The Rise of NELK Boys and Their Intriguing Relationship with Donald Trump
The Rise of NELK Boys and Their Intriguing Relationship w...
By Edcel Panganiban June 04, 2024 13:33
Over the last decade, the NELK Boys became an internet sensation with a group of fun-loving pranksters who performed dare-devil pranks on others and made unfiltered content. The multi-ethnic team, led by the charismatic Kyle Forgeard, includes standout members such as Salim "The Dream" Sirur, and the ultra-popular Steve Deleonardis, better known as SteveWillDoIt.
Their path to fame is far from smooth sailing though — it is complete with bumps along the way, in addition to some drama — even a former US President, as the girls made headlines when they said they nearly joined forces with Donald Trump.
NELK Boys: Origins And Rise
The NELK Boys, short for the first initials of the original members, first rose to fame through their YouTube channel “NelkFilmz” started by Kyle Forgeard in 2010. At first, their brazen, headline-making pranks — faking that they had cocaine in front of police, and crashing live Zoom classes among other stunts — led the group to meteoric viral success, racking up a staggering 1.3 billion views on their shock value-driven content over the years. Unafraid to be unapologetically themselves and take risks, they stand out among the prank YouTubers and attract millions of fans from around the world.
NELK Boys' Relationship With President Trump
For a while, one of the biggest and most viral topics was the NELK Boys' weird fascination with Donald Trump. Their run-in with the former President on Air Force One at one of his 2020 presidential campaign rallies, plus spots at UFC 264 and on the Full Send Podcast, have made major headlines. An infamous episode that featured Trump resulted in more than 5 million views in the first 24 hours -- but subsequently was taken down by YouTube for violating misinformation guidelines.
The group left its mark while it was with Trump by giving the candidate a $75,000 Rolex from Settebello and playing a round of golf with him, among other ways, members said, to show their commitment. But, then again, that is the same merchandise and t-shirt, not to mention the unfiltered podcast conversations the former President joined them for.
Influence and Behavior
When founding member Jesse Sebastiani left just as the group was about to hit it big, it introduced an unexpected fork in the road to the band's story. All of this, they shared, along with their ongoing transition from idiots to businessmen, has intensified the air of mystery that surrounds the band. Highlighting their entrepreneurial spirit, the group recently sold an NFT, MetaCard for $23 million and launched a branded hard seltzer line, Happy Dad.
With a brethren of a cast of characters, the NELK Boys have laid siege to controversy and legal troubles, along with the quick-paced manner in which society has almost instantaneously catered to the whims of their admirers. Their online dominance was further highlighted in 2022 with Kyle Forgeard being named a part of the Forbes 30 under 30 in social media influencer.
Future for NELK
The NELK Boys are worldwide known for their incredible pranks and unfiltered content along with their interesting relationship with the likes of Donald Trump. Their success in going from DIY YouTube jokers to shrewd business pros, along with their generally zero-shits-given demeanor, keeps fans invested and guessing. The NELK Boys continue to be an enigmatic and interesting presence in the digital entertainment world — as they successfully steer through the murky waters of fame and scandal.
This piece is one part of a larger examination of how the NELK Boys found fame and connected with Donald Trump. Main members Jason "905 Shooter" Pagaduan, Stephen Deleonardis, and Kyle Forgeard love Interacting with Trump, and backing the former President. .
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