Justin Timberlake surprises Super Bowl selfie kid with tour tickets

Days after Super Bowl LI, 13-year-old Ryan McKenna is still coming down from getting a selfie with halftime performer Justin Timberlake.

The photo -- and footage of Ryan trying to get his phone to snap the image -- has made the seventh-grader a viral sensation.

>> Read more trending news

Ryan has been making the rounds speaking to media about the viral moment, but got a special surprise when he was on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" Friday.

The New England Patriots fan from Hingham, Massachusetts said he didn’t know the musician would be walking through the crowd until it happened.

Ryan wasn’t in the prime spot at first.

“I pushed through—I was elbowing people,” said. “But I got there and I was there with him.”

Related: Meet the 13-year-old who took a selfie with Justin Timberlake at the Super Bowl LII halftime show

Memes emerged of Ryan struggling with his phone, but he explained that he was trying to switch to video.

“Yes, I saw all the memes. I’ve seen those,” Ryan said. “My dad told me he was coming up so I had to push out there, but I had the video (on) when I was going out to Justin, and then I had the iPhone 6 and that thing is slow. So it just shut off, and that’s why all the memes formed.”

Credit: Christopher Polk

Credit: Christopher Polk

DeGeneres surprised Ryan with a phone call from Timberlake, who then surprised him with tickets to his show in Boston. DeGeneres then told him that the NFL gifted Ryan and his family with tickets to a Patriots home game next season and four pre-game tickets.

“Ryan, I look forward to meeting you and our second selfie together,” Timberlake said.

Watch Ryan chat with Timberlake on “Ellen” in the video below.

About the Author