There are no TV events as universally watched as The Super Bowl. Mass amounts of people tune in to watch the game, toss back a few, and snack to their heart's content. But there are also many who are mostly there for the trailer and half time show, with the latter almost always promising at least one massively viral moment. We've seen Katy Perry's dancing shark and Gaga's death defying jump, but this year is all about the selfie kid. Toward the end of Justin Timberlake's set, he ran into the audience where 13 year old Ryan McKenna snapped a selfie with the singer/actor. That is one of the defining moments of the night, and Ellen Degeneres recently surprised the young Patriots fan with a call from JT himself. Check it out.
While Ryan McKenna may have been the butt of endless jokes in the wake of his unexpected Super Bowl performance, he really does seem like a good kid. This video shows him taking jokes with class, and seemingly genuinely grateful for the gifts bestowed upon him by The Ellen DeGeneres Show. And there were quite a few.
From the time Ryan McKenna stepped onto the Ellen stage, you could tell how psyched the 13 year old was to be there. In the days following The Super Bowl, McKenna has gone viral and has been the subject of countless memes. But it turns out that McKenna wasn't googling who Justin Timberlake was, or what the lyrics to his hit song "Can't Stop The Feeling!" were during the infamous moment. The kid just has an outdated iPhone, which had to be restarted when he tried to snap a selfie with Justin. Ultimately JT was patient and hung out with Mckenna for long enough for him to snap the photo, before running back down the isle to interact with more fans.
While the internet may be having a field day with Ryan, he's been able to do appearances on news programs and Ellen. And he's got major prizes to look forward to, including tickets and a meet & greet with Justin on his tour, as well as tickets to the Patriots opener next season.
In some ways, Ryan McKenna did earn it. While talking to Ellen Degeneres before the Justin Timberlake surprise, Ryan revealed how he used his size (and elbows) to get himself to the front of the crowd. He never could have known that scoring a great view of Justin would end up making him one of the biggest pop culture moments of the year. It's quite a difference from the last time Justin Timberlake made waves when performing at the Super Bowl.
Congrats to Ryan McKenna. Sometimes fortune really does favor the brave.
