In 2006, George W. Bush was still President, James Blunt had a No. 1 hit with “You’re Beautiful,” and The Da Vinci Code was one of the top-grossing films of the year. Amid this rather bleak cultural canvas emerged Chris Crocker, whose YouTube clips depicting his life as a gay adolescent living with his grandparents in East Tennessee, made him a cultural icon and the first (and last, sorry Boo) YouTube superstar. Dozens of hair flips, mental makeup lessons, and quotable quips later, came the one clip that solidified Crocker's standing among the roster of viral celebs—the emotional rant where he begged the world to just “Leave Britney [Spears] alone!” Today, Chris’ videos have had over 270 million views—not bad for a boy who left school at age 16 because of anti-gay death threats.
Like most teenage boys, Chris turned to the Internet to satiate his boredom and coming-of-age curiosity. It was a universe where anything was possible and publishable, where no one could really hurt him, and where Britney was abundant. Like most teenage girls during that period, Chris’ walls, bed, floor, and soul were plastered with Britney ephemera. This obsession Chris now pins to his relationship with his mother—an ultimately loving parent whose life after Iraq has been plagued with homelessness and drug addiction. Me@TheZoo is the story of this stressful relationship, Chris’ ascension to gay icon status, and in a larger sense, what the Internet (specifically YouTube and MySpace) was like then and how it got to where it is now. The title itself comes from the very first YouTube video ever uploaded by co-founder Jawed Karim.
In the words of HBO, “Whether you love Chris Crocker or hate Chris Crocker, you watch Chris Crocker” and this rings true for this documentary. After a positive response at Sundance, Me@TheZoo is coming to HBO this June. I attended the pre-screening at MoMA PS1 last Friday. Introduced by the film's executive producer, Michael Stipe, and MoMA PS1 director Klaus Biesenbach, the screening was followed by a Q&A with the film’s creators, Chris Moukarbel and Valerie Veatch, and Chris Crocker himself. Post-screening, Chris, his mom, and brother chowed down some M.Wells treats with the crowd and took in the star-studded scenery.
Me@TheZoo shows June 25 at 9pm EST, as part of HBO's documentary series.
![]()
![]()
No YouTube montage is complete without a cat clip
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Chris' grandmother, who is often the unwilling star of his videos
![]()
![]()
Tears that defined an era, guys.
![]()
Michael and Klaus before the screening
![]()
Like most teenage boys, Chris turned to the Internet to satiate his boredom and coming-of-age curiosity. It was a universe where anything was possible and publishable, where no one could really hurt him, and where Britney was abundant. Like most teenage girls during that period, Chris’ walls, bed, floor, and soul were plastered with Britney ephemera. This obsession Chris now pins to his relationship with his mother—an ultimately loving parent whose life after Iraq has been plagued with homelessness and drug addiction. Me@TheZoo is the story of this stressful relationship, Chris’ ascension to gay icon status, and in a larger sense, what the Internet (specifically YouTube and MySpace) was like then and how it got to where it is now. The title itself comes from the very first YouTube video ever uploaded by co-founder Jawed Karim.
In the words of HBO, “Whether you love Chris Crocker or hate Chris Crocker, you watch Chris Crocker” and this rings true for this documentary. After a positive response at Sundance, Me@TheZoo is coming to HBO this June. I attended the pre-screening at MoMA PS1 last Friday. Introduced by the film's executive producer, Michael Stipe, and MoMA PS1 director Klaus Biesenbach, the screening was followed by a Q&A with the film’s creators, Chris Moukarbel and Valerie Veatch, and Chris Crocker himself. Post-screening, Chris, his mom, and brother chowed down some M.Wells treats with the crowd and took in the star-studded scenery.
Me@TheZoo shows June 25 at 9pm EST, as part of HBO's documentary series.
No YouTube montage is complete without a cat clip
Chris' grandmother, who is often the unwilling star of his videos
Tears that defined an era, guys.
Michael and Klaus before the screening