Adin Ross' Kim Jong-un Interview Stream

Overview

Adin Ross' Kim Jong-un Interview Stream refers to a September 2023 livestream from Kick streamer Adin Ross in which he claimed that he was going to interview North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, however, he ended up just interviewing an impersonator. Discourse about the supposed interview originally surfaced on X/Twitter when the CEO of Kick, Eddie Craven, told Ross it would be a good idea, leading to an initial slew of humorous reactions about how the stream would likely start World War III. Later in September 2023, Ross stated that Jong-un would be on stream "in the next 48 hours or so." His claim led to speculation and memes with many saying that it was "cap," as in, he was lying. On the day of the stream, many portrayed disappointment when the impersonator joined. The publicity stunt earned Ross over 300,000 viewers who seemingly left quickly after the reveal. Andrew Tate also joined the stream.

Background

On September 7th, 2023, a clip surfaced on X^[1] (from user @randyswrld_) that showed Ross talking with Kick CEO Eddie Craven who told him it would be a good idea to go to North Korea, stream and talk to dictator Kim Jong-un. The moment was amplified by the X^[2] account of Dexerto (among others), gaining roughly 11.6 million views and 37,100 likes in 12 days (shown below).

The clip gained viral quotes on the day of, such as a post shared by X^[3] user @SaeedDiCaprio who said, "this would start ww3 I’m so serious," gaining roughly 44,700 likes in 12 days (shown below, left). Also on September 7th, X^[4] user @upblissed posted, "this gon be the craziest set up of all time they want him gone😭😭😭," gaining roughly 38,100 likes in 12 days (shown below, right).

Later in the month, on September 18th, 2023, the X^[5] account of DramaAlert posted a new clip from a recent Ross stream on Kick in which he stated that Kim Jong-un was going to be on stream "in the next 48 hours or so." The X^[5] post received roughly 2.5 million views and 12,700 likes in one day (shown below). Also on September 18th, the X^[6] account @AdinUpdate posted about Ross' claim, receiving roughly 31,300 likes in one day.

Online Reaction

Both aforementioned posts on X^[5][6] received viral reactions and memes in the days that followed. For instance, on September 18th, 2023, X^[7] user @updatecardinals posted an image from the 2014 comedy film The Interview,^[8] writing, "Life imitates art," gaining roughly 3,500 likes in a day (shown below, left). Also on September 18th, X^[9] user @manIikeisaac portrayed skepticism, captioning a Pepe image with, "Y’all really believe this?" gaining roughly 4,300 likes in one day (shown below, right).

Viral reactions to Ross' claim also surfaced on TikTok, such as a video posted by TikToker^[10] @tyde_ on September 18th in which he portrayed worry about what would happen if the interview came to fruition, gaining roughly 1 million plays and 154,400 likes in one day (shown below).

Various memes also surfaced on TikTok^[11][12] during the same timeframe.

Developments

Kim Jong-un Impersonator Joins Stream

Prior to the actual livestream on September 20th, 2023, X^[13] user @ykkswb posted a screenshot of Instagram^[14] user @kimjongunlookalike's profile (Howard X), stating that Ross' manager was following him, using that as evidence for the later stream being fake. Then, on the evening of September 20th, X^[15][16] posts surfaced en masse about how a fake Kim Jong-un was on Ross' stream. Memes started to surface, such as a He Thinks He's Him meme posted by X^[17] user @Aziz_RMCF on the day of, gaining roughly 3,000 likes in a day (shown below).

Viral posts on X^[18] also surfaced about how Ross had over 300,000 viewers on his Kick stream prior to the Kim Jong-un impersonator joining. Some, like the X^[19] account @AdinUpdatess, joked about how Ross broke "the all-time record for most viewers lost in 1 minute," gaining roughly 63,400 likes in one day (shown below).

Clips also surfaced later on September 20th showing Andrew Tate on the call with Ross and the impersonator.^[20]

Various Reactions

Search Interest

External References