A Disney employee who was laid off after 15 years became an overnight sensation when he became an internet star through his Twitch stream.
Chet Atkins was the voice of Crush the Turtle for Turtle Talk with Crush at EPCOT in Orlando, Florida, but he says Disney let him go “abruptly” due to an unspecified medical condition that caused him to be repeatedly absent from work.
The lifelong entertainer who says he misses his job, where he would interact and improvise with guests like the turtle from Finding Nemo “every day,” has turned to live streaming video games on Twitch, where he’s only garnered 101 subscribers and zero views.
But his life changed overnight when TikTok user KindPenguins shared a video of himself donating $450 to Atkins as a gesture of kindness live during his stream.
The fun clip shows the streamer in his role as Crush singing a song when the donation comes in and he shouts: ‘I can’t tell you what that means to me!’
A Disney employee who was fired after 15 years became an overnight sensation when his Twitch stream made him an internet star
The clip has now been viewed 59.3 million times and Atkins – username chetter72 – has 300,000 subscribers on Twitch and 619,400 on TikTok.
When Atkins received the donation from KindPenguins, he visibly shook and cried during the livestream.
He said, ‘Child Penguins, what the heck? What the heck? Child Penguins, what are you doing? Oh my god. I can’t tell you what that means to me.
“I’m shaking right now. Can you handle that? Is that okay with you? I don’t know if I want to stress you out.”
The friendly penguins replied, “Love deserves love.”
Chet Atkins was the voice of Crush the Turtle for Turtle Talk with Crush at EPCOT in Orlando, Florida
The interactive attraction allowed Atkins to interact with park visitors as the armored character from Finding Nemo
Upon request, Atkins will imitate Crush for his subscribers, whether it’s singing “Happy Hatch Day” or reminding his followers to “just keep swimming.”
And the good deeds didn’t stop there.
In an Instagram reel, Atkins unwrapped a gift from KindPenguins, who sent the streamer a care package containing custom-made Astro A40 Xbox headphones decorated with the penguins. The device costs $130.
Atkins said: ‘I want to say a huge thank you to KindPenguins. What an amazing thing he has done for me, he has changed my life for the better. I am so grateful to him.’
“I can’t tell you what this means to me and what this community means to me.”
Users in the comments of his streams and social media posts praise Atkins for his positive energy and share stories of times their families visited Turtle Talk with Crush
In an Instagram reel, Atkins unwrapped a gift from KindPenguins, who sent the streamer a care package containing custom Astro A40 Xbox headphones decorated with the penguins
Upon request, Atkins will imitate Crush for his subscribers, such as singing “Happy Hatch Day” or reminding his followers to “just keep swimming”
One user commented: ‘You were probably our crush when I went to Disney World with my boys.
“I actually recognized your voice…Thank you for making my sons dreams come true, man!”
Another wrote: ‘You picked my son out of the crowd as our Crush and made his day so many years ago. It’s one of our favorite memories.’
A third said: ‘KindPenguins sent me to your page, YOU made sure I stayed.’
The streamer is now getting sponsors and his follower count is growing by the day.