Thanks to a straightforward family video, Chloe Clem rose to prominence on the internet more than ten years ago. Chloe, who is currently 14 years old, has advanced significantly since she was a little child. Here is a glimpse of her whereabouts since she unintentionally became a meme.
A select few stand out in the vast world of memes and become deeply embedded in online culture. These include the amusingly disgruntled frown of a toddler buckled up in her car seat, which epitomized judgment and skepticism.
That child was Chloe Clem, who became one of the most recognizable figures on the internet in 2013 after her reaction to a family surprise discovery.
The story began quite simply. Chloe’s mother, Katie, shared a family video on YouTube that captured the moment she and her husband told their kids they would be going to Disneyland that day instead of school.
Lily, Chloe’s older sister, who is seven years old, erupted in joyful enthusiasm. The show’s high point, though, was Chloe’s response. Her deadpan expression said it all as the camera panned to her.
Her attitude, which seemed unconcerned by the surprise, was later described by Katie as typical of Chloe. Every day, Chloe made the same face. There was nothing novel about it. Therefore, I didn’t give it much thought when I panned over and she gave me that look,” Katie said.
As a sequel to Lily’s first Disneyland surprise two years prior, the movie was originally meant for close friends and family. Unaware of what was going to happen, Katie decided to broadcast it openly on YouTube after being urged to do so by friends.
A meme quickly emerged from Chloe’s expression, spreading quickly on social media sites like Tumblr, Twitter, and others. Katie vividly remembers the moment she realized the meme had gone viral.
“You ought to see this,” my friends were saying. This is absurd.”Chloe’s little face was everywhere when I went online,” she claimed. People on social media took Chloe’s meme and ran with it, creating memes and videos with Taylor Swift and other celebrities.
More than just making people laugh, the video’s popularity gave the Clem family new options. The Clem family even traveled to New York City and was invited to stay in Disneyland’s exclusive Dream Suite.
The success of the meme brought in unanticipated financial rewards. Because they owned the original shot, the Clem family was able to profit from it. The meme’s popularity couldn’t have come at a better moment, as the family was going through financial difficulties at the time.
We were truly penniless ten years ago. When this happened to us, we thought, “What?” We can pay the bills. We can upgrade our small apartment to make room for the four of us. Katie told.
With the additional cash, they were able to cover living expenses, purchase a car, and even put money aside for Chloe’s future education and wedding.
During difficult times, such when her husband David lost his job, Katie reflected about how the meme provided steadiness. The money allowed David to go back to school and kept the family afloat.
“When I look back, I just ask myself, ‘How?'” Katie uttered those words. “I don’t think that God exists. Even though I don’t practice any religion, I think, “Wow, that intervention—supernatural intervention.” Over the past ten years, it occurred to us at really delicate times in our life.
For Chloe, the meme opened doors that most young people could only imagine. She went to movie premieres in Brazil twice when she was four and six years old.
“My meme is changing my life because I’ve been able to do a lot of cool things that some people might not have been able to do,” she said in reference to the experience.
Even with her celebrity and perks, Katie was still worried about her daughter’s welfare. Prior to starting to cut back in 2020, she was heavily involved in content development, frequently creating videos for YouTube.
When she noticed that her kids were losing interest in making movies, she made the decision to put their needs first. “At first, it was really fun.”You simply board this train and accept everything,” she clarified. At first, I was unable to win my kids’ acceptance. You get caught up in everything, so we just did it.
In order to maintain as normal a life as possible for her family, Katie ultimately decided to take a sabbatical from creating content. She told me, “I felt like no one was benefiting from it, and it got too much with my kids eventually.”
But by 2021, the family had found a novel way to honor Chloe’s legacy as a meme: selling it at auction as an NFT. With bids beginning at 5 Ethereum (about $15,000), the family put the digital money that represented the famous piece of art up for auction.
According to Katie, the option was clear. For Chloe fans who love this meme and will be able to own it, it’s a terrific chance, she said. “Even Chloe has said, ‘That’s pretty cool,’ which is a typical 10-year-old thing to say,” she added.
Chloe is no longer the gap-toothed two-year-old sitting in the backseat of her parents’ car more than ten years later. The fact that she turned 14 in November 2024 might be hard for some people to understand.
“I would want to express my gratitude to everyone who sent birthday wishes to Chloe yesterday. Her day was fantastic. All of you are loved! PS: The cake was made from scratch by @lilyaclem! “I’m ecstatic,” she wrote on Instagram.
Social media users were amazed at her growth and the speed at which time had gone by since her viral moment first made headlines.
Whoa, it was in 2013! I was unaware of that! “Wow, time flies 😢,” one person remarked. “The legend herself,” said another. “She went from being cute to being beautiful,” said another commenter, and “Only her hair makes a difference,” said a fourth.
“It’s amazing how she still radiates the same energy,” said a fifth commenter. “Your meme is the most useful one ever,” someone else said, and someone else wrote, “How she grew up!! 😱❤️.”
Without remorse, Chloe reflected on her viral popularity in January 2025. She firmly said, “No, not at all,” when asked if she wished things had gone differently. She is following her own interests as a teenager, which includes creating content for YouTube and Instagram.
Although Katie calls her daughter “introverted” and “shy,” she has witnessed Chloe’s confidence grow with time. The watchful parents continue to keep an eye on their youngest daughter’s social media activity because she is still a minor.
What started out as a straightforward family video turned into a transformative experience that gave them opportunities and security they never would have thought possible. A timeless reminder of how one picture can impact a whole decade is Chloe’s well-known face.
