It was a Sunday in 2014. Alex Lee, a 16-year-old from Frisco, Texas, was just trying to get through a shift at SuperTarget. He was bagging groceries, probably thinking about what movie he’d watched the night before or the fact that his phone battery was dying.
He had no idea a random girl from a nearby high school had snapped a photo of him.
By the time he turned his phone back on at 6 p.m., the world had changed. His old Samsung Galaxy didn't just buzz; it basically exploded with notifications. Within 48 hours, he went from having 144 followers on Twitter to over half a million. He became Alex from Target, the literal face of what happens when the internet decides to make someone a god for no reason other than they look good in a red polo.
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The Viral Chaos of 2014
We have to talk about how weird this actually was. Before TikTok was even a thing, Twitter and Tumblr were the kings of making people famous overnight. One photo of a kid with a Bieber-esque haircut bagging a gallon of milk was enough to shut down a retail store.
Alex’s manager, Molly, actually had to move him to the stockroom during that first shift because the checkout lines were getting too long. Giggling girls were showing up just to stare at him. Honestly, it sounds like a fever dream now, but it was massive. Within a week, he was on a plane to Los Angeles to sit on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
"I had no idea who Ellen was," Alex admitted years later. He was just a shy kid who liked soccer and forgot to take out the trash.
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When the Internet Turns Dark
Everyone loves a "Cinderella" story until the death threats start. That’s the part people usually forget about Alex from Target. It wasn't all talk shows and free clothes.
The backlash was instant and honestly, pretty terrifying for a teenager. People leaked his family’s Social Security numbers and bank records. His parents had to meet with the school principal and local police to figure out a security plan. Imagine being 16 and having news vans parked outside your high school every single morning. It got so bad that he had to drop out of regular school and finish via homeschooling.
Then came the "marketing" vultures. A company called Breakr tried to claim they "created" the viral moment as an experiment. They hadn't. Alex and his family had never heard of them. It was just a weird company trying to ride the coattails of a random 16-year-old's accidental fame.
The Failed Influencer Era
Alex did what most people would do: he tried to make it work. He moved to California the day he turned 18. He joined a social media tour. He tried to be a YouTuber.
But here’s the thing—he hated it.
He wasn't a "content creator." He was just a guy who happened to be at a cash register at the right (or wrong) time. He found the industry fake and the pressure to stay relevant exhausting. He eventually tried to pivot into powerlifting and fitness, hoping to build something real, but most people just wanted to ask him about bagging groceries.
Where is Alex Lee in 2026?
If you're looking for him on TikTok or Twitter today, you won't find him. He deleted his accounts. He realized that the "big opportunity" everyone said he was missing was actually just a source of massive anxiety.
As of late, Alex is living back in Texas—specifically Sherman. He traded the red Target polo for a brown UPS uniform. He’s loading trucks in the morning and, according to a 2024 interview with People, he’s significantly happier.
- He works a 9-to-5: He prefers the physical labor of UPS over the mental drain of social media.
- He’s building a life: He’s currently building a house with his long-time girlfriend.
- He keeps it private: His circle is limited to friends he had before the viral photo.
It’s rare to see someone walk away from millions of followers, but for Alex, the "fame" was never something he asked for. He basically outgrew the internet.
What We Can Learn from the Alex from Target Story
The biggest takeaway here is about the "right to be forgotten." In the age of TikTok, everyone is trying to go viral, but Alex’s story is a cautionary tale about the lack of control that comes with it.
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If you’re ever caught in a viral whirlwind, the move is to set boundaries early. Alex spent years trying to please managers and fans before realizing he didn't owe the internet anything. If you find yourself becoming a meme, remember that your "15 minutes" don't have to define your next 40 years.
To handle accidental fame, focus on protecting your private data immediately, vet any "management" offers with a lawyer (not a "friend"), and don't feel pressured to turn a moment into a career if it doesn't feel right. Sometimes, the best way to win the internet game is to stop playing.