Ken M has lurked since 2011, masterfully trolling comment sections across digital media. As his legend grows, let’s look at Ken M’s greatest hits and find out who is behind the comments.
Ken M has achieved what few trolls can dare to dream of. He has his own dedicated subreddit, with 58k subscribers, /r/KenM. The subreddit’s been around for years, just like Ken M, who has collected a following for his deft acts of trolling as the world’s least-informed commenter. His official Facebook page, which lists him as a “professional dirtpig,” has 20k Likes, and he is also on Twitter and Tumblr. His notoriety was such that College Humour paid him to run a column, The Troll, which made him, in truth, a professional dirtpig.
Here’s a taste of Ken M:
There’s been a recent resurgence of interest and coverage of Ken M’s exploits. This happens every so often when people make the wonderful, head-scratching discovery that is Ken M. Lately, his subreddit has trended with well-deserved popularity, sparking new appreciation. A redditor just released a Chrome extension to copy Ken M witticisms straight to your clipboard, so that you will never be far from his particular brand of wisdom.
In comments, Ken M comes across as your ornery, befuddled grandfather — that’s what his social media avatars, which depict old men, suggest — but read on and you’ll find his tongue planted firmly in cheek. Ken M’s greatness derives from his subtle trolling method, which is never crude or combative. His apparent cluelessness infuriates others, who don’t seem to get that the joke is on them.
Through it all, Ken M. remains blissfully confused. He never breaks form.
Though he’s often found in the comments on news stories, Ken M.’s Internet stomping grounds are broad. No brand page is safe.
So who is Ken M, and why is Ken M? Reddit’s Upvoted site tracked him down. Kenneth McCarthy is a 35-year-old copywriter for Comedy Central who lives in Brooklyn. It turns out he hadn’t intended to become the world’s best-known troll when he first started popping up in comments sections.
The “Ken M” persona was a reaction to the inanity of comments in places like Yahoo. “I was appalled by the Yahoo comment section. It was such a toxic, shitty space,” McCarthy told Upvoted. His own comments began as an exercise to see just how moronic he could be in return, but he didn’t set out trying to troll, and indeed claims he wasn’t aware of what a troll was when he started. The most notorious and beloved troll in Internet history began by not intentionally trolling, but as an attempt to dispel toxicity. This is a thing of beauty.
McCarthy no longer creates The College Humour Troll column, but is back to commenting for the sheer joy it brings. His favourite targets remain Yahoo spaces and The “humorless and pedantic” Huffington Post commenters. He told Upvoted, “I tried it with Fox News, but that group is such a furious wasp nest.” Primarily, he wants to make people laugh and not take themselves so seriously.
Keep an eye out for Ken M content — you’ll know it by the inane commentary that is funny when you don’t read it with reactionary literalness. And you’ll know it by the trail of confused, self-righteous or angry comments in response to Ken M’s. Don’t get caught.
Have a favourite Ken M thread? Show us in the comments. Ken M would like that.
[/r/KenM [Upvoted]]