‘Damn, Daniel’ Video: How Daniel Lara Made Viral Video, Got ‘Swatted’ And Earned $300K For His Vans

The Internet has exploded with an unlikely viral hit – a 30-second video of a California teen walking around his high school while his friend follows him around, commenting the same thing over and over again: “Damn, Daniel.”

“Damn, Daniel” Video

The video, which stars Daniel Lara, has been retweeted 292,197 times and liked 372,858 times in just over a week.

Companies like Vans, Clorox, and AXE have jumped on the video’s bandwagon and have added it to their advertising campaigns.

VANS tweeted, “When you’re done getting ‘back at it with the white Vans’… | art by @MichaelCHsiung,” with a video showing a bear covering white Vans in different colored paints.

When you’re done getting ‘back at it with the white Vans’… | art by @MichaelCHsiungpic.twitter.com/9USszOI9a8

— Vans (@VANS_66) February 19, 2016

Clorox also tweeted a pair of mud-covered white shoes with the caption, “Whatever happens to those white shoes @Daniel_laraa, just know that we’ve got your back. #DamnDaniel #BackAtItAgain.”

Whatever happens to those white shoes @Daniel_laraa, just know that we’ve got your back. #DamnDaniel#BackAtItAgainpic.twitter.com/0pIiH2EHln

— Clorox (@Clorox) February 18, 2016

AXE also credited the viral video to their tweet, “Daaaaamn Daniel. I mean daaaaamn. Seriously though. Damn, you’ve got the style. #FindYourMagic”

Daaaaamn Daniel. I mean daaaaamn. Seriously though. Damn, you’ve got the style. #FindYourMagic pic.twitter.com/gOmf24nWKt

— AXE (@AXE) February 19, 2016

On Ebay, there are currently 937 listings categorized under “damn daniel vans.” One pair even hit the $300,000 mark with 83 bidders.

On a darker note, Lara was the victim of “swatting,” an incident where the police are called for a bogus crime report. The call prompted police to swarm his family’s Riverside home. The call claimed that someone had shot their mother with an AK-47. The family cooperated with authorities and were cleared of any wrongdoing.