Nothing quite makes me feel as old as seeing my son go off to college, but seeing celebrity kids and viral Internet kids grow up is a close second. The Apparently kid, Noah Ritter, became a viral sensation in 2014 after a quick interview at the county fair in Wayne County, Pennsylvania. Noah, who was there with his Grandpa Jack, told WNEP-TV about his experience on the super slide, using the word “apparently” so many times it became a meme. He said, “And apparently, I’ve never been on live television before. I don’t watch the news, because I’m a kid and apparently Grandpa… just gives me the remote after we watch the Powerball.” He went on to say that he was “scared half to death” by the super slide. It was adorable and Noah is full of personality. Well Noah is now 15(!) and is still very close to his Grandpa Jack. The two went back to the Wayne County fair together to recreate his viral moment and talk about what they’re doing now, ten years after his instant fame. This news clip and story were so heartwarming to me! You can see the video below, and here’s People’s writeup:
Over the weekend, now-15-year-old Noah Ritter once again appeared on local Pennsylvania ABC affiliate WNEP to recreate his classic viral video at the Wayne County Fair.
On Sunday, Aug. 4, the outlet shared a video of the teen reciting a few of the iconic lines that he used to steal the show during his accidental monologue at the very same location a decade ago.
“And apparently, I’ve never been on live television before,” he said, imitating his 5-year-old voice. “Grandpa gives me the remote every time [sic] we watch the Powerball”
When asked how it feels to say those words into a WNEP microphone again all these years later, Ritter said that “it feels pretty good.”
“I feel nostalgic about it,” he added. “It makes me reminisce about being here in this exact spot 10 years ago.”
Ritter and partner in crime “Grandpa Jack” also reflected on the days that followed Ritter’s rise to fame, in which they frequently flew to California so Ritter could appear on The Ellen Degeneres Show.
Among the stars he met back in the day because of his hit video were Jennifer Garner, Sofia Vergara, Jim Carrey, Bryce Dallas Howard, and even Bill Clinton.
Ritter and his grandfather still post videos together on his YouTube channel, but the teen has less free time because of his busy high school schedule. “Now I’m juggling YouTube, school, football, track [and] a bunch of other stuff,” Ritter told WNEP. “I’m going into my sophomore year, getting ready to drive.”
I didn’t realize that Noah had been on Ellen a couple of times and that he’d also been a child judge on the reality series The Toy Box (which I completely forgot about). This was just a quick news segment so they didn’t get into it, but it sounded like that time was grueling for him. His grandpa said that Noah had to film eight hours a day and get four hours of schooling. The show aired in 2017 and 2018, and Noah was on the only judge who appeared on both seasons, when he was aged seven to eight. How is that legal to do to a kid that age?!
Noah is involved in sports at school including football and track and is going to be in 10th grade next year. Grandpa Jack is now a widower and spends his time with Noah. They love watching movies together, which they review on Noah’s YouTube Channel. I watched their review for The Fall Guy, which I completely disagree with since I loved it and they disliked it, but it’s cute seeing them together. I’m so glad Noah is doing well and that he’s still best friends with his Grandpa Jack.