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<p id="story-continues-1" class="story-body-text story-content"
data-para-count="70" data-total-count="70">It's not all fun and
games for #AlexFromTarget. He may have a huge fanbase, overnight
fame and an appearance on Ellen, but his life has changed
enormously in the last couple of weeks, and it's not all for the
better.
<p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="70"
data-total-count="70">
<p id="story-continues-2" class="story-body-text story-content"
data-para-count="344" data-total-count="1190">Alex has turned into
a celebrity overnight, and he's turned down interview requests from
Good Morning America, E! and several other talk
shows. He has been offered advertising deals and sponsorships, and
meetings with TV, movie and modelling agents. According to the
New York Times, the term "Alex from Target" has been
searched on Google more than "Nash Grier" or "Justin Bieber" since
that fateful day at Target.
<p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="344"
data-total-count="1190">But it's certainly not all rosy. In an
interview with the New York Times , Alex revealed that his family have been
receiving death threats due to his sudden fame. He gets accosted
every time he leaves his house.
<p id="story-continues-5" class="story-body-text story-content"
data-para-count="196" data-total-count="4371"> "I've been in
the house the entire time," he said. "I'm kind of scared to go in
public."
<p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="426"
data-total-count="4974">Thousands of jealous people have also taken
to Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to slag Alex off, calling him
ugly, a nobody or making up rumours that he's been fired. That's
not to mention death threats such as: "Alex from target, I'll find
you and I will kill you".
<p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="426"
data-total-count="4974">Alex told the newspaper that he "was
bullied in elementary school and has learned to disregard the hate
- though, he said, it's increasingly difficult to ignore" - but his
parents are worried.
<p id="story-continues-8" class="story-body-text story-content"
data-para-count="208" data-total-count="6348">"The biggest concern
for myself and my wife is some of the negativity we're seeing
online," said his father, Eric. "Our concern is making sure he's
safe." Alex's dad revealed that as well as death threats, people
have leaked the family's personal information online, including
Social Security numbers, bank accounts and phone records. The
family is in touch with the police, as well as Target managers, the
school principal and security staff, to put together emergency
plans should something unexpectedly happen.
<p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="208"
data-total-count="6348">Poor Alex - this just goes to show that
while millions of teens dream of overnight fame, it certainly has
its downsides.
<p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="208"
data-total-count="6348">SOURCE: New York Times
The internet is a really, really mad place sometimes, and this week, it only got crazier by turning a 16-year-old Target cashier into a star overnight - and no one is quite sure how. #AlexFromTarget is now not only enjoying over 650k Twitter followers (up from a staggering 144 - not 144k, by the way, just 144), but he also appeared on Ellen, to crazed reactions from female fans in the audience.
So how did this all begin? A customer tweeted a photo of Alex bagging groceries at work, with the caption "YOOOOOOO". Suddenly, and no one is quite sure how, Alex was turned into an internet meme, with his photo and the hashtag #alexfromtarget going viral.
Then Ellen DeGeneres got involved, tweeting:
Before long, Alex was flying to LA:
And appearing on Ellen's show:
Alex Christopher LaBeouf (his last name isn't "Fromtarget", would you believe), appeared on Ellen looking totally starstruck at his randomly-found fame. He fought off rumours that #AlexFromTarget was a publicity stunt, and said that the first he knew of the Twitter trend was when his manager showed him what was going on on her mobile phone.
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"My manager came up to me, and she showed me the actual picture," he told Ellen. "I thought it was fake."
He also said that he feels "pressure" now that he has a legion of fans when all he did was bag groceries - but we think he's taking it in his stride.
Watch #AlexFromTarget on Ellen below:
