Popeyes meme kid grows up, snags deal with chicken brand

Thanks to a viral social media plea, a kid from a 10-year-old meme is now an official Popeyes ambassador.

Known as the Popeyes meme kid, a picture of Dieurnest Collin, age nine, giving side eye while in line at a New Jersey Popeyes went viral on social media platform. Ten years later, Collin, now 18 and a division II football player for Lake Erie College, took to Instagram with a public plea to join forces with the brand again, writing “@popeyes I JUST WANNA TALK BUISNESS.”

The post quickly gained popularity, generating over 175 thousand likes. Within days, Popeyes responded with “Let’s get this bread(ing),” followed by an announcement that the chicken brand signed Collin to an NIL sponsorship. These deals allow college athletes to profit off of their “names, image and likeness” (NIL). As a part of the deal, Collin will be featured on a Popeyes billboard near his hometown in New Jersey. Other terms of the arrangement were not disclosed, but I hope it includes plenty of chicken sandwiches! Read more