What ‘wide neck guy’ looks like now eight years after viral mugshot

The man who went viral eight years ago for the size of his neck is now back in the news, for all the wrong reasons.

His name is Charles McDowell, but you'll probably remember him as 'wide neck guy', and he was one of many who benefited from viral fame in the 2010s.

But the photo which did the rounds was a mugshot, as McDowell was initially booked into Escambia County Jail in Florida on charges of stalking and withholding child support payments, back in 2018.

Off the back of this, he made a video with 'Daddy Long Neck' which also garnered some laughs from social media users - but it seems that he may have fallen into old habits in more recent times.

Back in August 2022, police issued a warrant for his arrest after he showed up at a woman's house and sent her threatening messages.

'Wide neck guy' initially went viral in 2018 (Instagram/damnwideneck)

McDowell would be arrested for a number of other charges including drug offences and evading police officers, but this hasn't changed the fact that he has over 860k followers on Instagram.

But years on from his legal troubles, he became an influencer and leveraged his fame to join a rap group which consisted of other internet celebs.

In 2019, he released 'Neckst Big Thing', a rap song with Daddy Long Neck, which has over six million views on YouTube.

While McDowell was held by police with no bond, his social media accounts suggest that he was let off the hook, as he went on to upload regular content on Instagram.

His bio on the site reads 'I ain't ever going back to that life', but an update from 2025 suggests that he may have fallen back into a life of crime.

McDowell is now facing several felonies, which include furnishing obscene material to a minor.

TMZ reported last year that he has been accused of sending sexually explicit videos of a victim to her 13-year-old son, 16-year-old daughter, mother, and another unnamed person.

McDowell was being held in jail without bond last year (Cherokee County Sheriff's Office)

The publication said that he used a phone and laptop to send videos on multiple occasions to the victims.

According to jail records, McDowell is charged with numerous things, which includes five counts of electronic transmission/post of video or photo of nudity without consent, four counts of electronically furnishing obscene materials to a minor, and harassing phone calls.

It was reported last year that the former internet star was being held in Cherokee County Jail without bond.