Journalism of Courage
Erling Haaland and MrBeast recreate viral AI flinch meme in real life; watch
This time, Erling Haaland performs the reaction himself, bringing the viral meme to life without digital effects.
The skit is a direct reference to a video that circulated widely on social media in June (Photo: @mrbeast/Instagram)
Norwegian footballer Erling Haaland gave the internet another viral moment after teaming up with YouTuber MrBeast, aka Jimmy Donaldson, to recreate an iconic AI-generated meme in real life.
The Norwegian and Manchester City striker appeared alongside MrBeast in a short video shared across the YouTuber’s social media accounts on Monday. “Scariest meal of my life @erling,” MrBeast captioned the clip, which quickly garnered millions of views.
Erling Haaland and his viral flinch meme
In the video, Haaland sits at a dining table beside MrBeast and recreates the exaggerated flinch from an AI-generated clip of the footballer that went viral earlier this year. This time, however, Haaland performs the reaction himself, bringing the viral meme to life without digital effects.
The skit is a direct reference to a video that circulated widely on social media in June. It appeared to show Haaland sitting at a restaurant table next to a mirror, casually eating before suddenly noticing his reflection and recoiling in comic shock.
The video was later identified as an AI face-swap. Haaland’s face had been digitally superimposed onto an original video featuring Chinese comedy duo Jin Long and Qiu Qiu. The realistic edit confused many viewers before digital fact-checkers clarified its credibility.
In the new video, Haaland deliberately mirrors the movements and dramatic reaction from the original viral video, turning the AI-generated meme into a real-life moment alongside one of the world’s biggest content creators.
Watch here:
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The video has since gained momentum on social media, amassing a wave of reactions. “Best World Cup meme,” an Instagram user wrote. “Bro officially created his own version (laughing emoticon),” another user commented.
“Haaland is lowkey a comedian,” a third user reacted.
The collaboration follows a series of social media posts from Haaland, who had recently shared photographs with MrBeast hinting at a joint project.
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