When some people become a meme, they run away from it. But you embraced it, which I think is so refreshing. How did you make peace with the fact that you belong to the internet now?
Oh boy. As you probably will remember, I didn’t know what a meme was until one of my nieces told me. I thought, she was saying, you’re a “mimi.” And I’m like, “what is a mimi?” [laughs] It is interesting when you google “Andy King” and the description is something like “he rose to internet fame with his meme.” Obviously, there have been some derogatory aspects of it, but for the most part, it’s been pretty amazing for me to be labeled as the “ultimate team player,” the guy that’ll do whatever it takes to get the job done. I mean, oh, you need to get your child into a certain university. Oh, there comes the Andy King meme. Oh, you’re trying to get promoted? Oh, here comes the Andy King meme. I think it really is a compliment. I must look at it that way.
Do people still recognize you?
Fyre Festival was 2017. The documentary went up in 2019. I was at dinner last night in a little town in upstate New York, and, of course, two tables away there was someone recognized me. My partner calls it a “spotting.” He is like, “yep, someone’s tapping. Somebody is pointing at you, and now comes the phone.” We could see them sharing my meme around the table. My cast mates on this show have some fun reactions when they realize where they know me from. It is crazy.
Out of all the contestants on the show, you probably need the prize money the least. What attracted you to the show?
Well, I’ve done a lot of soul searching over the last few years. When this opportunity came up, I thought, “wow, this is the perfect way to change my narrative.” This is the way to reintroduce myself to the world. Because of the intimacy of my last brush with fame with Fyre, people really think they know who I am. People stop me on the sidewalk, but they don’t know the real Andy King. This show was an incredible opportunity. I got to live in a house with 11 other people and share parts of myself and learn about their lives for a nice long period of time. That was probably the most motivating factor for me to do the show. It was exciting.
It’s difficult to categorize The Anonymous in the reality TV genre. It’s like Big Brother meets The Circle meets The Challenge. How did you feel about taking the reality TV plunge?
I guess you could say I’m a fan of the genre. I am a little older than most players on the show, and reality TV isn’t necessarily my thing on a daily basis. My partner is a little bit younger than I am, so he’s more knowledgeable than I am. We’ll tune in every once in a while. I was a little bit anxious and nervous while filming the show. I’m still anxious and nervous to see what comes out. With the world of reality TV and editing, I’m not sure exactly how I’m going to appear or how everybody else is going to appear. From the trailers, it looks as though you’re getting to see the real Andy King. There’s a lot more to me than what people think.
Clearly!
I’m older than the other contestants, but that works to my advantage. I’m Andy King. I’m the ultimate team player [laughs]. I’m the guy who shares wisdom. I’m the guy who says, “get out there.” I’m the guy who motivates people.
What was your biggest strength going into the competition?
Developing relationships. I’m one of nine children. I have lived a life of a social experiment [laughs]being from a big family and being an event planner. My biggest strength is building relationships, and it always will be. I think it worked beautifully with the show.
In lieu of a traditional host, The Anonymous has DANI—an AI with a personality! What did you think about playing the game with her at the helm?
DANI was incredible. She was always very informative, quite relentless, and ruthless [laughs]. AI isn’t supposed to have feelings, but DANI was always full of surprises. So that made for our daily routine pretty crazy.
Now, The Anonymous hasn’t premiered yet, but I have to ask: would you be open to doing another reality TV show someday?
I don’t have anything in mind, per se. Obviously, Traitors is pretty similar to The Anonymous. My partner, as you may know, is from Scotland. The show is shot up in Inverness. It could be a lot of fun to do something like Traitors. Reality TV is a lot of work. There were some days we were shooting over 16 hours, and, at 63 years old, that’s a lot. But you know what? If I could survive Fyre, I can survive anything.
The Anonymous premieres Monday, August 19 at 11/10c on USA Network.
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Publish date : 2024-08-16 05:00:00
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