The Popeyes Meme Kid, Dieunerst Collin, Is Signing A Deal With The Fast Food Chain

If you use social media correctly, it can do wonders for your image and even for your future career. In some cases, a meme can turn a child into a star, such as Zoë Roth, better known to her online fans as Disaster Girl (via The New York Times). If you can't remember who she is, picture a young girl staring mischievously into the camera as a house burns down in the background. In 2021, at 21 years old, she sold the meme for $500,000 to pay off her student loans. Joining the list of internet-famous youngsters is Dieunerst Collin. Known for his side-eyeing Popeyes meme as a kid, he grew up, played his cards right,& and is reaping some benefits of viral stardom.

As Know Your Meme explains, Dieunerst Collin was memed in gif and photo form after a video called "Terio at Popeyes" was posted online on the since-defunct Vine app. Collin got the nickname Terio after an elderly man in the video said the child resembled a former Viner with that name. In the clip, Collin stands with a cup in hand and glances with wide eyes at the camera. This video was posted 10 years ago, and the Popeyes meme still has enough popularity for him to capitalize.

Dieunerst Collin is a meme kid turned lineman. He attends Lake Erie College in Ohio, where he plays on the school's Division II football team. He also recently signed a Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deal with Popeyes (via CBS Sports). It wasn't exactly random, though, as Collin has been reaching out all year to get the attention of the famed chicken chain.

It started when Collin quoted a tweet from @JimMWeber in which he posted the player's football information. "If this guy doesn't have an NIL deal by tomorrow, the Louisiana kitchen needs to clean house on upper management," he wrote in part. In his response, Collin tagged @Popeyes, writing "Said it best." Following an outpouring of support from online fans, he was offered a deal just days later. Not bad for a kid who got filmed giving side-eyes at Popeyes when he was 9 years old.

ESPN reports that Collin's agreement with Popeyes will include a billboard featuring his likeness in New Jersey. But this isn't the only opportunity that came knocking. Thanks to the attention he got from the Popeyes opportunity, he has also heard from Dude Wipes, a maker of flushable wipes. "They talked to me and they're sending me some products," he said. Sounds like he might be popping up at more places than Popeyes.