William Knight Explains His Viral ‘There Is No Such Thing as a Coincidence’ Video And Opens Up About His Experience Becoming A Meme

ate last month, TikToker William Knight went viral all around the internet for his video and catchphrase “there is no such thing as a coincidence” that depicted a woman screaming in surprise at him when she interrupted his impromptu recording session in the woods. Within a matter of days after posting it, Knight became the subject of numerous memes and fan art depictions from Twitter to Reddit and beyond.

At the beginning of July, we caught up with Knight to get more details on what exactly happened in the viral video, how he’s been dealing with his newfound internet fame, and also to dig into what his app, Grand Rising, is all about.

Image by @MatiasHannecke

Q: Hey, William. Thanks for sitting down with us. Let’s start off with a quick introduction to let everyone know who you are and what you’re known for on the internet.

A: Grand Rising, my name is William Knight, also known as the “There Is No Such Thing as a Coincidence” meme all over the internet. I am the founder of my manifesting app Grand Rising, and I am now an influencer on a few social media platforms.

Q: Can you explain what the “There Is No Such Thing as a Coincidence” viral video and related memes are and how they’re used?

A: The “There is no such thing as a coincidence” phrase comes from my TikTok videos. I usually plan the monologue in videos but one particular night I just hit record and started the video with “there is no such thing as a coincidence” and went on to talk about using your thoughts to control your reality. That was my first viral video on TikTok so I adopted the phrase in most of my other videos. Another one went viral and I started to see a few memes outside of TikTok where people compared me to vampires, an alien, store employees greeting you, video game characters, and the list goes on.

Q: So in order to provide context on your background as we work our way up to the meme, would you tell us a bit about your backstory? When did you start making content online, and when did you start your TikTok?

A: Becoming a content creator, releasing my own app and becoming a meme has really been a full-circle moment. When I was 14, I had a big YouTube channel where I would review apps and games. My videos were monetized and companies were reaching out to me so that I would review their apps, and I was overwhelmed. This was before the term “YouTuber” was a thing so I switched my focus to school and stopped doing YouTube.

A couple of years later when YouTubers started to get rich and gain large followings, I lived with so much regret. I went to school, worked 9-to-5 jobs and was extremely depressed. I later had a spiritual awakening, and during that awakening, I learned about quantum physics and how we can manipulate the energy around us with just our thoughts. I ended up coming up with my app idea, manifested the app, manifested financial freedom from my 9-to-5 and manifested a successful TikTok to help promote it.

Q: Can you tell me a little bit more about the whole spiritual awakening that you mentioned?

A: So I had a period, a really dark phase in my life, where I was just in a hole hating my life. And just these weird coincidences started to happen. I would see numbers everywhere. I would talk about things and I would see it on TV or a friend would bring it up, just crazy things would happen. I thought I was going crazy. I genuinely thought I was just looking for things and going crazy, and so I would be out in the middle of the woods talking to myself, talking to God or whoever. I said, "If anyone's listening, what is going on? Am I crazy?" And basically, in that instance, a giant tree fell down. I was with my dog and it scared both of us. We ran to our car through the forest as fast as we could.

From that point, I just kinda rode the wave and went with it. I was like, "Okay, if this is real then I wanna find out everything there is to find out." So I started studying Omnism. I started studying quantum physics, law of attraction, different spiritual teachers. I realized there's a whole section about manifesting reality in the bible that was taken out, and I just learned so much knowledge in such a crazy period of time with not having social media. I turned to like a completely different person.

Q: What about the Grand Rising app? Can you tell us a little about that and what it is?

A: Grand Rising is an affirmation app, it sends your phone affirmations throughout the day to remind you to think about your desires. I realized the hardest thing about manifesting was staying consistent and focused on your goal, so Grand Rising helps with that. I had no app developer knowledge or experience, so I wrote my own teachings and affirmations on sticky notes to manifest the completion and success of the app.

Q: So back in December, even before your appearance in memes, your TikTok received notable engagement on your videos. Why do you think people were initially drawn to your content prior to the memes and were you surprised by the response?

A: I believe people resonated with my videos almost immediately because people are starving for knowledge and truth. People were intrigued by my appearance, but most importantly, they fell in love with my message. I was excited but not at all surprised by the early success of my TikTok account. I was heavily using Law of Attraction techniques, and after years of practice, I have it down to a formula that works every time.

Q: As a TikToker, what do you make of the platform itself and its rapid rise to becoming a major source for meme culture? Do you like TikTok or are there some ups and downs of being a creator there?

A: As a creator, I am extremely grateful for TikTok and I love it, but as a consumer, I have mixed feelings. I’ve never laughed so hard and consistently from a social media site, which is amazing because laughter really is medicine. On the other side, it’s extremely addictive and it doesn’t help everyone’s short attention span — if anything, it makes it worse. I have now learned to be conscious of how I use it. I only scroll here and there, and I mostly watch what my friends send me. I always say, “Be a creator not a consumer.” If something is free, you are the product.

Q: Some of the frequently seen comments on your videos early on note your “mesmerizing” or “hypnotic” stare. Is that something you heard before you got into content creation online, or was it more so a specific element you chose to use to draw people in?

A: I started using a really cool filter on my eyes that I was in love with for about a year before I started TikTok. When I joined, I made videos both with and without the filter. I thought it was obvious because the filter glitches all the time, and I had so many videos of my normal eyes, I switched up the color in different videos and I do consistent livestreams with my real eyes, even after all that I still got flooded with comments about people loving my eyes so I embraced it. It’s a fun way to have my teachings and messages spread to more people to the comments about my eyes. Ironically my real eyes are also heavily complimented and a very unique color of brown.

Q: In mid-March, you added the visual effect to one of your videos where it appears that you rapidly turn and slide towards the camera, which many pointed out is similar to an NPC in The Elder Scrolls Oblivion. Do you recall when you first saw one of these comments and how you reacted?

A: I remember when I first started seeing comments of people comparing me to video game characters I would have to Google them to see what they were talking about. It’s interesting to see the diversity of memes they made about me because when I added the filter and I sped up my walk, everyone would compare me to so many different things in media. A lot of video games, The movie Twilight and even Netflix shows. I don’t even remember why I started to glide, I didn’t have any of these references in mind, I was just having fun and being the main character.

Q: About a month before your appearance in memes, The H3 Podcast viewed several of your TikToks during an episode of H3 After Dark. Do you remember when/if you saw this and how you felt about appearing on the show in May?

A: Back in May, I received a flood of comments and DM’s saying they came from the H3 Podcast. This was one of those eery synchronicity moments because I had just started watching the Frenemies podcast on H3 to catch up on Trisha who I met years ago in LA. It was another synchronicity because Trisha also became a meme legend. Seeing my video being talked about by Ethan was the first time I saw myself outside of TikTok and it made me uncomfortable. I couldn’t watch the full video.

There's no such thing as a coincidence🧐🍷 pic.twitter.com/MPRFhu7m6I

— The H3 Podcast (@theh3podcast) May 10, 2021

Q: One noteworthy moment was when the video of the woman yelling at you went viral near the end of June. Can you tell us more about what was going on at that moment and what happened? Was it meant to be comedic or did it just happen randomly?

A: With regards to the screaming woman video, I had never been so shocked to go viral. I genuinely didn't expect that video to blow up the way it did. I almost didn't post it for obvious reasons. The purpose of it was to promote my meditation, but that was interrupted and it was such a shocking moment that I figured people would think that it was fake, and so I sat with that video for a few weeks before I posted it.

So then I posted it and saw that it did really well on TikTok, but I was thinking it was gonna stay on TikTok. All of a sudden, I just kept getting links and messages from friends and people I haven't talked to in years, and they were saying things about how they saw me on all these other platforms, which I didn't even have an account on. I just now made a Twitter account, and all of my friends who have Twitter, every person I knew who has a Twitter was messaging me. So, I was really stunned. I was actually in complete shock. I still am, that's my biggest viral video, and my face was on every single platform. It was very, very crazy.

IM AM DRY HEAVING THE FUCKNG SCREAM pic.twitter.com/qbMmxxT8QR

— sabrina’s inferno (@sab_weenuh) June 22, 2021

Q: So then coinciding with that viral video, memes depicting you began appearing en masse all over the web. Where and when did you first see your likeness featured in memes, and how did you feel about that phenomenon?

A: The first couple of days, I was confused and I didn't even see the humor part for it to be that funny. I started getting people to duet the video, or I started seeing people duetting the video, and they were literally crying. I was still in disbelief. I was like, "Is this that funny?" And it took me a couple of days for me to realize that, "Okay, this must be meant to be. Obviously, there's no such thing as a coincidence." I didn't intend for that one to go viral. I have been manifesting going viral to help spread my message, but I genuinely had plans for it to be in August and it happened sooner than that. So, I really felt like I wasn't ready. I didn't have an Instagram up and running. I didn't have Twitter and my Android app wasn't out yet, and so I was kind of going crazy. I was like, "This wasn't supposed to happen so soon. Why this video of all videos?" It took me a couple of days to realize this was a part of my divine plan and that nothing is a coincidence.

Q: Many of these memes revolve around comparisons between you and video game characters, such as The Elder Scrolls or G-Man from Half-Life. Why do you think people frequently attribute your memes to figures from gaming culture?

A: I’m not sure where the gaming community came from but they went really hard with the memes. Truthfully, I don’t understand the references to over 90 percent of the memes, but I’m glad I resonated with them.

Q: Among your rapid rise to memedom, were you particularly knowledgeable of meme and internet culture, or more so after the fact?

A: Becoming a meme was, again, a crazy full-circle moment. I of course grew up laughing at memes, but something strange happened when I was living in LA. My best friend Jered was visiting town, and while we were walking around Hollywood, a man gave us two free tickets to see Dr. Phil. I was a little bummed because out of all the shows, Dr. Phil would have been last on my list to take him to but we went anyways. We ended up being in the Danielle Bregolis’ episode where we in the audience are shocked and laughing at her and she tells us “Catch me outside, how about that?”

So, I got a first-hand experience of seeing something go completely viral all over the internet. I remember at that moment right when it was happening and right when the show finished 'cause, obviously, we filmed it like a couple of months before they even aired it. I told Jared, "We just witnessed something insane. This is gonna go viral all over YouTube." I didn't expect it to go viral all over the world, but that was my first time really understanding that a meme can really change someone's life and go viral all over. It's a crazy full-circle moment that I became a meme that went viral without even trying. I didn't ever think that my TikToks would be turned into a meme. TikTok is flooded with so many crazy videos, so I never expected my videos to leave TikTok. All these synchronicities definitely show me that this whole reality isn't as real as we think. It's definitely simulation.

Q: I was actually gonna ask you about simulation theory earlier. Do you think synchronicities and simulation theory are related or do you think we're living in a simulation?

A: I think everyone has a different way to call it. People hear “simulation,” and they think The Sims or like a video game. But that theory has been around for thousands of years. Shamans would call it a “mass hallucination.” I look at it as we're all having a joint lucid dream together. When you look at physical matter, you don't actually get anything physical, it's all energy, it's all atoms that are moving. And so, the only thing that's perceiving it as being physical is our consciousness — that's the same thing when we're dreaming. We're asleep, and we're consciously perceiving all these physical experiences, tasting things in our sleep, hearing things, and it's just the same in this world. People think that this is real, but it's not as real as we think.

Q: What about your family and friends? Did they already know the ways of meme culture, and how did they generally react to you becoming a meme?

A: When my friends I haven't talked to in forever started reaching out to me all at the same time that day, it was probably one of the strangest experiences with going viral. It really felt like the Twilight Zone or an episode of Black Mirror. It just all came at the same time saying different things. It just felt weird. It was nice to talk to these people again, I wasn't offended or anything, but it was just a strange feeling. My close friends, they were loving it. They were sending me all these links, laughing and sending me things from platforms that I'm not on. My family actually hasn't brought it up to me. They don't know as much about meme culture. My sister, who's older than me, she calls memes, “mee-mees” still [laughs].

I actually had a moment where I went to a family gathering in the middle of going viral and no one brought it up. There were a lot of young people, like my sister's friends, and no one said anything. Then a couple of days later, my grandma spilled the beans that they were all like watching the videos before I showed up. I felt so uncomfortable, like, "Wow you guys are talking about it, and didn't even ask me about it or like mention it."

Q: Jumping off that, has anybody ever recognized you out in public from the videos since then or come up to you and said anything about it?

A: Yeah, definitely. I was starting to get recognized the past few months before I went really viral, but right when I did, I went to Chipotle and a lot of people were acting weird. I was trying not to be crazy, and I was trying not to think that it was because of me, so I was brushing it off — people's weird looks and weird whispers. So, I'm going through the line in this restaurant and a co-worker comes out from the back and says, "Are you the guy from TikTok?" I just go, "Yeah." And then he starts laughing and everyone's looking at me and smiling. It was the craziest thing. I just grabbed my food and left.

Q: Among the thousands of memes depicting your likeness or catchphrase, do you have any favorite versions or types that you find the funniest?

A: Yeah, it's crazy the number of memes that have come out. There are people who use my phrase, "There's no such thing as a coincidence," and they'll compare it to store employees who come up to you and greet you in the store, and there are people who compare it to video games. I love all the ones that are video memes. My favorite so far has been the one where someone made a video game out of my faces. They created cartoon characters, and it was me from two different videos saying my phrase, and they really went in-depth. It was a really cool video. I've been flooded with fan art on Instagram too. Really beautiful. I love it.

Q: Given the amount of attention your related memes have gotten lately, have you seen an influx of followers or any other significant impacts?

A: It's definitely helped my business and helped me grow a following, and I really am excited for all the people who have followed me. My favorite comment is, "I came for the meme but stayed for the spirituality." And I am so grateful to be energetically aligned with all these new followers, and I'm excited to teach them about the law of attraction and how we create our own reality. I believe there's a reason that my meme went viral, and I'm excited to share that with everyone who is influenced by my memes.

Q: So what’s your plan going forward now? Any upcoming projects or things you have coming up in the near future?

A: Everyone's been asking when the Android app will be available for Grand Rising. That will be out in July at the end of this month, so I'm excited for that. I do have a new project coming out that I'll be announcing in a few weeks, so everyone will have to stay tuned on my TikTok, Instagram and Twitter. I just joined Twitter, so I will be doing all new content for it that's not on my TikTok.

Q: In closing here, we’d like to know more about your overall reflection on the experience of becoming a meme and going viral. How was that phenomenon for people who’ve never experienced something like that?

A: My experience going viral has been really chaotic, I wouldn't say it's for everyone. I know everyone who dreams about it thinks they'll be famous, but it does something to your psychology — seeing yourself and wanting to read things about yourself. It really taught me to be strong and not take things personally. I am extremely grateful for it, and I'm extremely grateful for the person that it has made me. I definitely will always stay humble and just be true to myself.

Q: Thanks again, William. Any final word or closing statement to add before we go?

A: I wanna say thank you so much for having me. I want everyone to remember that there is no such thing as a coincidence, but really ask yourself, "What does that truly mean?" Because that's actually a really deep statement. If you analyze it and ask yourself, "How is that possible?" you'll find answers about reality that aren't really out there in the mainstream media. Stay connected with me on my TikTok, Instagram and Twitter, and I hope everyone has a grand day.

Watch our interview with William Knight for the video version of our discussion below.

William Knight is the founder of the Grand Rising app and a TikToker and influencer known for his viral video There Is No Such Thing As A Coincidence, which became the subject of memes and fan art in June 2021. To keep up with Knight, you can follow him on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter or check out his YouTube channel for more.