00:00Remember this face? It's Kyle Craven, better known as Bad Luck Brian, the face of hilarious
00:05catastrophic misfortune and one of the Internet's earliest meme icons.
00:08Back in 2012, a single high school yearbook photo propelled Kyle to viral fame. The picture
00:13featured his braces, an awkward smile, and a painfully unstylish thrift store vest, all
00:17set against a purple background. But unlike the unlucky character his meme portrayed,
00:22Kyle's story is one of ingenuity and success.
00:24Here's the truth behind that photo. It was all a joke. In a 2020 interview, Kyle revealed
00:28that the infamous yearbook photo was part of a prank he and his friends orchestrated
00:32to get the, quote, ugliest photos possible for the yearbook.
00:35Kyle picked up the vest at a thrift store, romped his face until it was swollen and red,
00:38and gave the photographer his worst smile. The result? Comedy gold. His high school principal
00:43caught on to the prank when the yearbook photos were distributed, and Kyle was forced to retake
00:47his picture.
00:48But before that happened, he took the original photo home and uploaded it onto his Facebook.
00:52It sat there for years unnoticed until early 2012 when his friend Ian Davies uploaded it
00:57to Reddit's r-slash-advice-animals with the caption,
00:59"'Takes driving test, gets first UI.'"
01:01What started as an inside joke quickly became an internet sensation. Kyle's goofy grin and
01:05awkward posts spread like wildfire, becoming the punchline for every facepalm-worthy worst-case
01:10scenario imaginable.
01:11Between 2012 and 2014, Bad Luck Brian became a staple of internet culture, and Kyle's life
01:16changed forever. At first, Kyle assumed the meme would fizzle out within a week. But as
01:20more and more people shared iterations of Bad Luck Brian, he began to realize the magnitude
01:24of his sudden internet fame.
01:26Like many meme figures who shy away from the spotlight, Kyle embraced it. He even created
01:30social media accounts under the name Bad Luck Brian to connect with his fans and engage
01:34with the growing phenomenon.
01:35His family, however, was confused by his newfound fame. Kyle's mother, a schoolteacher, didn't
01:40fully grasp the concept of memes until one of her students showed up wearing a Bad Luck
01:43Brian T-shirt. Meanwhile, Kyle explained that he had to remind his family that he wasn't
01:48writing the captions, he was just the face behind the character.
01:50Kyle's ability to laugh along with the meme helped him turn Bad Luck Brian into more than
01:54just an internet joke. He attended conventions like VidCon, where he rubbed shoulders with
01:58other meme legends like Overly Attached Girlfriend. He also made appearances in ad campaigns for
02:03brands like McDonald's and Volkswagen, capitalizing on his meme fame.
02:06In addition to brand deals, Kyle launched a line of merchandise, including T-shirts,
02:10stuffed animals, and even a short-lived board game. In a 2020 interview, Kyle explained
02:14that licensing the image was key to monetizing the meme, making Bad Luck Brian one of the
02:18first examples of a meme influencer.
02:21In 2021, Kyle sold a Bad Luck Brian NFT for 20 Ethereum, or approximately $36,000, during
02:27the height of the crypto art craze. This move inspired other early internet meme figures
02:31to explore NFTs as a way to preserve and profit from their digital legacies.
02:35Kyle has stayed connected with fellow meme icons, appearing at events like the 2024 Doge
02:39Day Crypto Celebration in Tokyo alongside Scumbag Steve and other viral personalities.
02:44He's also made cameo appearances in commercials, including a 2023 ad for The General Insurance
02:49with basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal. In another 2023 campaign, he joined pop star
02:53Rebecca Black to promote limited-edition Heinz condiments, proving his unlucky persona still
02:58resonates in modern marketing.
03:00Despite his ongoing internet fame, Kyle maintains a balanced life outside of the spotlight.
03:04He works as COO of his family's construction company and lives with his high school sweetheart,
03:08now his wife, and their two children. For Kyle, family has always been his anchor, helping
03:12him navigate the ups and downs of meme stardom.
03:15Kyle's journey from high school prankster to internet legend is a testament to his good
03:18humor. As he told fans,
03:20Don't take the internet too seriously. You never know, you might become a meme someday."
03:24Today, you can find Kyle online under the name Solid Bad Luck, where he continues to
03:28share his story and embrace his role as one of the internet's most beloved meme personalities.
03:32Kyle's story is proof that sometimes, even bad luck can lead to something extraordinary.
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