Man who became popular in Blinking White Guy gif raises over $300,000 for multiple sclerosis research

"The man whose befuddled facial expression on a recorded video live stream in 2013 birthed what the internet collectively dubbed the Blinking White Guy meme has managed to convert his online notoriety into more than $300,000 for multiple sclerosis research, he said in a new interview. Drew Scanlon explained to ABC News that donating to the US's National Multiple Sclerosis Society is important to him because a friend of his and her mother both have the chronic, autoimmune disease that attacks people's central nervous systems."

"Scanlon, a San Francisco resident and video producer for the streaming platform Twitch, participates annually in a fundraising bicycle race supporting the MS Society. And once a year, on his rarely used X account, he posts the oft-deployed meme, writes THIS IS MY FACE, and requests that his more than 81,000 followers donate to the bicycle race at the online domain BlinkingGuy.com. The strategy had helped him raise about $70,000 for the 2025 ride in late September, according to figures on the website."

Drew Scanlon's befuddled facial expression on a 2013 live stream created the Blinking White Guy meme. He converted that notoriety into more than $300,000 for multiple sclerosis research because a friend and her mother have the disease. Once a year he posts the meme on his rarely used X account, writes THIS IS MY FACE, and asks his 81,000+ followers to donate at BlinkingGuy.com. That approach raised about $70,000 for the 2025 ride and over $270,000 in prior years. The meme began after a December 6, 2013 live stream when a colleague's double entendre prompted Scanlon's incredulous double look and blinks, and a gaming forum later posted a gif of the reaction.

Read at www.theguardian.com