At this point, it seems like Paul Rudd going viral on social media is an almost weekly occurrence. The beloved, seemingly ageless actor, has become the subject of plenty of good-natured memes, thanks to his boundless charisma and tendency to be a little bit goofy. Earlier this week, he took over the internet again, after Twitter found fan-edited footage of him dancing to the Earth, Wind and Fire classic “September.” Once you’ve watched him shimmy and shake through multiple iconic moments, you’ll understand why.
The video of Paul Rudd was, surprisingly, not even created to commemorate the date referenced in the song. The tweet that went viral was posted in May of 2021, but fans began to share it on September 21, and then they couldn’t stop sharing it. Take a look at the hilarious video here:
In just a minute and 21 seconds, we see the actor boogying down through over two dozen TV and film appearances. Some of them have already become famous in their own right, while others are from films that many of us have long forgotten. Fans who missed him on the Friends reunion got a split-second jolt of nostalgia with a clip of his character, Mike, dancing in Central Perk.
There’s also memorable footage from the Tim and Eric Awesome Show, plus movies like Anchorman 2, They Came Together, Overnight Delivery, I Could Never Be Your Woman, and of course Ant-Man. But there are also behind-the-scenes clips of Paul Rudd goofing off in his superhero gear and alongside his co-star, Michael Douglas.
The viral video also serves as a great reminder of just how much of a presence Paul Rudd has been on late-night TV. At varying points, he’s cutting a rug for Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, Jon Stewart on The Daily Show, and even David Letterman on The Late Show. Sadly, there wasn’t any footage of him dancing on Conan O’Brien’s show, but maybe that was because he was always too busy trolling the host.
It’s easy to understand why this video became such a viral sensation. There’s something about Paul Rudd that is both relatable but also larger-than-life. Whether he’s dancing on top of a car, singing in the shower, or making a talk show host double over with laughter, he’s consistently so much fun to watch.
It remains to me seen whether Paul Rudd is in on the fact that he’s become a Twitter trending topic again though, given how he responded when a fan tried to get him to replicate his viral “Look at us” moment last year, he seems to keep up with how people are reacting to him. With the long-awaited release of Ghostbusters: Afterlife and the eventual Ant-Man 3, it’s safe to assume he’ll end up doing something to delight the internet again in the not-too-distant future.
