what viewers expected
The 'original side eye Queen' meme from 2013 remains as iconic as ever.
One of the most iconic memes of all time is - without a doubt - side eye Chloe.
That incredible facial expression from the two-year-old went viral back in 2013 - and it will forever live in our meme-filled hearts.
Despite the video being 11-years-old, viewers are only just discovering the origin of the awkward meme.
Watch below:
'Side eye Queen' meme
The Clem Family
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For those who need a reminder, the video sees her mom filming Chloe and her sister Lily in the back seat of the car.
After surprising Lily with a trip to Disney Land, the older sister bursts out crying.
However, Lily's tears of joy are met with the biggest 'WTF' face you've ever seen, as two-year-old Chloe doesn't understand what all the fuss is about.
Over a decade later, viewers are only just discovering where the meme came from.
Taking to X, one viewer commented: "I finally found the source of this meme."
"That’s funny I never knew this meme's origin either," a second said.
"I didn’t expect the ending at all," a third admitted.
The OG meme. (The Clem Family)
As a fourth echoed: "This is 100x funnier now."
"She's like 'What's with all the emotion?'" someone else joked.
In a TikTok video from 2021, Chloe revealed exactly what went down.
"Well, I was two-years-old sitting in my car seat, and my sister was crying because my parents just said we were going to Disneyland," she said.
"So she was just crying, and I was just watching her cry, and then all of a sudden I do the face that I always do... And the rest is history."
Reflecting on the clip in 2019, Chloe's mum Katie told BuzzFeed Video: "Chloe didn't even come into my mindset at that point. This time, Chloe made the face - which she always made, every day, it was nothing new.
Chloe recreating the meme in 2021. (TikTok/@chloeclem10)
"So when I panned over and she made the face I didn't think anything of it.
"I recorded it that day, uploaded it that day, we went straight to Disneyland and it was insane.
"If I could go back, I probably wouldn't change anything, because it's been such a great experience.
"I feel like nothing could be changed. Chloe has fun, Lily has fun, we laugh, we joke.
"There's one thing that I've learned - you cannot control it. Once it's out, it's out, and you're never gonna get it back."
Chloe now has 645k followers on Instagram as her mum currently runs the account.
Featured Image Credit: The Clem Family
Topics: Viral, Social Media, YouTube
Anish Vij
Updated 08:43 24 May 2024 GMT+1Published 08:12 24 May 2024 GMT+1
breaking
Kabosu the world famous doge meme dog has died
The Japanese dog inspired Dogecoin
The world famous doge meme dog has died.
Kabosu's owner confirmed his death in a blog post today (24 May).
The rescue pup was more than 17 years old, having gone viral back in 2013, and had previously been reported to be unwell.
A photo of the Shiba Inu dog captured the internet and it was quickly immortalised on social media as the unforgettable doge meme - you know the one, the one that usually gets covered with comic sans text.
Following the worldwide meme fame, Japanese dog Kabosu became the inspiration behind the Doge meme cryptocurrency.
The viral Doge meme.
Owner Atsuko Sato posted on her Kabosu blog that the dog had 'fell into a deep sleep' and 'passed away quietly'.
Translated from Japanese to English, she wrote in a poetic post: "To all of you who loved me, Really, thank you very much.
"Kabocha is, The happiest person in the world, I think it was a dog. And, I, The happiest person in the world, It was the owner.
"Kabocha is, Still now, Smiling, Wagging his tail."
Atsuko is holding a farewell party for the viral Doge on Sunday 26 May at Flower Kaori in Kotsu no Mori, Narita City.
It was previously reported that Kabosu wasn't very well. ( PHILIP FONG/AFP via Getty Images)
Dogecoin paid tribute to Kabosu on X, as it wrote: "Today Kabosu, our community's shared friend and inspiration, peacefully passed in the arms of her person. The impact this one dog has made across the world is immeasurable.
"She was a being who knew only happiness and limitless love.
"Please keep her spirit and her family in your heart, and most importantly carry her with you as your story continues - we are all fortunate for hers to have touched and shaped ours."
And, of course, fans have created a whole load of memes in tribute to Kabosu to say 'rest in peace'.
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The embedded tweet could not be found…
One said 'she is resting with Harambe now' as another echoed: "I was so happy to follow this doge, I hope it will continue to make people smile forever."
Plenty said 'thank you for all the memes' as they sent their love to the owner and 'the doge community'.
"You were a good girl, thanks for the memes," another said.
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