The kid just spawns everywhere. Art by Anthony Arroyo.
By Anthony Arroyo Staff Reporter
Many may not be familiar with the name Matan Even, but the 15-year-old boy seems to be popping up on everyone’s social media timeline.
Even gained much attention after interrupting the 2022 Game Awards by sneaking up on stage and thanking his “reformed orthodox rabbi Bill Clinton” before being escorted out by security. Due to this stunt, he became known as “The Bill Clinton Kid.”
The internet was shocked to find out that Even’s antics go back even further than the 2022 incident. Recent footage surfaced of him holding up a pro-Hong Kong shirt during a dance cam at an LA Clippers game in Oct. 2019. The camera immediately panned away when Even raised the shirt, as the NBA did not want to upset Chinese partners. Hong Kong is still having conflicts with China, as they are trying to gain independence from the latter.
The video gained 10 million views in the span of four years and Even capitalized on this attention as he created his YouTube channel later that same year, with his first video being an interview with Owen Shroyer of InfoWars discussing the situation.
“Now that I have done that, when I go to the Clipper games, they never put me on,” said Even. “They don’t even put the camera near me.”
Since then, Even has seemingly made it his mission to cause waves everywhere he goes. He is notorious for “trolling” celebrities, influencers, and notable public figures by tracking them down and crashing their public appearances and live streams.
Some of his adventures include showing up at a restaurant to give YouTuber IShowSpeed a signed Lionel Messi jersey (Speed is a Cristiano Ronaldo fan), following Twitch star Kai Cenat around during his live stream, bothering NBA player Javale McGee at a soccer match, and performing on stage with rapper Denzel Curry. Overnight, Even became a meme and a sensation, with many calling him the main character and jokingly photoshopping him into historical photos saying that he really is everywhere.
While Even’s true motives remain a mystery, he has revealed how he feels about the celebrities and influencers he disrupts.
“I don’t like famous people with big egos,” said Even on his livestream. “They think they are the top echelon of the world. Most people are intimidated by them because they’re rich and powerful. I’m not and I never was so I like bothering them and teaching them the lesson that they’re on my level as well.”
As shown by his videos and streams, Even is very outspoken and is not afraid to speak his mind on controversial topics including politics, free speech, activism, and homelessness. While many believe that Even is playing a character and faking his accent, he insists that he is not.
Even currently has 1.1 million followers on TikTok and 129,000 subscribers on YouTube. His profile bio states that, “Everybody talks, but nobody listens.” While his true motives may never be discovered, there is no doubt that he will create waves wherever he decides to show up next.
