The “selfie kid” from the Super Bowl is having the best week ever. Ryan McKenna appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to talk about the photo he took with Justin Timberlake during the singer’s halftime performance, and now the pair have reunited via a surprise phone call!
DeGeneres and McKenna, 13, began talking about the now-viral moment — which has since inspired thousands of memes — during the interview on Friday, February 9. DeGeneres then surprised the teen by having the “Filthy” crooner call in.
“You remind me of him actually,” the host, 60, told McKenna. “There’s someone on the phone that wants to say hi to you right now.”
“No!” McKenna said, covering his mouth in disbelief.
“Ryan?” Timberlake, 37, said on the phone. “It’s nice to meet you, finally.”
“Oh, my God. I can’t believe this,” the teenager said.
#SuperBowlSelfies pic.twitter.com/LKabieKCfg
— NBC (@nbc) February 5, 2018
The singer then explained how the memorable moment came about, saying that McKenna stole the show. “So basically, I knew that I wanted to end the performance with ‘Can’t Stop the Feeling’ just because I how people respond to that song,” he said. “And then, cut to Ryan.”
The child also said that he had no idea that Timberlake was going into the crowd during the show but when it happened, he jumped at the opportunity to get close to him. “We didn’t know. The lady told us we were in a good section, but we had no idea that Justin was going to be there,” McKenna recalled. “I got myself there, I pushed through. And I got there and I was there with him.”
Timberlake also surprised the seventh grader with tickets for his upcoming tour stop in Boston, Massachusetts. “I really want to meet you properly,” Timberlake said.
He added: “Ryan, I look forward to meeting you and our second selfie together!”
McKenna and his family also received a gift basket from the New England Patriots and the NFL, which included game tickets, field passes and some team gear.
