Where unknown man in iconic Oscars selfie is now as it resurfaces 12 years later
A man once went viral for photobombing one of the most iconic Oscars selfies of all time.
It's been 12 years since a photo featuring the likes of Bradley Cooper, Brad Pitt, Ellen Degeneres, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep and other A-Listers, broke the internet.
2014 was a simpler time, but if you're a film-fanatic, you probably would've realised that there was a relative unknown who featured in the Oscars picture.
He managed to wriggle his way into one of the most star-studded celebrity snaps of all time after being a certain actor's plus one at the 2014 Academy Awards.
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His name is Junior Nyong'o, the brother of Us actress, Lupita Nyong'o.
She brought her little brother along as her date to the Oscars, and he managing to sneak into Ellen's organised selfie, all at the age of 20.
But over a decade on, where is he now?
Apart from blocking out Angelina Jolie's face in the picture, Junior is known for taking numerous selfies with the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, John Travolta, and Gabrielle Union on the same night.
Speaking to E! News that night, Lupita admitted: "I think that's his win for sure,
"He got into the most famous selfie in the world. I'm glad I could have facilitated that."
At the time, he was a freshman at Stetson University majoring in Theatre Arts, seemingly announcing himself to the world with his inclusion in the snap.
Lupita walked away that night with an Oscar for her role in 12 Years a Slave, as Junior went on to become a stage actor, musician and DJ after graduating from UC San Diego with an MFA in Acting.
He has starred in roles in major theatre productions such as Hamlet, Taming of the Shrew and King Lear, while also doing a stage reading of Richard III, with all of these works written by William Shakespeare.
The stage reading was notably alongside Hollywood icons Al Pacino and Keith David.
Back in 2023, the actor moved away from stage productions and took on the role of Twende, the titular character in the Showmax Original animation.
He plays a boda-boda-riding pangolin who doesn't take life too seriously, in the fictional East African city of Milima.
Twende and his best friend and navigator Nuru (voiced by June Gachui) were the focus of the TV series, which ran for just one season.
He has also posted pictures on Instagram, showcasing numerous celebs who have showed up to watch his work in the past.
This includes the likes of Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Sandra Oh, who featured in a photo dump from summer 2025, captioned: "Summer 2025 - Shakespeare In The Park
Thanks, and thanks, and ever thanks."
Joshua Nair