That famous selfie of Ellen DeGeneres from the 2014 Oscars has been dethroned as the most retweeted Tweet of all time.
On Tuesday morning, 16-year-old Carter Wilkerson of Reno, Nevada, overtook the talk show host for that coveted honor at 3.434 million retweets and counting.
HELP ME PLEASE. A MAN NEEDS HIS NUGGS pic.twitter.com/4SrfHmEMo3
— Carter Wilkerson (@carterjwm) April 6, 2017
Rather than a collection of A-list celebrities, the new reigning Tweet is a simple request that fast food chain Wendy’s provide the high school junior with a year’s worth of chicken nuggets. He posted the question on April 6.
Wendy’s granted his request on Tuesday even though he fell short of the Ohio-based company’s demand of 18 million retweets. The company also said it would donate $100,000 in his name to the Dave Thomas Foundation For Adoption.
.@carterjwm is now the most retweeted tweet of all-time. That’s good for the nuggets, and $100k to @DTFA. Consider it done. #nuggsforcarter pic.twitter.com/k6uhsJiP4E
— Wendy's (@Wendys) May 9, 2017
The New York Times reports he initially sent the Tweet as “a fun joke for his friends. He had never gotten so many as 10 retweets on a single tweet before, he said, so topping that would be kind of cool.”
Wilkerson told the New York Times that “when you gain internet fame, it’s important to use it for good.”
To that end, the now infamous Tweeter encouraged followers to support Pinocchio’s Moms on the Run, a Reno organization that supports women with breast cancer.
Check out the former reigning champion of retweets below. You can compare the most popular Twitter posts at the website here.
If only Bradley's arm was longer. Best photo ever. #oscars pic.twitter.com/C9U5NOtGap
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) March 3, 2014
