Andy King has been a popular figure on the internet since 2019. The event planner became famous after his appearance in Netflix’ FYRE: The biggest party that never happened. The documentary details the rise and fall of con artist Billy McFarland, culminating in the disastrous Fyre Festival. Andy King, who emerged from the wreckage as one of the few voices of reason after the catastrophic event, was asked to anything to get trucks full of Evian water through customs for concertgoers. That request led to the viral meme that made King famous on the internet. “I’m kind of a spokesperson for being the ultimate team player,” King says wryly. While McFarland went to prison for his crimes, King spent the years after Fyre raising money for people in the Bahamas affected by the incident.
So what has King been up to since the documentary hit the streaming market? “I’ve been going to a lot of music festivals now,” King says. “Unlike Fyre, a lot of them are pretty successful.” Although King appreciates his internet fame, he was starting to get bored of people only knowing him through the viral meme. How could he tell his real story? The Anonymousa new reality TV show from USA Network that combines the social strategy of games like Big Brother And The circle with traditional reality TV competitions such as The challenge“When this opportunity came up, I thought, ‘Wow, this is the perfect way to change my story,'” King recalls. “This is how I reintroduce myself to the world.”
The Anonymous is a unique strategic competition because it takes place in two worlds: the real world and the anonymous mode. On the surface, the 12 players – including Big Brother Winner Xavier E. Prather and Survivors Legacy of Nina Twine – work together to raise the prize pot of up to $100,000 and live under one roof. Hiding behind a unique name, the contestants scheme and deception to advance their own games while preparing their competition for elimination. Although that may be intimidating for some, King was up for the challenge. “My greatest strength is building relationships and that will always be the case,” King explains. “I think that worked out beautifully with the show.” What a teaser!
King used a Zoom chat menu to chat with DECIDER about what he’s been up to, how he’s come to terms with being a meme, and what other reality TV shows he’d like to appear on in the future.
DECISION MAKER: Andy, it’s been a minute since the FYRE: The biggest party that never happened has been released on Netflix. What are you up to?
ANDY KING: Oh, my goodness. As you may know, I spent a good year and a half traveling the world doing speaking engagements to raise money for two GoFundMe campaigns to pay back everyone in the Bahamas. That was pretty cool, but then Covid hit. I still managed to keep all my events going, but do them virtually. I’ve done a lot of music festivals now. Unlike Fyre, a lot of them are pretty successful (laughs). Since Fyre, I’ve been kind of a spokesperson for failure. I’m also a spokesperson for being the ultimate team player, or as we call me now, “America’s Team Player.” That’s a hashtag, it’s fun.
When some people become a meme, they run away from it. But you’ve embraced it, which I find very refreshing. How have you come to terms with the fact that you’re now part of the internet?
Oh man. As you probably remember, I didn’t know what a meme was until one of my nieces told me. I thought she meant you were a “Mimi.” And I was like, “What’s a Mimi?” (laughs) It’s interesting when you Google “Andy King” and the description is something like, “He became internet famous with his meme.” Of course, there were pejorative aspects, but for the most part, it was pretty amazing to me to be called the “ultimate team player,” the guy who does whatever it takes to get the job done. I mean, oh, you have to get your kid into a certain university. Oh, there comes the Andy King meme. Oh, you’re trying to get promoted? Oh, there comes the Andy King meme. I think it’s really a compliment. I have to look at it that way.
Do people still recognize you?
Fyre Festival was held in 2017. The documentary was released in 2019. I was having dinner last night in a small town in upstate New York and of course someone two tables away recognized me. My partner calls it “spotting.” He’ll say something like, “Yep, someone’s typing. Someone’s pointing at you and here comes the phone.” We could see them sharing my meme around the table. My colleagues on this show have a funny reaction when they realize where they know me from. It’s crazy.
Of all the participants on the show, you probably need the prize money the least. What attracted you to the show?
Well, I’ve been thinking about myself a lot over the last few years. When this opportunity came along, I thought, “Wow, this is the perfect way to change my story.” This is a way for me to reintroduce myself to the world. Because of the intimacy of my last encounter 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 for a long period of time and share parts of myself with them and learn about their lives. That was probably the biggest motivating factor for me to do the show. It was exciting.
It is difficult to categorize The Anonymous in the reality TV genre. It’s like Big Brother meets The circle meets The challenge. What was it like for you to take the leap into reality TV?
I guess you could say I’m a fan of the genre. I’m a bit older than most of the cast on the show and reality TV isn’t really my day-to-day thing. My partner is a bit younger than me so he knows more than I do. We tune in now and again. I was a bit nervous and uneasy during filming. I’m still nervous and excited to see how it turns out. In the world of reality TV and editing, I’m not sure what I or anyone else will look like. Judging by the trailers, it looks like you’re going to see the real Andy King. There’s a lot more to me than people think.
Clearly!
I’m older than the other contestants, but that’s to my advantage. I’m Andy King. I’m the ultimate team player (laughs). I’m the guy who gives out wisdom. I’m the guy who says, “Get out there.” I’m the guy who motivates people.
What was your greatest strength in the competition?
Building relationships. I’m one of nine children. I’ve lived a life of social experiment (laughs) because I come from a big family and I work as an event planner. My biggest strength is building relationships and that will always be the case. I think that worked beautifully on the show.
Instead of a traditional host The Anonymous has DANI – an AI with 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 any feelings, but DANI was always full of surprises. That made our everyday life pretty crazy.
Now, The Anonymous hasn’t premiered yet, but I have to ask: Would you be willing to do another reality TV show someday?
I don’t have anything in mind. Of course traitor is quite similar The Anonymous. My partner, as you may know, is from Scotland. The show is filmed in Inverness. It could be a lot of fun to do something like Traitors. Reality TV is a lot of work. Some days we were filming for over 16 hours, and at 63, 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.
