Social media has made it possible for people in all sorts of jobs to be discovered in places they never imagined — and have their lives turned upside almost overnight.
Such is the case for Jason Grosboll, a movie theater employee whose viral popcorn-buttering skills have now earned him a gig serving the snack at one of the biggest events of the year: The Oscars.
Grosboll appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” last month to talk to Kimmel, who is hosting the 95th Academy Awards next month about becoming an overnight sensation after a moviegoer recorded him buttering his container of popcorn in a performative manner. Grosboll’s twirling spectacle captured the attention of over 6.7 million viewers on TikTok.
@oanderle This was totaly awesome! ? #oanderle #popcornguy #movie #cctx #thepopcornguy #popcorn #avatar2 #corpuschristitx #corpuschristi ♬ My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme from “Titanic”) – Céline Dion
Grosboll, who works at the Century 16 Theater in Corpus Christi, Texas, told Kimmel he hadn’t even realized he was a viral sensation until one of his friends informed him about it, and noted that people now recognize him and ask for photos when they stop by the theater.
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“It feels amazing,” Grosboll told viewers. “I love my job more than anything in the world right now.”
Another viral video garnered an impressive 16.3 million views and earned him the title of “Popcorn Guy” across the internet, showing him whipping up large buckets of the movie theater favorite with record speed.
@oanderle Replying to @oanderle The original video of the Popcorn Guy with no special effects #popcornguy #thepopcornguy #popcorn #movie #oanderle #movie #avatar2 #viral #trending #original #popular #ReasonForBooking #myhero #notallheroswearcapes #butter #butterlovers #Cinemark #rawfootage #rawvideo #noeffects #nofilters #unstoppable #epic #butterbae #butterking #buttergod #popcornking #butteryesplease #bluelovebutterflies #dankvisionz #perspective ♬ Unstoppable (I put my armor on, show you how strong I am) – Sia
It was his skills, and dedication to his job, that helped him earn an unexpected offer from Kimmel.
“What are you doing on March 12, Jason? Because Im hosting the Oscars this year and if you’re interested, we could probably use the world’s greatest popcorn bucket filler at the Dolby Theater,” Kimmel said of the upcoming award show.
Grosboll was all smiles and obliged, noting that if he was able to take the weekend off to serve popcorn to Tom Cruise that it would be pretty “amazing.”
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This isn’t the first big honor that the “Popcorn Guy” has received recently.
On Tuesday, Grosboll was brought into Corpus Christi City Hall where he was officially recognized as Corpus Christi’s own “Popcorn Guy.”
“Jason Grosboll has rightfully earned the nickname ‘The Popcorn Guy,'” Mayor Paulette Guajardo said. “On behalf of the City of Corpus Christi, congratulations on your success, we’re proud of you!”
It doesn’t look like Gorsboll will be stopping the popping anytime soon.