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Subject: Alex, 31
At age 18, Alex went viral—anonymously—after a photo of him standing in lettuce bins at work was shared on 4chan. The interview explores how this viral incident shaped his life, examining where the meme's real-world consequences end and Alex's internal psychological struggles begin.
Alex: I'm 31.
Katherine: When was the first time you remember using the internet?
Alex: Oh man, I think maybe, let me think for a second, I'm sorry. It was probably 8, so it was probably like 2003 or 2004. In the beginning, I just played games, like real basic Java-type games, I guess. Maybe like two, three hours a day.
Katherine: Do you feel like you used the internet more often than your peers?
Alex: Yeah, at the time, yeah, but I wasn't like super into it. I was like heavily monitored by my mother at the time, but later on, I started getting less restriction and kind of delving deep. I played a lot of RuneScape back in the day when that came out. I still play it actually. I've never really been like a huge internet connoisseur. Like my buddies, when we were like 13 maybe, would find like crazy videos and stuff and share them, but I was usually, yeah, it wasn't like a huge connoisseur. I'd say maybe when I was like 16 or so, I started like getting really big into YouTube videos. Back then I used to watch like I think KSI I used to watch back then and I think PewDiePie and a lot of commentary YouTubers. I just, I would play so much freaking RuneScape, like I would wake up early to play it and then as soon as I got home I would play it and then like I would cram my homework into like the, uh, we had like a homeroom right before our classes start and I would just like bang it out right there. It sounds terrible, but it was actually, I did well in school surprisingly.
Katherine: Did you have a healthy social life?
Alex: Yeah, yeah, I'd say so. I had like a small group of friends that we were, we've known each other since like fourth to sixth grade. We all met and we just kind of stuck together all through high school. Yeah, for the most part, like I changed my interests into different YouTubers. My available access to the internet kind of went on and off after high school, but uh, yeah, my life's crazy. Well, I lost both my parents in high school and like my sister had a drug problem and then like when I turned 18, I was like having severe mental issues and I was living with my aunt. She wanted me to work and it was like really hard for me to do that. Um, so I couldn't hold a job and then eventually they kicked me out and I wound up homeless for a little while. Yeah, it was crazy.
Katherine: When does the Burger King incident happen?
Alex: That was 2012. I was 18.
Katherine: Are you homeless at this point?
Alex: No, no, I'm still, I just graduated high school right then. So, I mean, I, I just worked at Burger King. You know, I had two friends that worked there and they were like my best friends. So they helped me get the job. And then, uh, I was just a complete idiot. I would do like the dumb stuff. And then, uh, one day I just like impulsively, I was prepping lettuce and I just decided to stand in the bins for some reason. And then I called my buddies over and one of them thought it was like the funniest thing he'd ever seen. So I, I wanted to take a picture and then it didn't look as good. So I asked him to take the picture and then, yeah, I mean, threw it out and then went on, went on with our day. And then later, uh, in the night or no, it was a couple of days after that. Yeah. A couple of days later at night, he, uh, he called me like frantically. It's like, dude, I posted online and they called the news station and they called the police and all this. I was like, thought my life was over. And then, uh, yeah, the next morning I saw it like I was living with my grandma at the time and I saw it on the news and, uh, you know, that they were like, do you work here? And like, what happened? And I was like, oh, I don't know who that is. That's crazy. And then like, I tried to pretend that I was working. So I would like leave, you know, like around the same times I was working for a few hours every day and then come back. And then she was like, I was helping her pay the bills like slightly. I would give her like 50 to a hundred bucks a month. And then, um, I didn't have it. And, uh, she was like, I can't do this. So then my aunt took over and, uh, I just.
Katherine: How did they find out it was you?
Alex: I don't think they ever, I mean, they never confronted me about it.
Katherine: I mean, how did the Burger King figure out it was you?
Alex: Oh, they saw it. So they saw it on the news, I'm assuming, and, or someone called from 4chan, I'm guessing cause that's where it was posted. And then, uh, they probably checked the cameras. It was like a couple of days after it happened. And then, uh.
Katherine: I mean, it's such a nondescript photo. I'm just curious how they were able to find the exact location.
Alex: It was the metadata on the photo of the time, the air, like the location, everything. So they, you know, they probably called Burger King and was like, this happened at this time on this day. And I'm assuming they looked at the cameras. I don't really know the of how they knew. I just know it was so popular. It was like on every news station that there was just like a consensus that it was me. I just kind of figured everyone knew it was me and I didn't go into work after that until I needed my last paycheck.
Katherine: So you were fired.
Alex: Yeah.
Katherine: Okay.
Alex: I mean, I was never like you're fired.
It was more like, I just stopped showing up, got my last paycheck and it was very awkward. Um, but like no one, no one really confronted me about it at Burger King. It was just like, yeah, we know this was you, you know, what you did was wrong. That kind of feeling. I thought my life was over. I thought like the lettuce got thrown out, but I still thought like I was going to go to jail somehow. And, uh, just because it was so like it was on every news station. And I don't know when you see your, your feet on the news, like you kind of, the logic kind of goes out the window and you just think like worst case scenario. And then like people are confronting you about it and everyone thinks it's so funny, but I just, I was like waiting until something terrible, like worse than that happened. But luckily really nothing came out of it legally, but, uh, it sounds like a lot of this is internal. Like it's in your head, the feelings.
Katherine: Yeah. I, well, I mean, like you assume people know it's you, right? You didn't get fired. You quit. It sounds like, it sounds like this is your own fear.
Alex: Okay. So I, someone on 4chan got all that data off the photo and they said that they called the store, they called the news, they called the police. So at this point, I'm just like assuming that the Burger King got called and they were, they found out it was made through the cameras. That's just kind of the assumption I have. I don't really see any other way how they would have known it was me. So it would have been at the, like, when you see your feet on the news, it's like, why would I even go into work? Like they're going to find out, or they already know it's me. So it's just going to be a waste of time and really embarrassing on top of the fear that I'm already experiencing. So it was just like, I, I knew that they knew, but like, I was never confronted about it. It was just like, I stopped showing up and I went in to get my last paycheck like a week later. And, uh, yeah, I mean the general manager, like she handed me the, uh, the paycheck and she was like, if you ever need a reference or anything, you can call me. I was like baffled by that. It made no sense to me at all. I didn't believe her, but I never ever used her as a reference, obviously. Yeah. I just try to avoid it like as much as I could. Cause I knew it was already pretty bad.
Katherine: What part of this story do you feel like hasn't been told?
Alex: Um, that's a hard one. I mean, if anyone, you know, feels like, you know, there's some kind of karma that will get, you know, make it so get me back. Like I did something wrong and that karma should take its toll on me. That's like the events in my life have been so drastically catastrophic that, that, that that's happened. Like I've paid for it in, in more ways that are just affected by the actual incident. Um, but yeah, I mean, obviously I wish I didn't do it and it, like, it didn't really like when I lived in Mayfield Heights, people knew it was me, but eventually I moved out to Akron and at that point, no one really knew it was me. So I just, I wouldn't say it like ruined my life, but, um, it definitely began like a chain of events, maybe indirectly that kind of bad things started happening.
Katherine: It just doesn't sound like that big of a deal. Um, wasted some lettuce at a Burger King.
Alex: I mean, yeah, but the thing is like, no one really knew that. I don't think until now. Um, and like, I didn't want to ever admit it because I didn't think people would believe that anyways. Um, so I just, I think like all this was, is that men has built up and like, maybe I started somehow some kind of like how there's like the Bluebell Ice Cream Lick. I don't know if you remember that from like 2019 that began like a trend and like people started doing that a lot. So I don't know if somehow by doing that, I might've caused or influenced other people to do it. But other than that, like the actual event, like I literally just, the worst part about it, I'd say like the worst consequences is that I got my manager fired and, um, the reputation of that Burger King is permanently destroyed. And I've also looked at like Burger Kings and like their sales, um, nationwide and I like 2012 it dips. And then 2013, it's like half of what it was in 2011.
Katherine: So, um, I mean around that time, like Chipotle starts getting popular.1
Alex: I'm sure that plays a role in it, but like, if you go on, if you look at the Burger King location on Google and you look at the reviews, there's one still, and it's, there's still like new ones. And it's not just because I recently revealed myself. Like there's ones from two, three months ago. And it's been 12 years and I'm assuming they get phone calls all the time. Like it's just, uh, it's probably hell for the people that do work there now and have been working there. So I, I feel bad about that. You know, that's probably the worst consequence, but in terms of like actually tampering food, it really isn't the case.
Katherine: I mean, with all due respect, it see, it seems like, um, and I know it's overwhelming to be the, the, you know, at the center of a national news story. Um, but it seems like you've taken on a lot of, um, guilt about this that might not be warranted.
Alex: Yeah, maybe.
Katherine: Um, right. Like it's so I'm looking, I looked at the, you know, just very quickly, right. The Yelp reviews and a lot of these Yelp reviews are referencing like the orders were wrong. Uh, the drive-through doesn't work. I mean, that's not on you.
Alex: They're all just bad, huh?
Katherine: I mean, it's like, what, you know, how, how much of that is your fault? I don't think it's your fault at all.
Alex: Well, I'm not going to put the blame on my friend for posting it. Cause I told him one to take the picture and two, I was the one who did it, but I think if it was just kept in between us, it wouldn't have affected anyone. It would have just been like product waste, like a couple dollars worth of lettuce. Um, but it was a team effort.
Katherine: You know, I, I agree with you. I'm just, um, I mean, do you think about it at all? It seems like you've sort of built an identity off of it.
Alex: You know, people say that like, uh, sometimes jokingly, sometimes serious, like you've left a legacy on the internet and this and that, but, um, I'd prefer if I hadn't, because I'd rather just like end my, uh, my bloodline, if you will, I'd rather end my family name with just someone who worked hard than someone who, you know, stepped in lettuce. Cause that's just what it is. Like everyone knows it. Everyone knows that's me now. And it's like, I'm just, you know, I feel like no matter what I do at this point, I'm always going to be known as that guy.
Katherine: You could have no one, no one would have known a thing about it. It was never attached to your name.
Alex: Correct. Um, but deep down, I know that's still what it is.
Katherine: So, um, are you sure you like regret it? I mean, like you're like your whole visual identity online is like the, is the picture you're yeah.
Alex: Well, it's more of a, like a gimmick, you know, uh, I have a lot of health issues. I can't really work right now. So I'm just kind of like throwing a Hail Mary, like maybe I can leverage this to build some kind of audience.
Katherine: So, I mean, is that really the, I mean, is that the real story here? I don't say this from a place of judgment. I would do the same thing.
Alex: Honestly, like, even if I, if this is successful and I end up making money from it and, you know, it becomes like a really big thing, like an online, whatever brand, if you will. I still would prefer if it never happened to be honest, but like, there's no running from it at this point. So I might as well use it to my advantage. It's kind of where I'm at with it, but I do regret it.
Katherine: There is running, there is running from it because it was never connected to your name and it was just a personal thing. You weren't fired. It seems like you just have carried around this guilt. Maybe, right? Like maybe you've carried this guilt.
Alex: Maybe. Yeah. I think it's probably a low chance, but it doesn't really matter if someone new meets me and they don't know about that because it's still like such a popular thing that I'm, people don't connect it to me, but it's still my feat at the end of the day.
Katherine: You start this YouTube channel, you decide to go public. What's the story behind that? You said you're in a bad place right now.
Alex: Yeah. Like I've like slowly developed a seizure condition over the last five years. It just kind of happened and they've kept becoming more frequent and I've tried working with them and it's resulted in a lot of injuries, a lot of broken bones, broken teeth, broke my jaw, broke my hand, fractured my spine. So it's getting to a point where I can't get it under control with medication. So I'm just not working right now. And yeah, I just feel like I have nothing to lose at this point.
Katherine: So you're hoping that if you do YouTube videos, you'll be able to earn enough money to support yourself?
Alex: Yeah. I mean, it's kind of shameless, but yeah, I think I can build like a brand off this truly. It's been like two weeks and it's been quite successful already. So I think over time, like if some big names cover it or see it, eventually I'll have an audience to where I could do all kinds of things. Maybe even not YouTube, but that's kind of where I'm starting.
Katherine: What do you envision for your YouTube career?
Alex: Like optimistically?
Katherine: Yeah, like what do you want to do?
Alex: Yeah. So I want to slowly be more personable with it. So people see there's more to me than just stepping in lettuce. But at the same time, I'm going to, in the beginning phase, like I'm going to lean into it a lot, but slowly I'll kind of get away from it. And I think over time it might not be how it is right now, where it's just like, oh, that's that guy. Like there might be more to me that people see, but I think I can see myself doing like, I mean, it almost sounds like narcissistic, but I mean, it's, I think it's very realistic that I could make ad money, do merch, maybe even sponsors or even like cameos. I mean, there's a lot of people that are like huge fans of this for some reason. So I think, I think that could be a realistic goal and could sustain me financially. I never thought I would say this, but Hawk-tuah Girl was actually like an inspiration because I figured if this chick can say something funny and then go viral and have a whole management team a week later and build a podcast and be huge like that, I don't see why I wouldn't be able to. But I would imagine people like Numa Numa guy, he probably thinks about it sometimes. He's like, I could have, I could have done something with that, but I'm assuming he's probably doing just fine. He might have a family, you know, who knows. So if, you know, if these people were in a similar situation as me, they would do the same thing. But I don’t think anyone regrets not doing it if their life is already pieced together quite well.
Katherine: How long have you been thinking about doing this?
Alex: Years. People would mention it—friends of mine—even immediately after it happened. They’d say, “Dude, you should just come out and leverage it.” But I held off. Burger King decided not to release my identity, and I’m grateful for that, but I don’t think they realized how much it would have affected them.
So, me coming out shortly after that and seeing it blow up, I was fearful they would decide to sue me or do something else. I don’t know. But at this point, all the statute of limitations is completely gone.
I thought about it a lot. People would say, “You could make money off this,” but I was so ashamed. I just wanted to work a normal job and live life that way. People find a lot of meaning in it, though. For example, I saw a comment today—this guy left paragraphs saying how I’m “putting the finger” to a corporate monopoly that’s made millions off the backs of underpaid, uninsured workers. He was saying I’m taking a stand against them. But that was never my intention, and it’s not how I see it.
Still, if people can pull meaning out of it like that, that’s great.
Katherine: Why not try another hustle? Why focus on becoming an internet personality?
Alex: I don’t know. It feels easier at this point. It still requires work, but it gives me a head start rather than grinding from nothing. Let’s say I’m sitting at home and decide I want to figure out a way to make money with my phone—what could I do? This is still relevant, so I might as well lean into it.
I don’t really have anything to lose. In the past, I did have things to lose, but now, this feels like the best route. Even you said you’d do it, and you’d lean into it. So, that’s where I’m at, I guess.
Burger King’s revenue did decline. It was because they transitioned to a franchise model.
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