Man who posted the most liked Instagram photo of all time said it was a ‘fluke’

Before Lionel Messi’s 2022 World Cup post became the most-liked photograph on Instagram, there was the humble egg.

Sometimes, folks on social media go viral for the strangest things.

But before TikTok and Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter (now X), Kylie Jenner was known for breaking the record for the most-liked Instagram post.

At the time, she uploaded a photograph to the platform that showed her newborn baby Stormi’s tiny hand holding onto her thumb.

The picture held the top spot for 341 days and achieved almost 19 million likes during its reign.

However, Chris Godfrey, an advertising executive from London, and his pals Alissa Khan-Whelan and CJ Brown were determined to dethrone Jenner.

So, they hatched a plan.

After they noticed the businesswoman's record-breaking feat, the trio posted a picture of an egg on a white background to Instagram.

Instagram/@kyliejenner

Alongside the image, they wrote: "Let’s set a world record together and get the most liked post on Instagram. Beating the current world record held by Kylie Jenner (18 million)! We got this.”

And the rest, they say, is history.

Because soon enough, the picture rose to fame and within 10 days had become the most-liked image on the social media app.

At the time, the post received 19 million likes and held the top position until December 2022 when the FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar came around.

Following the viral post, the trio posted another two photographs on the account - which have since been deleted.

At the time, one picture showed the infamous egg beginning to crack and the follow-up image revealed that it was buckling under the weight of pressure from social media fame.

Instagram/@world_record_egg

Interestingly, it was all just part of a publicity campaign for Mental Health America.

Back in 2019, Chris - who was 29 years old at the time - discussed the social media post with The New York Times.

Prior to his interview, Andrew Essex, chief executive and founder of Plan A, a creative holding company, told the outlet: "The fact that they were able to get a lot of people to look at a picture of the egg - it was the ultimate anomaly, just a complete freak event.

“This is the quintessential fluke. It’s not replicable. It’s not replicable and it’s not sustainable. With all due respect.”

Funnily enough, Chris agreed with the statement and said: “But it’s a fluke that caught the world’s attention. It’s what you do with that attention that counts.”

On December 18, 2022, the egg’s reign came to an end after Messi uploaded photos with the Argentina men’s national football team after winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup.