00:00Of course. You're amazing, man.
00:03Welcome to WatchMojo.
00:04And today, we're counting down our picks for the most extraordinary stories of ordinary people being shot to fame in 2025.
00:13But that's just so mean. Like, why would you do that to another human being? Like, that's just mean.
00:18Number 10, Remington Glass.
00:20We're enjoying it. Everyone is on a chance to fly. Please are flying so little.
00:30Prior to the release of Wicked for Good, the sequel to John M. Chu's Wicked, NBC released a lovely special called Wicked, One Wonderful Night.
00:39The program featured live performances by cast members Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and others, as well as Idina Menzel, Kristen Chenoweth, and Stephen Schwartz.
00:50During Ariana's performance of Popular, she invited a very special guest up on stage, little Remington Glass.
00:57And one of those fans that you've just seen in that incredible montage happens to be in our audience tonight.
01:04The four-year-old, who came dressed as Elphaba, looked absolutely delightful as he accompanied Grande on stage and even participated in the performance.
01:13He previously went viral on TikTok for singing Defying Gravity at his doctor's office and came to be known as a wicked mega-fan.
01:24His collaboration with Ariana made him even more pop-u-lar.
01:30Number 9, Jack K.
01:33If you've been chronically online in 2025, you probably know the Ibiza final boss.
01:39It is the nickname Jack K got after a clip of him partying in Ibiza went viral.
01:47The man, who is reportedly a construction worker from Newcastle, stood out for his hairstyle.
01:52A scouse trim, he calls it, tattoos and a neat beard.
01:56To add to that, he was blinged out with a chunky gold chain, gold-extended shades and even a massive gold ring.
02:09Since going viral, K has built a significant following online.
02:13Of course, he also capitalized on his fame by selling Ibiza final boss merchandise.
02:18More recently, he has been DJing at events, doing club tours and seems to have signed a record deal too.
02:24Number 8, Aniyah St. Surin
02:28This queen, better known online as the Red Bandana Girl, went viral in 2025 after standing up for her idol, Billie Eilish, at one of her concerts.
02:43During a crowd walk at the Birds of a Feather Singer's show at Miami's Kaseya Center,
02:49Eilish was aggressively pulled by a fan, causing her to hit her back against the barricade.
02:54Out of instinctive protectiveness, St. Surin seemed to go after the rude individual and tell him off.
03:01It is that guy with his hands on Billie.
03:06The guy who has been screaming during my quiet, lovely songs.
03:10The action was caught on camera and drew the attention of fans and the artist herself.
03:15Aniyah blew up on TikTok, received free tickets to another Billie Eilish concert,
03:20and was even sent merch as a thank you from the Grammy winner.
03:23You grabbed her and had her against the barricade like that? Now it's me and you. Now it's me and you.
03:29Number 7, Naomi Palula
03:32The internet isn't always the kindest.
03:35Naomi Palula was an ordinary woman working as a lawyer in Zambia when she posted a selfie on Instagram.
03:42What she didn't expect was to be hit with a wave of mean comments about her appearance, especially her nose.
03:48Hi, your girl here. I'm just hopping on here to just have a chat around where my brain is. Like, yesterday, I had responded to what I would term a audacious comment.
04:07In a candid interview with People magazine, Palula recalled being taunted about her nose when she was young and eventually learning to love herself and her features.
04:17So, although she felt triggered by comments suggesting she try rhinoplasty, Naomi proudly told People that she has her father's nose and would never consider changing it.
04:27My lovely people came to my defense about that, which was wonderful and great and thank you so much. It really restored my faith in the goodness of people.
04:41Instead of deleting her viral photo, Palula chose to see the bright side of things and celebrate her newfound fame.
04:49And so, it was from an overflow of that that I then began to love myself.
04:55Number 6. Michael Baker
04:57When this teen graduated from high school in May 2025, internet fame was probably not the first thing on his mind.
05:05After the ceremony, Michael Baker hit up a Burger King to grab some dinner for his family.
05:10He was an employee at this joint, so when he noticed his co-workers could use some help, he got to work, keeping his band and track medals on.
05:18I like helping people and not expecting anything back from me. That's just me.
05:22A customer, Maria Mendoza, whose daughter graduated from the same school as Michael that day, noticed the youngster and recorded him.
05:29Maria was so impressed, she posted the video online and started a crowdfunding campaign to reward the kid for his integrity and dedication.
05:38The video quickly went viral on social media. Mendoza later started a GoFundMe for Michael, raising over $200,000.
05:46Burger King also chipped in with a $10,000 scholarship. With the money, Michael hopes to go to college.
05:54Michael has enrolled at Gwinnett Technical College to pursue his dream of becoming a master auto mechanic and owning his own shop.
06:02Number 5. Philly's Karen
06:04This viral figure comes from a baseball game, where a wholesome moment turned bitter.
06:10You can see in this now viral video, the woman screaming, claiming the ball was hers to take.
06:16It all went down in Miami, where fans gathered for a match between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Miami Marlins.
06:22Harrison Bader, formerly of the Phillies, hit a glorious home run.
06:26As fans cheered, a dad, Drew Feltwell, found the ball for his son, Lincoln, to have.
06:31Unfortunately, another Phillies fan supposedly felt entitled to the ball because it fell near her and demanded it back.
06:39No, you took it from me!
06:41Felt well obliged, and the interaction spread all over social media.
06:46The lady was dubbed the Phillies' Karen, while Lincoln went home with a bat signed by Bader.
06:51Handing her the ball as she storms off, but all of it was caught on the jumbotron.
06:56Number 4. Margaret Chola
06:58Yeah, you may have seen her online, known as the Legendary Glamma.
07:02We're talking about Miss Margaret Chola, a grandma in her late 80s living in Zambia.
07:07She's now a global and self-proclaimed accidental fashion icon.
07:11You know her as Legendary Glamma.
07:14On her Instagram bio, she calls herself an accidental fashion icon.
07:18Margaret Chola is all over the internet.
07:21In May 2024, the Zambian native stylist granddaughter, Diana Comba, dressed her and posted her photo online.
07:29In no time, Margaret's look went viral, and her fame continued to skyrocket well into 2025.
07:36Fans wanted more, and Diana delivered by showcasing diverse outfits through her Granny series.
07:42It was a viral hit, her online account, Legendary Glamma, amassing hundreds of thousands of followers online.
07:49Speaking to the BBC about her sudden popularity, Grandma Chola said she felt, quote, new and alive.
07:56I feel like I can conquer the world, she added, before emphasizing the importance of living without the fear of judgment.
08:02Grandma Chola, who lives in Zambia, is now a cover girl and self-proclaimed model, appearing on magazine covers across the globe.
08:09Number 3. Ed Bambas
08:12This is one of those stories that will restore your faith in humanity.
08:16I actually had someone nominate you from this store and said you're very hardworking.
08:21Well, I try to be.
08:22Ed Bambas, an Army veteran in his 80s, went viral in 2025 after influencer Samuel Weidenhofer made a video about him working at a grocery store.
08:33In the clip, Ed shared that he retired from General Motors in 1999,
08:37but had been living without a pension since 2012.
08:41His late wife's medical bills aggravated his financial difficulties, and after she passed away, it was hard for the gentleman to make ends meet.
08:49So, he began working again.
08:50If you want, you will be able to retire, because we've raised you $1.77 million.
08:57Weidenhofer later launched a fundraiser for Ed's retirement on GoFundMe, attracting donations from ordinary people as well as celebs like Charlie Puth,
09:08ultimately raising almost $1.8 million.
09:12People don't know how much they've helped me.
09:16That's all you need to recognize this young man.
09:31In 2025, a clip of 11-year-old Riyan dancing on a racing boat during Indonesia's Pachu Jalur Festival in Riau went viral.
09:42The dance, which was set to the song Young, Black, and Rich by Melly Mike on social media, was meant to get the rowers on his team fired up.
09:50While they didn't end up winning the race, according to the Wall Street Journal, the dance gave birth to a global trend.
09:56Even celebrities like online sensation I Show Speed, rapper Wiz Khalifa, and NFL star Travis Kelsey copied his moves.
10:09Thus, Riyan became the poster child of Aura Farming.
10:13He was appointed the cultural and tourism ambassador for Riau and got a scholarship too.
10:19Riyan Arkandika shot to internet fame as the Aura Farming Boy after a video of him dancing on a boat during a race went viral.
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10:44Number 1. Andy Byron and Kristen Kabat
10:48These two gave us one of the biggest scandals of 2025.
10:52Number 5. Two seemingly random people, Andy and Kristen, were attending a Coldplay concert at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
11:01They were seemingly cozying up, enjoying the show, when they saw themselves on the Jumbotron and tried to hide.
11:08This led Chris Martin to wonder if the pair was having an affair.
11:12Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy.
11:16Lead singer Chris Martin was right the first time.
11:19This was a secret affair.
11:21The moment went viral, and the internet found out that Andy was the CEO of a company called Astronomer, and Kristen was its chief people officer.
11:30The real kicker was that they were both supposedly married.
11:33So it was not only a case of an employee allegedly romancing her boss, but also a possible extramarital relationship.
11:42Byron and Kabat eventually left Astronomer.
11:45Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the board of directors has accepted.
11:50Is the thought of going viral more exciting or scary to you?
11:54Tell us your views in the comments.
