CT Teen & Sassy Grandma Take Cyberspace By Storm With Viral Videos

What do you get when you mix one part snark with two parts sass, throw it into a moving vehicle and add a heaping spoonful of pop culture? The recipe for success! And that’s exactly what 17-year-old Kevin Droniak has done with the help of his lovable 84-year-old Grandma.

Two years ago Kevin began secretly videotaping their funny conversations in car rides and uploading them to his YouTube channel. He mounts a Nikon DSLR camera to the dashboard and his tells Grandma Lill it’s not on. Just last week he revealed to his Grandma what he has been doing all along, and how they are loved by hundreds of thousands.

The pair have become an internet sensation virtually overnight thanks to the click heard ‘round the world, cyber world that is. That click was an article posted on the Huffington Post’s website that soon was picked up by MSN,Fox CT and numerous other news organizations.

Kevin said he likes to use celebrities as a topic of conversation, although his Grandma is oblivious to the extent of their fame. He often fools his Grandma into thinking those famous celebrities are his classmates. In one video he asks for his Grandma’s advice on whether he should date Katy Perry or Beyonce. In another video Kevin tells Lill his friend Justin (Bieber) was expelled from school for egging someone’s house to which she replies, “Oh! I saw that on the news,” and proceeds to advise Kevin not to hang around with him anymore.

A frequent topic of conversation is Kevin’s friend Miley Cyrus who, Grandma Lill believes, is his classmate.

Their YouTube channel now has more than 170,000 subscribers. His 43,000 Twitter fans seek advice from Grandma Lill using the hashtag #AskKevinAndGrandma.

Editor of Newtown Patch (NP) Wendy Mitchell sat down with Kevin (KD) and Grandma Lill (GL) Sunday to hear the story behind their viral videos:

NP: Why did you decide to start videotaping your Grandma?

KD: ‘Cause she’s cool! And funny! I first started videotaping myself and those weren’t as popular but once I added my Grandmother it just took off.

GL: Tell her about the contest. He won a contest. That’s how it really started.

KD: I entered a contest Simon Cowell was producing and ended up winning $2,000. It was called “The You Generation.” It was fun.

NP: How did the car rides start? Do your parents work and you needed a ride or was it just for fun?

GL: His parents needed help ‘cause they both work.

KD: She started driving me to Driver’s Ed and we also go to McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts a lot too.

NP: Do you have siblings?

KD: Yes, I’m the youngest.

NP: I knew it! The youngest always wants attention. I’m the youngest of six.

GL: Really? Kevin has two older brothers.

NP: Do they ever get jealous that you get so much “Grandma and Me” time? What do they think of all this?

KD: The older one’s pretty supportive. The middle one doesn’t say much about it. Just like, “that’s cool,” or whatever.

NP: And what about your parents?

KD: Well they’re more worried about “Stranger Danger.” (laughs)

NP: (To Lill) And what about you? What do you think of all this?

GL: Yeah, I’m crazy. I like to horse around.

NP: Has anyone asked for your autograph yet?

GL: One lady at Fox News asked me when we went the other day. Tell her about the little girl in the grocery store.

KD: Yeah, this 12-year-old girl recognized me and asked for my autograph.

GL: One time some guy from, where was he from?

KD: Holland.

GL: I couldn’t believe it someone from Holland recognized us!

NP: So what are your plans for the future?

GL: School! He has to finish school!

NP: Are you going for theater?

KD: No, photography. I’m not sure. I have a while to think about it.

Whatever the Newtown High School senior decides to do, with he is enjoying his “15 minutes of fame” while it lasts.

You can follow Kevin and Grandma Lill’s YouTube channel by clicking here. New videos are posted every Tuesday.

Follow them on social media too:

Twitter @KevinDroniak

Kevin’s Instagram @thatkidkevindroniak

Kevin and Grandma Lill’s Instagram @grandma_droniak

Photo credit: Wendy Mitchell