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How William Knight's 'there is no such thing as a coincidence' TikTok became a meme

William Knight in two side-by-side images looking directly at the camera - he is wearing a black turtleneck with a forest in the background and has striking golden eyes.
William Knight's June 21 video turned both him and his message about how "there is no such thing as a coincidence" into a meme. @
  • "There is no such thing as a coincidence" has become a meme after a viral video from William Knight.

  • Knight (@grandrisingapp) posts videos with affirmations and manifestations.

  • His words have become a meme online, and people have made edits featuring his striking likeness.

  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

"There is no such thing as a coincidence," William Knight, a TikToker with over 662,000 followers and the founder of an affirmation app called Grand Rising, says at the beginning of a viral TikTok video. "The fact that you're watching this video means that you are energetically aligned with me and this message."

Those words, as well as Knight's face, have become a meme in the weeks since that June 21 TikTok video went viral.

Knight, who joined TikTok in late 2020 under the handle @grandrisingapp, has mostly used the platform to promote his app.

But now, his smooth demeanor, golden eyes, and uncanny focus have made him into an instantly recognizable online celebrity and the subject of countless memes and edits.

He's even Cardi B's profile picture on Twitter.

cardi b's Twitter profile: header image shows Cardi B on a circular swing and the text "Cari B UP," profile photo is an image of william knight facing the camera. the profile description reads "DIAMOND PUSSHY"
Cardi B's Twitter layout as of July 7, 2021 featuring an image of William Knight as her profile picture. @iamcardib/Twitter

A June video featuring a perfectly timed scream made Knight go viral

While Knight's videos have circulated in the past - The H3 Podcast Twitter account shared one of his videos in a May 9 tweet, and the show's host, Ethan Klein, and Knight have gone back and forth on TikTok - he went truly viral after one of his videos circulated widely on TikTok and Twitter.

In the video, Knight speaks directly to the camera, only interrupted by a person jogging past him who, shortly after exiting the frame, shrieks.

@grandrisingapp

Hack your mind with my new Mediation, Link in the bio 🙏🏾

♬ orijinal ses - ponciklendin

Twitter user @sab_weenuh reposted a clip from the video on June 21, cutting the video off shortly after the woman's scream. To date, that tweet has received approximately 9 million views and over 431,000 likes. The original video on Knight's TikTok account has 1.6 million views.

In addition to spawning several memes, Knight's words - "There is no such thing as a coincidence: the fact that you're watching this video means you are energetically aligned with me and this message," which he has repeated in multiple videos - also became a "copypasta," or a repeated phrase or string of words that people paste and repeat online, The Daily Dot reported.

Knight himself became a meme as well. As Know Your Meme reported, many online have been comparing him to non-player characters (NPCs) in video games as a result of the way he turns to face the camera, as well as his intense dialogue.

Knight has publicly embraced the memes around his video

Knight told The Daily Dot that he is "very serious" about his TikToks, and "very passionate" about what he says. According to him, his techniques and affirmations are self-taught and are from "years of studying and practicing the ideas on [his] own." His app, Grand Rising, is billed as a tool to "help you manifest your dream life."

In the time since going viral, Knight has leaned into the memes and even reposted some of them on TikTok. He's also posted an original Instagram filter that superimposes his golden eye color onto users, complete with a forest background, and if they so choose, a wide-brimmed hat.

@grandrisingapp

I didn’t expect my video to get the humor reaction that it did but I am grateful to be aligned with all of you. Let’s stay connected, Link in the bio

♬ original sound - William Knight

"I didn't expect my video to get the humor reaction that it did but I am grateful to be aligned with all of you," he wrote in the caption of a June 26 video.

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