Ohio grandmother adjusting to life as a viral video star

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – Sometimes it just takes an unintentionally funny moment caught on camera to become “internet famous,” while other people make a career out of it.

If you’re on social media, chances are you’ve seen one of Ross Smith and Granny’s videos.

Four years ago, 24-year-old Ross and his 90-year-old grandmother from Youngstown put their first video online. They were playing basketball, Granny did something funny, and Ross thought he’d share it.

Unexpectedly, it went viral getting hundreds of thousands of views.

Ross kept capturing those funny moments on Vine, the 6-second-long video-blog.

“It was a very niche audience. It was your college students. It was 18-24. It was really when I was in college,” Ross said.

Now, the pair has their social media presence and has over 5 million followers collectively, becoming one of the internet’s famous comedy duos.

Ross puts Granny in situations that most grandmothers probably wouldn’t dare to try, but she loves it.

Ross talked to WKBN about his idea for the videos:

“A lot of it’s unscripted. I just like to put my grandma in non-grandma situations,” he said. “Like, we went to the zoo. You got to dance with the penguin.”

It has become almost a full-time job for Ross, who was a professional football player. He creates the videos, does meet and greets, and Granny gets to be the big star of the show.

Granny, who has lived in Youngstown for 60 years, said it is a little strange getting recognized out in public now. But, she says, she enjoys the time that she gets to spend with her grandson.

“I do it because I’m with my grandson, and this is a new chapter in my life, and it’s a lot of fun,” she said.

Ross and Granny said they have been in the talks for possible TV shows, but for now, they’re just going to keep having fun making their videos.