Benjamin Phil Palmer,[1] also known by his online alias Palmertrolls, (born 1986 or 1987) is an American comedian and internet celebrity from Atlanta, Georgia.
Early and personal life
editPalmer was born in 1986 or 1987. He is a United States Air Force veteran. He also worked as a driver for Uber and Lyft.[2]
Career
editHe began his career on Myspace in 2006, aged 19. He shifted to Facebook in 2007.[3] He started the project Hope That Helps, in which he would create fake Facebook customer service profiles of corporations (such as IHOP, CVS Pharmacy and Olive Garden, among others), then troll users in comment sections.[4][5][6] He also sent fake emails to companies.[7]
Palmer also sued his friends multiple times in order to appear on Court TV, where he would perform comedy.[8]
Notable Facebook profiles
editIn 2016, he created a fake Facebook profile for Home Depot, which he used to ridicule a Fox News article.[9]
In 2018, he created a fake Facebook profile for the City of Atlanta, and used it to post a Facebook event to implode Stone Mountain. Facebook later banned the account.[10][11][12]
In 2021, he made a fake Facebook profile for Walmart, and used it to announce that Walmart was closed on Black Friday.[13]
References
edit- ^ Ben Palmer (2020-06-30). My friend sued me so we could get on court TV. Retrieved 2024-08-03 – via YouTube.
- ^ Schlosser, Kurt (27 August 2021). "Jeff Bezos' mom did not email me: How I got a troll to apologize, and why we might be friends now". GeekWire. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ Ray, Linda (16 February 2023). "Ben Palmer: Trolling his way to the top". Tucson Weekly. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ Olsen, Parker (22 October 2023). "Fake accounts, real laughs". Royal Purple. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
- ^ Berkowitz, Joe (14 July 2015). "A Comedian's Fake Customer Service Account On Facebook Serves Up Next-Level Trolling". Fast Company. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
- ^ Jones, Jeremy (16 March 2015). "Atlanta Comedian Ben Palmer is a Freelance Customer Service Rep on Facebook". GAfollowers. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
- ^ "Ben Palmer takes fake news to another level | The Spokesman-Review". www.spokesman.com. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
- ^ "Man sued his friends so he would have a chance to be on court TV and it worked multiple times". UNILAD. 2022-12-14. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
- ^ Mikkelson, David (2018-05-29). "Thank You for Sharing, Fox News". Snopes. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
- ^ Lybbert, Randy (2018-08-10). "Fake 'City Of Atlanta' Page Shut Down After Stone Mountain Prank". WABE. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
- ^ "Fake 'City of Atlanta' Facebook page dead after Stone Mountain prank". WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta. 2018-08-04. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
- ^ "'City of Atlanta' parody Facebook page taken down | Page's founder says he'll be back". 11Alive.com. 2018-08-04. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
- ^ Liles, Jordan (2021-11-17). "Internet Troll Ben Palmer Pranks Walmart About Black Friday Hours". Snopes. Retrieved 2024-07-06.