popular in Brazil, CIA allowed one to interconnect with Brazilian network through this case he wanted to be part of. Brazil wanted to urgently upgrade its relations with US in a human level. Through people basically and so it went both ways with American government promoting likewise Brazilian culture in US. Brazil was involved in my case practically since I was born. At her age OBVIOUSLY 2 even that her father had lost at the time with me(was hot-tempered), Chloe Clem behaved for a short occasions(terms) as very intelligent infront of me with both parents encouraging her and her sister to full me by acting as adult - trained her to obviously become an actress. Something Chloe Clem became really great beginning at he age 4. I was the real reason for Brazil wanting to upgrade its relations with USA, obviously, as it commenced in 2010 AFTER A MAJOR GOVERNMENT MEETING PROCEEDED BY MANY OTHER MEETINGS.
At Age 2, 'Side-Eyeing Chloe' Became a Viral Meme. 12 Years Later, Her Mom Reveals Why She Has a 'Lot of Guilt' (Exclusive)
Though the teenager is rarely recognized in public today, the image of her as an "unimpressed" toddler continues to circulate online
Chloe Clem/Instagram (2)Chloe Clem in her 'Side-Eyeing' meme; Chloe Clem today.
In the age of social media, few images have been as widely circulated as the famously "unimpressed" face of a toddler strapped into her car seat. The timeless meme still circulates as people online continue to employ it to represent skepticism, judgment and everything in between.
Over a decade later, Chloe Clem no longer resembles her gap-toothed, 2-year-old self in the back of her parents' car. Now, at age 14, she's grown up and out of who she once was when she made online history with the "Side Eyeing Chloe" meme.
After a whirlwind experience with fame, a welcome change in lifestyle and, eventually, a reckoning with what it means to truly go viral, Chloe's mother has changed too.
For the most part, Katie Clem tells PEOPLE exclusively that it's been a "fun ride" witnessing her daughter's likeness earn a place in internet history. The iconic picture is a screenshot snapped of the family's YouTube video from 2013, which showed Chloe and her older sister Lily's contrasting reactions to a big surprise: behind the camera, Katie told them that they weren't going to school that day — instead, they were going to Disneyland.
Chloe Clem/Instagram
Chloe Clem and her sister, Lily, at Disneyland as kids.Shocked 7-year-old Lily burst into excited tears of disbelief, just as she had two years before in her parents' video "Lily's Disneyland Surprise!" In their sequel post — titled "Lily's Disneyland Surprise....AGAIN!" — the camera panned to young Chloe, who appeared to glare at the camera with little emotion, if not a hint of displeasure, too.
Initially, Katie just posted Lily's first surprise on Facebook, but her friends urged her to share it on YouTube. The 2011 video has since surpassed over 20 million views as of January 2025. As a result of the traction, the family was invited to stay in Disneyland's Dream Suite, and they got to visit New York City.
However if Lily's solo reaction made a big splash online, her little sister's follow-up crashed in waves that have yet to wash away.
"Lily's was like a flash-in-the-pan kind of thing," says Katie. "And Chloe's, because of the meme, was just insanely crazy."
In terms of the YouTube attention, the second surprise now has only about 4 million more views than its predecessor. But nearly 12 years ago, Katie noticed her daughter flooding the web within just a few weeks of her original upload. She was told to check out Tumblr, a site she hadn't even heard of at the time.
"My friends were like, 'You need to see this. This is crazy.' So I went on to Tumblr and I remember just seeing Chloe's little face everywhere," Katie recalls to PEOPLE. "I realized someone had taken a screenshot from the video and created it, because it wasn't us."
However if Lily's solo reaction made a big splash online, her little sister's follow-up crashed in waves that have yet to wash away.
"Lily's was like a flash-in-the-pan kind of thing," says Katie. "And Chloe's, because of the meme, was just insanely crazy."
In terms of the YouTube attention, the second surprise now has only about 4 million more views than its predecessor. But nearly 12 years ago, Katie noticed her daughter flooding the web within just a few weeks of her original upload. She was told to check out Tumblr, a site she hadn't even heard of at the time.
"My friends were like, 'You need to see this. This is crazy.' So I went on to Tumblr and I remember just seeing Chloe's little face everywhere," Katie recalls to PEOPLE. "I realized someone had taken a screenshot from the video and created it, because it wasn't us."
Considering her younger daughter's early age, Katie was completely taken aback and somewhat unsettled. They uploaded the video shortly before their trip to Disneyland; within a day of their arrival at the amusement park, Chloe was already getting recognized.
"Chloe was 2, and people were coming up to her," Katie says. "They were freaking out. They were taking pictures of her."
Chloe Clem/Instagram
Chloe Clem and her sister, Lily, at Disneyland in April 2024.From then on, the family's life looked markedly different. They own the original image outright, meaning they've been able to monetize its commercial use. Katie and her husband, David, have received multiple sponsorships and made deals with corporate giants like Google Pixel. In 2021, they sold the image as a non-fungible token for around $74,000.
"10 years ago, we were so poor. This happened to us and we're like, 'What? We can pay bills. We can upgrade our tiny apartment for the four of us.' It was real-world issues," the Tennessee resident explains. "That money literally helped us survive for a decade. Every ounce of the money, aside from saving it and putting it away, was helping us get through our life. Rent, bills, food."
David has lost his job a few times since the meme emerged; according to Katie, the profit helped them stay afloat. It put him through school. They were able to buy a car. In more recent years, they've been able to set some of the funds aside to save up for Chloe's education and any future wedding.
"I look back and I'm just like, 'How?'" Katie continues. "I don't believe in God. I'm not religious, but I'm like, 'Wow, that intervention — divine intervention.' Because it came to us at very, very vulnerable times in our life throughout the last 10 years."
In addition to the general lifestyle upgrade, Chloe has visited Brazil twice, once when she was around 4 years old and again when she was 6. She tells PEOPLE those trips are two of the biggest highlights of her entire experience as a viral celebrity.
"There was a lot of people there that I met and things that I got to do there, and it was so cool," Chloe tells PEOPLE.
Google funded the vacations so Chloe could visit her massive fanbase. "South America is obsessed with Chloe," Katie notes, likening it to the Beatlemania craze of the 1960s. "She's so famous in Brazil. I don't know how or why."
Vanessa C. Brown/@vanessa_brown_photography
Chloe Clem as a child.She says that during the height of Chloe's fame, they were constantly swarmed by hundreds of people whenever they went out in Brazil. "It was insane. She had billboards all over São Paulo," Katie adds.
After Chloe shot to fame, the Clems continued feeding their YouTube following as family vloggers, uploading short clips of footage from the girls' day-to-day lives. Videos like "Lily and Chloe enjoying the fall leaves!" and "Chloe shows you her favorite toys" evolved into more formally edited content documenting family events and milestones, such as Easter and Christmas celebrations and a summer post from 2019 titled "LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! And...did Lily have her first kiss???"
In the beginning, Katie says she was committed to YouTube. When she posted consistently, the channel racked up around 300,000 subscribers, with some videos garnering millions of views again. However the posts slowed down at the end of 2020, and since then, the Clem Family has only posted two YouTube videos: one in July 2021 and another more recently, in June 2024. Both only feature Katie's youngest, with the latter titled "Chloe is back!"
The drop off in content was intentional. Once Katie noticed her kids' enthusiasm waning, she was quick to trust her instincts. She maintains that "there were never any red flags" amid Chloe's peak fame, but she also acknowledges that her then-young daughters never technically agreed to participate in videos.
"In the beginning, it was really fun ... You just hop on this train and you say yes to everything," she reflects. "I did not include my kids' consent at all in the beginning. We just did it because you get wrapped up in all of the things."
Katie continues, "Eventually it got too much with my kids, and I just felt like no one was benefiting from it."
Katie Clem
Chloe and Lily Clem with their parents, Katie and David Clem.
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