A Chewbacca mask toy paired with four minutes and four seconds of laughter was all it took for Candace Payne to become an overnight internet sensation.
After posting a Facebook live video sharing the delight she found in the toy, the video began to accumulate views faster than she could react. It garnered millions of views in days and quickly became the most-viewed Facebook live video of all time, a title it still holds. Within a week of posting the video, Payne was featured on Good Morning America and The Late Late Show with James Corden; she even had an action figure made in her honor.
But before Payne became “Chewbacca mom,” she was a janitor in Tiger Tunes and, more importantly, a Ouachitonian.
“The last time I went to Tiger Tunes, I was with the BSU (now Campus Ministries) and we were the janitors. Do you remember the song ‘No Scrubs’ by TLC? We sang, ‘no, I don’t want to scrub,’ so I had a little solo in that.”
Payne was invited back to campus recently for Ouachita’s Homecoming festivities. She was recognized with a Worthy Ouachitonian award during halftime at the Homecoming football game, served as a Tiger Tunes judge and sang with former Ouachita student Barrett Baber following the Friday night Tiger Tunes show. The weekend allowed Payne to revisit her Ouachita roots, something she had not been able to do for several years.
“I actually haven’t been here in 15 years; this has been the first time. And the last time I was at this stadium, I was being crowned Homecoming Queen,” Payne said. “So my mind is reeling right now; I’m just looking out on the field and remembering all of those things that happened. It’s just awesome.”
The 1999 Homecoming Queen left Ouachita in 2001, having studied musical theater with an emphasis in music. Even as a college student, Payne knew the importance of finding joy in the little things.
“I loved late-night runs to the Waffle House. I loved all of my classes and the friendships that I made. I was a musical theatre major with a music emphasis. So obviously, us music crew, we had a lot of fun and a lot of choir time and Festival of Christmas sweaters and all the joy that that brings. I love those memories.”
Her ability to find joy in simplicity was a significant part of why Payne’s video went viral so quickly. Viewers across the globe flooded the comments section telling of the joy the video brought them—a simple video of a mom in Texas laughing at a toy allowed countless people around the world to laugh, too.
“The coolest thing is just being able to share joy with people,” Payne said.
“You’ve got far and wide reach with what’s happened. It’s not just here locally, it’s internationally, and being able to just see how it’s affected so many people.”
Though her newfound notoriety has afforded her several unique opportunities, Payne has had to learn how to find balance between a public and private profile.
“The attention, that’s always gonna be weird. That’s always gonna be bizarre. I’m trying to teach my kids about stranger danger right now, and that doesn’t really compute with them because every stranger that we meet is a good friend,” Payne said. “It’s just learning to maintain the level of privacy, and yet still have a level of authentic public life.”
Despite this tricky balance, Payne has enjoyed using her position as a platform to share the joy she finds from her faith. A few days after a police shooting this summer in Dallas, where Payne lives, she posted another video on Facebook in which she sang a cover of Michael Jackson’s “Heal the World.” While this video did not receive as much attention as Payne’s “Chewbacca mom” video, millions of people still watched it and were touched by its message. Payne released the song on iTunes and donated profits from the single to Convoy of Hope.
She says she enjoys the opportunity that her viral video has given her to share kindness and love more so than the spotlight.
“The attention, not so much, but I do love the platform that’s been given to me,” Payne said. “Fame is a really weird thing I don’t get. I don’t understand it still. I don’t think I ever will, and I don’t think anybody will…it’s really about maintaining those intimate friendships that have always been and making space for those, and then also making the appropriate space for new friendships too.”
Five months have passed since Payne hit “record” and made the video that would change her life, and she’s able to look back and appreciate the gleeful response to the video.
“It’s so unexpected, but I just made a four minute video that’s three minutes of laughing, and it’s so cool to see how laughter is such a universal language,” Payne said. “People can laugh with you in any language, and it’s just awesome to see that that’s been a cool response and people have been so awesome about that.”
As the whirlwind she and her family were sent into begins to settle, Payne was excited to return to her old stomping grounds for the weekend and share its traditions with her family.
“I’m really looking forward to my family being able to see it for the first time. They have no concept of what Tiger Tunes is, so my kids are gonna love it,” Payne said.
While much has changed in Payne’s life over the last few months, her Ouachita roots have remained the same.
By: Katie Kemp, News Editor
