Courtney Barnes' #PieceOfBurger Interview

About

Courtney Barnes' #PieceOfBurger Interview refers to a viral news clip featuring Jackson, Mississippi resident Courney Barnes describing a car accident. After the video began circulating online in early June 2015, many viewers found the interview remarkable due to Barnes' animated responses, colorful hair and striking makeup.

Origin

On June 8th, 2015, a police officer was badly injured after crashing into a police cruiser during a high speed pursuit. Following the incident, the Mississippi news station MS News Now broadcast an interview with bystander Courtney Barnes, who described the crash in vivid detail. In the interview, Barnes explains that he was on his way to get a "piece of burger from Burger King" prior to witnessing the incident. On June 10th, the WLBT 3 Facebook^[2] page posted the video, where it received upwards of 11.9 million views 369,000 shares and 69,000 comments in the next six months.

Spread

The same day, YouTuber BestNewsBloopers^[1] reuploaded the interview clip, gathering more than one million views and 860 comments in six months. Meanwhile, Barnes uploaded videos of the crash scene to his Instagram feed, which has since been removed. On Twitter and Instagram, users began referencing the video in posts accompanied by the hashtag #PieceOfBurger.^[3] Also on June 10th, YouTuber otinanismos uploaded a music remix of the Barnes interview (shown below, left). On June 11th, YouTuber Vine Virals uploaded a compilation of Vine videos featuring Courtney Barnes cosplays (shown below, right).

On June 13th, YouTuber MaximBady uploaded a video titled "The Greatest Human Discovery of The Decade," in which he argues that Barnes is actually an extraterrestrial (shown below, left). On June 19th, Imitation Beats uploaded another music remix of the interview (shown below, right).

Arrest

On June 11th, Barnes turned himself in to the Ridgeland Police Department for two contempt of court charges for $1,688 in unpaid traffic violations.

Barnes was subsequently sent to the Jackson Police Department, where he was charged with shoplifting a hat an other items from the apparel store Swell-O-Phonic after being recognized on television by the store's owner. five weeks prior, the store's Instagram^[4] page posted screen captures from surveillance camera footage of an alleged thief bearing a striking resemblance to Barnes (shown below).

Search Interest

External References