Carson King Donates $1 Million Proceeds From Viral Post To Charity

There’s more to this social media thing than getting likes and follows. For some, going viral is seen as a kickstart to fame, but for others, it presents a unique opportunity to pay it forward. Carson King, a 24-year-old from Iowa, decided to hold up a sign before the Cy-Hawk football game that read, “Busch Light Supply Needs Replenished” with his Venmo information. No one could have predicted the flood of support or the subsequent downfall of stardom that occurred all within a weeks time.

The videocameras for ESPN’s College Gameday show aired a clip of King holding his sign and people started to make donations to his Venmo. After the first $600 was received, King opted against buying beer and decided instead to donate the funds to the children’s hospital of Iowa City. A few days later, the news of his gesture garnered local and national attention which inspired Busch Light and Venmo to match the amount of money he raised.

Within a week, King toured the Busch headquarters and made appearances on Good Morning America, NBC News, Fox and Friends, and CNN. Sponsorships started coming in from other business like $50,000 from Northwest Mutual and $10,000 from Prairie Meadows Casino where King is employed. Local business like DeWitt Construction and Goldie’s Ice Cream Shoppe donated a percentage of their profits making the total profit from the impromptu fundraiser $1 million.

Busch Light is supplying King with a year’s worth of beer branded with his image on the can, proclaiming him as an “Iowa Legend.” However, with fame comes standard background checks and old social media posts resurfaced from 2012. King made racially charged jokes comparing black mothers to gorillas and another making light of black people killed in the holocaust. The posts have since been deleted, and King made a formal statement to apologize, stating, “I am embarrassed and stunned to reflect on what I thought was funny when I was a 16-year-old, I want to sincerely apologize.” Busch Light has since decided to have no further association with King.