16 Epic 15 Minutes of Fame Moments Shared by Real People

Everyone has a moment when they feel like they’re in the spotlight, even if it’s just for a short time. These 16 people share their own unforgettable 15 minutes of fame stories—whether it’s an unexpected viral moment, a random encounter with a celebrity, or a quirky situation that made them the talk of the town.

“Boy Hits Car, Car Damaged”

“When I was 10, I got hit by a car. I dented the fender with my knee, broke the windshield with my back, flew 10 feet and didn’t get hurt. A local paper wrote about it with the title, ‘Boy Hits Car, Car Damaged.” Someone sent it to The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and he showed the newspaper clipping with my picture.”

Hot Dog Eating

“Cramming a hotdog in my mouth in the background of a famous gold shot. It is a rerun in a lot of sports highlight reels.”

Halloweentown

“I was one of the little kids trick-or-treating in the opening sequence of Halloweentown.

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Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

“I was on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. I didn’t participate but I was the one who came as a friend. The next day at school I was pretty popular. After two days nobody cared anymore.”

People of Walmart.

“I found myself on People of Walmart.”

The Red Wedding

“I was killed at the red wedding in GOT.”

Documentary

“A documentary crew visited the hospital I worked at. They were filming the average shifts of doctors and nurses. I didn’t want to be a part of it, and as they came around a corner I immediately turned left to get away, tripped over a wet floor sign and fell flat on my face. When the documentary aired all you could see in the background was me run, fall, and then my feet poking out of a cupboard.”

Auctions

“I once donated a signed piece of TV show merch to a charity auction and it turned out to be the main attraction. Nobody knew it came from me or anything but it was pretty cool sitting in the audience watching people fight over something I contributed.”

Jeopardy!

“Two-day Jeopardy! champion. One of the best experiences of my life.”

Voice Acting

“I voiced a video game, and when I recently looked up the game reviews on Reddit, people said one of the most annoying aspects of the game is my voice!”

The Olympics

“I ran with the Olympic torch when I was 10 years old in Connecticut.”

Humans of New York

“I was profiled on Humans of New York.”

Google Street View

“I was on Google Street View. Recognizably.”

YouTube Gaming

“I became somewhat known in the retro gaming community for doing this insane YouTube video on an obscure game from 1992. I’d go to cons and get recognized. It was incredibly bizarre but wonderful at the same time. It led to me meeting a somewhat well known game developer in 2019, and he invited me out to San Francisco to a game release party. I spent the day with a bunch of legendary game devs as well as Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song. Good times.”

Forgive or Forget

“I was on a TV show back around 1999 called Forgive or Forget. In a previous episode there was a young woman who was abused by her boyfriend, but couldn’t afford to leave. I wrote the show to tell them that if she was really interested in leaving she could stay with me in my New York apartment until she got it together. I’m single with no kids, still.

So I went on the show, and after she asked me if her boyfriend could also move in with us too. I was so through and removed myself from the situation. But I looked good on television.”

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