Danielle Bregoli is a product of viral news. The 14-year-old Florida native first entered the public eye when she appeared on Dr. Phil as an angsty and disrespectful teenager who constantly threatened adult mentors around her (including her mom, Dr. Phil, and the audience members). She memorably told the entire room "Cash me ousside, how bou dat?" meaning: meet me outside to fight. The rest is history, as immediately following the remark, the Cash Me Ousside meme, and subsequent name recognition, was born. And now, less than a year late, Bregoli is nominated an MTV Movie & Television Award.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
Yes, seriously, the girl behind the Dr. Phil tagline that launched a song, an emoji line, and a weird Illuminati-inspired Instagram takeover is being honored with a nomination at the 2017 MTV Movie & Television Awards in a brand new category: "Trending." The category is meant to house "the lives and projects of the Internet famous" and will "commend some of the greatest viral moments in movies and television from the past year," according to the network's press release for the show.
Nominated along with Bregoli are a range of other memorable moments that spread far and wide across the Internet. But the rest of the nominations feature actual celebrities, not meme-famous teenagers who should not be continuously thrust into the spotlight. They include Melissa McCarthy as Sean Spicer on SNL, Channing Tatum on Lip Sync Battle, Lady Gaga on "Carpool Karaoke" with James Corden, and Demi Lovato on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
It's bizarre to see the Cash Me Ousside clip from Dr. Phil listed with these other positive, fun, and lighthearted moments. The Internet first met Bregoli because she was extremely disrespectful to those around her and became a piece of viral amusement. But now, for her to be lauded and rewarded for it, it feels icky and exploitative on both sides of the nomination. I'm for one am not looking forward to cashing her ousside this weekend when the show airs.