- - His TikTok Drinking Cranberry Juice Caught the Attention of Fleetwood Mac. 5 Years Later, He Reveals How Internet Fame Changed His Life (Exclusive)

Valerie MesaDecember 29, 2025 at 10:00 PM

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Natahn Apodaca/Instagram

Viral Sensation Nathan Apodaca Isn't Done Surprising the Internet After Millions of Views. -

Nathan Apodaca’s impromptu TikTok drinking cranberry juice became an unexpected viral sensation in 2020

The viral clip led to major opportunities, including recognition from Fleetwood Mac, acting roles, music collaborations and speaking engagements

Five years after his viral moment, Apodaca speaks exclusively to PEOPLE about his life now

The year 2020 was not for the faint of heart, but social media somehow made up for the collective chaos.One of those moments arrived in late September, when fall was just beginning to settle in, and everyone was looking for a bit of seasonal comfort.Whether you were easing into your day or scrolling on your phone, you likely stumbled across Nathan Apodaca, an Idaho man casually cruising down the highway on his longboard, sipping Ocean Spray cranberry juice as Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” played in the background.

Effortless and impossibly genuine, the video became an overnight sensation, as it instantly cut through the noise, reminding the world how to embrace a simple, feel-good moment.

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“It was honestly just me trying to get to work. I had less than 10 minutes to get there in order to get this little $25 bonus they offered every two weeks for being on time," Apodaca tells PEOPLE exclusively. "The vibe was chill, kind of in a rush, though, because my car had just broken down.”Apodaca started walking to work with his longboard in hand, listening to the motivational speakers he loves, especially Gary Vaynerchuk, whose message about consistently creating content had stuck with him.He explains that at the time, he was posting three to five times a day, and it felt strange that he hadn’t shared anything in nearly 24 hours.

“I kept thinking, I need to get a video out, and I also need to get to work on time,” he recalls. But as he made his way down the highway toward the off-ramp, he scrolled through his saved TikTok sounds, looking for something that matched the moment.

“By coincidence, I had the juice with me — I really did drink it a lot — but as I was going down the hill, I just felt the vibe with the song,” he adds.

Apodaca finished the recording, made it to work with two minutes to spare, and finally earned the $25 bonus he’d been chasing.Later, when reviewing the clip, he admits he hesitated to post it but remembered Gary V’s advice, so he uploaded it anyway. The video exploded in views within hours.

“I woke up, and it was at like 7 million views. I went to work like a regular day, and I’m getting flooded with messages,” he says.“I was like, ‘What the hell’s going on?’ I had no idea about the concept of being viral; I understood it — like you’re viral and everyone sees you — but I didn’t understand the opportunities that would come from it.”

What happened next felt even more surreal. As the video continued to ripple across the internet, it caught the attention of Fleetwood Mac themselves. Mick Fleetwood not only recreated Apodaca’s clip but also eventually reached out to him directly.“That blew my mind,” he says. “Mick Fleetwood showed so much love. He even called and sang me happy birthday.”

It was in this moment that everything shifted, marking the beginning of a new chapter that Apodaca never saw coming. His humble charm and spur-of-the-moment TikTok was suddenly opening doors to acting roles, music collaborations and opportunities he once only dreamed about.

“The biggest shift for me was getting into the acting world, [because it’s something] I’ve always wanted to do in life,” he says. “Watching In Living Color [with] Jim Carrey and the Wayans Brothers — bringing happiness to the world through comedy is something I’ve always wanted to do.”

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Apodaca made his acting debut in 2022, guest-starring on the FX series Reservation Dogs, which follows the adventures of four Indigenous teenagers living on a rural Oklahoma reservation.Music soon followed, bringing more unexpected collaborations that Apodaca still can’t believe actually happened. He describes the experience as “mind-blowing,” especially once his management connected him with Snoop Dogg and secured a cameo from Cheech & Chong.The project also featured George Lopez, Dr. Miami and members of the original band War, who granted permission for him to remake their classic “Low Rider.”

“Getting into music is something I always just played with,” Apodaca says. “I just wanted to have fun with it. I definitely feel like I could be a one-hit wonder, and I’m fine with that. But having Snoop, Cheech & Chong, George Lopez — all of that blows my mind.”

Despite the pressure that often comes with viral fame, Apodaca says he remains committed to creating from a place of joy and authenticity.

“People try to pressure you to recreate the moment or tell you you’re done,” he says. “But for me it’s just about vibing out, doing comedy skits, dancing and just being myself. A lot of people just want to see you for you.”

Apodaca says he’s far from slowing down — he continues to pursue acting (with his sights set on landing not just one movie role, but several). Proud of his roots, he is determined to keep growing in the Native acting scene, which he notes is expanding with new opportunities.

“I want to continue music because I’m not stopping until I get a one-hit-wonder song — I really believe I can do it,” he says.“Besides that, I’ve been doing influential speeches to the youth. I’ve been traveling around, going as far as Canada and visiting about eight different reservations from 2021 to now. It’s something I love doing.”Looking back, Apodaca says the most meaningful part of this experience wasn’t the fame but how the video brought people together during an incredibly divided time.

“I like to think that it helped people realize that people are people,” he says. “For one second, everybody loved each other for being human.”Apodaca still gets emotional reflecting on the response to his video, recalling strangers of all ages and backgrounds approaching him with kindness.“It was just beautiful seeing the world come together,” he says, before pausing to apologize for tearing up.He reminisced about how an 89-year-old woman stopped to tell him she loved his video, followed by a group of teenagers who said the same. This collective positivity stood in contrast to the negativity he had experienced before his viral moment.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”