Kentucky man who earned viral fame ‘posing as a dead body’ in TikTok posts lands a role as a corpse

A man who spent nearly a year posing as a corpse in a series of hilarious “non-living” TikTok sketches has found a unique outlet for his very special abilities – after a role as a corpse in the CBS series CSI: Vegas.

Josh Nalley42, of Kentucky, has become an expert at playing “dead” after earning viral fame for 321 days with his “non-live” videos on social media.

Josh’s videos have not only turned him into an internet star, but also brought him into the glare of TV fame after crime show producers saw his clips and offered him the chance to share his expertise with the world. on CSI.

In an interview with USA todayJosh explained that he didn’t even “believe” that his “non-living” skits were finally getting recognition from the producers.

He earned a role as a dead man on the hit CBS series CSI: Vegas after garnering viral fame on social media for posing as a corpse.

“I got an email from CBS saying they saw me on TikTok and wanted to offer me the part,” he explains.

“I didn’t believe it at first, but they flew me to California. It turned out that Mario Van Peebles was the director for that episode, so in addition to being cast on the show, I also got to meet him, which was great.”

Los Angeles producers asked Josh to be a part of CSI after seeing his viral series on TikTok in which he played “death” in various locations.

In his morbid but hilarious videos, Josh can be seen lying face down, in snow, dirt, grass, in a park or even sinking against a wall to sell the part.

In his “Day 121” post, Josh lies face down in the woods, while “Day 321” sees him leaning against a wall along the Hollywood Walk of Fame before announcing that he’s taking on the role as a corpse in the hit TV show. show ended up.

“I don’t like to speak on camera, but I can lie there and pretend I’m dead pretty easily.

“Having done over 300 of these posts, I’ve progressed and gotten better. In the beginning you could see me breathing, or the fake blood looked really bad.

“I don’t use the blood anymore and have gotten better at holding my breath.”

And while Josh has gotten used to playing “dead,” his animals haven’t really gotten along with his acting, as his dogs sometimes unintentionally go along with his videos, which he’s now come to appreciate.

“I’ve found it’s best to have some sort of movement in the videos so it doesn’t look like a still photo.

In an interview with USA Today, Josh explained that he didn’t even “believe” that his “non-live” skits were finally getting recognition from producers.

The restaurant manager added that he has received multiple offers from other producers of music videos and low-budget films, but is weighing his options

Josh explained that he would continue his job as a manger and continue producing TikTok videos where he plays ‘death’

“One of my dogs still seems curious about what I’m up to. The other wanders by a bit and then wanders away again.’

When Josh went to California for his acting debut, CBS producers took him to the Hollywood Walk of Fame to take on his viral “non-living” pose.

‘They wanted me to pose next to me’ [CSI legend] Marg Helgenberger’s star and had asked me to bring a towel to lie on because that sidewalk is really dirty, but I forgot,’

“So instead of lying face down, I turned on my side and played dead. The problem was the sidewalk was really, really hot,” he told USA Today.

Before his TV debut, Josh spent two hours with hair and makeup and another three hours on a stretcher until the crew got the perfect shot, which he said took a few tries.

“We had to redo one shot because I had my phone in my pocket and forgot to turn it off,” he said. “It was, of course, a telemarketer who called. That was quite embarrassing.’

While Josh will continue his job as a restaurant manager, he has no plans to end his non-living campaign any time soon.

He even revealed that he’s gotten multiple offers to “play dead” in music videos and low-budget movies.

Josh noted that he’s taking it easy for now as he continues to produce his viral TikTok videos, which promote his upcoming TV debut on CSI: Vegas, which airs November 3 on CBS.

The TikToker actor added that he was grateful that his videos have brought him so far.

“I originally got this idea after seeing a woman posting on TikTok about hot sauce and then she got offers from some hot sauce companies.

“I thought if I was creative enough to play a non-living person, I could get the attention of a television show or a movie production company, and guess what, it worked.”