A comedian talks to USA TODAY about what it’s like to go viral for her odd alter ego.
Meet the Chanty Beluga’s creator, TikTok’s hottest new meme
TikTok creator Courtney O’Donnell shares how her viral Chanty Beluga character became one of the internet’s biggest memes
Chanty Beluga is the gregarious woman who has the internet repeating her name incessantly. Courtney O’Donnell is the comedian behind the character that has become one of TikTok’s hottest memes.
The viral moment started with an Instagram Reel O’Donnell shared on July 28, in which her alter ego, Chanty, simply introduces herself to the camera.
Many of the subsequent memes roughly follow a certain format: “A woman named ‘Chanty Beluga’ introduces herself at a pool party,” is the caption of one of O’Donnell’s own. The punchline of the video is someone saying her name, which bounces off the tongue like a bubbly prosecco. Other videos have her calling to make a doctor’s appointment or checking in for a restaurant reservation, and many have hundreds of thousands of views. Fan accounts have proliferated.
It’s not the first time a goofy name has gotten attention online, with others on social media fomenting the world-building lore. Tanka Jahari, an alter ego of “Impractical Jokers” actor Sal Vulcano, has taken on a life of her own on social media. In 2021, the name Quandale Dingle was seen on an unlogged-out computer screen, and by the end of the year, several creators imagined the unknown man’s human form in memetic fashion.
USA TODAY spoke to O’Donnell about what it’s been like on the other side of the Chanty Beluga meme and the inspiration behind it. (This interview has been edited for space and clarity.)
Question: Who are you, for those who don’t know?
Answer: My name is Courtney O’Donnell, and I am the comedian behind Chanty Beluga, or she’s my arch-nemesis. Some people say we’ve never been seen in the same room together.
The truth of the matter is we are the same person, and she’s some sort of alter ego that was born from a strange place that has taken on a life of her own.
And what’s the biggest difference between you, Courtney O’Donnell, and Chanty Beluga?
It’s funny because the Courtney character that I play on stage in my live shows is honestly much crazier than Chanty. I think Chanty is actually pretty tame, and some people are putting this good girl persona on her.
What was the inspiration behind Chanty?
Chanty Beluga was born at 4 a.m. on a film set for this upcoming movie “Stephanie, Bride to Be.” [[which is directed by Allie Viti]]. It was the last night of shooting, and we were just delirious. We were just trying to keep ourselves awake, and we started messing around, and I introduced myself as Chanty. “Hi, I’m Chanty, Chanty Beluga.” And immediately everyone just thought it was super fun and funny.
I like to joke that it kind of went viral in the room, and we started chanting it. As soon as the movie wrapped, we were more excited about just yelling Chanty Beluga than even the movie being done.
Did you have another alter ego or imaginary friend growing up?
Well, a lot of my friends call me Coco, short for Courtney. And I think when the Coco comes out, that’s the crazy alter ego, very girly girl, high femme. So yeah, Coco is one.
I always just loved making up silly names for my friends. One of my friends: Her name is Maddie – I call her Donna. It makes no sense. My other friend is Mimi – I call her DeBrecca.
You’ve been doing comedy for a long time. When did you realize you wanted to get into it?
I wanted to start doing comedy in college, and I remember I tried out for the sketch team, but I didn’t get on, and I was pretty bummed. So I kept doing it outside of that. [I] moved to New York. I did some improv, then I found my way into standup. And yeah, just kept getting deeper into that world and community.
What’s it been like at the center of this Chanty Beluga moment?
This “Chanty Beluga moment” – that’s actually a movie I’m coming out with A24 [laughs].
It is a wonderful manifestation of the work and kind of comedy that I enjoy. It feels really like a natural extension of what I’m already doing. Sometimes you go viral for something that you didn’t connect to, and I actually think this is really fun. I love pretending to be this woman on the internet who’s sort of quirky and basic and talking to people in the comments like I’m her.
What would you do if the Chancey Beluga meme reached “6-7” level of fame?
Oh my gosh. I like the idea that she is the 6-7 for the girls and the gays.
That would be really amazing. I don’t know. We’ll have to see. I’d be very happy. These things have a short shelf life, so I’m happy to just kind of be a part of it for now and let people have their fun. If we see some Halloween costumes, I won’t be mad.
Do you have a favorite Chanty Beluga meme you’ve seen from someone else?
Gosh, there are so many. I saw Chanty Beluga in the grocery store, and she stole something out of my cart. The creator said she stole a gallon of milk and Pringles. There’s this really fun lore building around her.
I want to name some topics, and you can tell me what Chanty Beluga would answer. What’s her favorite holiday?
I think it’s Presidents’ Day. She wants to go away for the weekend and have fun. She’s like, “It’s so fun that it’s in the middle of winter.”
Favorite color?
Pink.
And does she have a favorite movie?
What if I say “The Shawshank Redemption” [laughs]? I think her favorite movie is like “Sleepover.” It’s an old early 2000s movie – basically these girls have a sleepover and try to get to the prom by the end of the night.
And how would Courtney O’Donnell answer those questions?
Not too dissimilarly [laughs]. I love Pink.
Do you think anyone will name their child Chanty Beluga?
That would be amazing. And I will be at the bris or the baptism or whatever happens to that child. I will be their godmother. I will leave my estate to them.
Has this bled into your real life at all? Have people come up to you and called you Chanty Beluga?
Yeah. Today I was getting coffee. It kind of happened for the first time. Someone was like, “Are you Chanty Beluga?” And there was a Hannah Montana moment where I was like, “Who am I?”
What do you have coming up in your professional life?
I have my one-woman show, “Planet Courtney,” that’s actually going to be up at the La MaMa theater in New York, Aug. 26. It’s really just me playing this larger-than-life Courtney character who is trying to save this fictional planet that she lives on from financial ruin.
I’m excited for people who might’ve followed for this reason to kind of get to see all the other stuff I do.