With great superfandom comes great responsibility. Someone who knows that better than most is Johnny Cyrus: Kylie Jenner’s biggest fan (IDST).
Johnny’s adoration for Kylie Jenner – the controversial product of a 21st century nepotistic celebrity culture – has elicited more than just his eight Kylie-themed tattoos and viral internet fame.
Daily, Johnny receives violent death threats, documented in the video below:
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Besides the disgusting, baying cries of ‘Go kill yourself’, one commentator even went as far as to write: “It’s too bad you weren’t at that gay club in Orlando when that club shooting happened.”
UNILAD spoke to the certified nursing assistant from Milwaukee, who works more than 50 hours a week, and can confirm he is a warm, kind young man wildly undeserving of sick death threats… obviously.
Johnny was first introduced to the so-called ‘baby boss’ and her Internet empire as a suburban Milwaukee teen, via a web chat set up by the 20-year-old’s PR machine.
The gesture has clearly stayed with Cyrus, and the self-confessed obsessive has since got his eighth permanent homage to ‘King’ Kylie inked on his body.
Johnny told UNILAD he has eight tattoos in total, including the young beauty entrepreneur’s lip kit swatches, her Lip Kit logo, the Kyshadow Logo, as well as the name of her glosses.
Acting as an unofficial Kylie brand ambassador, Cyrus posts reviews of the youngest Jenner’s much-criticised merchandise, alongside his walking ink comparisons.
He also has a ‘K with a Crown’, the Kylie Jenner Shop flame, Kylie’s Kimoji, ‘and of course her signature’.
Johnny told UNILAD why his self-confessed obsession came about:
She’s the sweetest person you could ever meet. So real and genuine.
I love how confident she is with herself and how she doesn’t really care what others think about her. It’s inspired me so much.
A strong connection between a fan and his or her hero throws us mere mortals into the very same spotlight as those we admire and adore – and the consequences are not always welcome.
Social media has been a stalwart of his life – like many of us Gen-Y kids – and he credits online communities to his closeness with Kylie, and his network of fellow fanatics.
But, as we all know, social media is a double-edged sword.
Johnny told UNILAD how supporters help him stay positive in the face of thoughtless hatred, adding:
It’s just shocking to me that people would actually say those kinda things to others. Like, do my tattoos make you that mad that you feel the need to wish death upon someone?
Kinda over the top – but it doesn’t bother me.
He added that his online community enables him to ‘share the message’ of acceptance and inclusivity.
Cyrus’ 137,000-strong army of Instagram fans are generally too much for trolls and Johnny explains ‘the hater would just delete his comment’.
That’s if the keyboard warrior gets past his comment filters in the first place.
Today is Kylie Jenner’s 20th birthday.
As Kylie celebrates with her nearest and dearest, Johnny will be sending warm wishes to his hero all the while warding off trolls who irrationally hate him because of his passion – just like every other day he logs into Instagram.
No matter what you think of Kylie Jenner – the good, the bad and the (allegedly) photoshopped – it’s wrong to penalise her fans.
You wouldn’t discredit or wish death upon a guy for having a Marvel tattoo sleeve or a passion for any other 21st century fidget-spinning fad.
After all, sending death threats in most jurisdictions constitutes a serious type of criminal offence.
All the same, Johnny told UNILAD about how his life has changed since being branded a superfan:
It’s changed for the better, so many positive vibes and it’s truly amazing. I couldn’t be happier.
I’ve also been able to help out a lot of people who message me on Instagram asking for advice.
It makes me so happy.
As I talk to Johnny, I can’t help but think that if online trolls had such a singular passion in life, other than channelling negativity to strangers on the Internet, the virtual world would be a much happier place.
Think before you threaten, people. Then don’t.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.