Unless you’ve been hiding in a galaxy far, far away, then you’ve most probably heard of Candace Payne–now fondly known as ‘Chewbacca Mom’– who set the internet ablaze with her Facebook Live video involving a store-bought Chewbacca mask and a whole lot of infectious laughter.
The video, which was viewed by 145 million people, has become the most viewed Facebook Live video of all time.
As it turns out, one of the millions of viewers was Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg himself.
“We invited Candace Payne — whose Chewbacca mask video got 141 million views and is now the most-watched Facebook Live video ever — to come by Facebook HQ today,” wrote Zuckerberg on his Facebook page. “And we had a fun surprise for her!”
She spread joy and laughter at the Facebook headquarters with her new BFF Chewbacca! It’s tough not to smile seeing as how, much like her simple video which shot her to fame, she continues to embrace the simple joys.
After a fun-filled day, she was awarded a plaque for being a certified ‘Facebook Star’, a title truly well-deserved!
“I don’t think I’ll ever have this one again and it’s amazing,” she told the audience. “This is serendipity at its finest.”
But her adventures didn’t end there. She also made her television debut recently when she appeared on the hit “The Late Late Show”, driving James Corden to work with none another then Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams in the backseat. Watch their hilarious road trip below!
Next page: Chewbacca mom takes over Star Wars ‘headquarters’
Of course, her internet stardom would not be complete without a trip to Star Wars central istelf: Lucasfilm Studios.
She’s surely the envy of many Star Wars fans as the people in the studio called her “the most popular woman in the galaxy right now.”
“It just brings you back to nostalgia and your childhood. I’m telling you, Lucasfilm has done something remarkable to where it has brought story into sci-fi. It makes me drawn to it on a heart-level,” she says in an interview on The Star Wars Show.
As if we needed more reason to love her, she shared an adorable moment she witnessed between her husband and son, who are both big Star Wars fans: “They’re both in their Chewbacca onesies and I was like ‘I don’t think my heart has ever been more full in my entire life… My two favorite guys in the world dressed as Chewbacca.’ I just wanted Wookiee love right then.”
She began her love affair with the Star Wars franchise 15 years ago when her husband introduced it to her.
For those wondering what Candace hopes to take away from the experience, she shares: “When this experience ends the thing I’m going to remember is a moment that happened in my kitchen on Friday when it broke about 30 million views. I turned off everything that had a ding or a notification … and I just got facedown on my kitchen floor and I said, ‘Thank you God.’”
May the force be with you, Chewbacca Mom. Thanks for reminding us to cherish the simple joys.
READ: Dad thanks Star Wars’ Chewbacca for touching letter to his late son’s friend
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