Wait, Two Influencers Who Tried to Turn Punch The Monkey’s Fame Into Content…Are Black?

If you’ve been keeping up with our coverage, you know that “Punch the Monkey,” the adorable baby macaque whose heartbreaking story crossed both language and geographic boundaries after he was abandoned by his mother and sent to Japan’s Ichikawa City Zoo. His story was so popular that the internet collectively declared, “We ride at dawn” for the tiny monkey.

Like everyone else, Black folks also rode for Punch, which is why it’s so baffling what two Black American influencers allegedly just did for Punch’s viral attention. The New York Times identified them as Reid Jahnai Daysun, a 24-year-old university student, and Neal Jabahri Duan, a 27-year-old singer — two Black creators who allegedly took their shenanigans all the way to Japan.

NBC News shared footage of the Sunday (May 17) incident, which showed a person dressed in a blue suit and an oversized yellow emoji head climbing the enclosure barrier and dropping to ground level. According to the outlet, the emoji costume may be connected to a cryptocurrency group that uses the symbol for their branding. The stunt frightened the troop of about 50 macaques, who scrambled to escape the intruder. According to the NYT, the two men deny doing anything wrong

The disruption hit a particular nerve, considering Punch’s backstory. Now 9 months old, the macaque endured a double dose of rejection. First, he was abandoned by his mother, then he was bullied by other monkeys in the zoo enclosure. He eventually found companionship in a stuffed orangutan that became his only friend. When the zoo began sharing updates of lonely Punch online, millions of viewers tuned in, turning the little macaque and his plushie companion into a viral sensation.

Punch’s story took a happier turn when he began bonding with the other monkeys in his troop and even got a new cuddle buddy, whom fans dubbed his girlfriend.

Despite his heartbreaking beginning, Punch’s stardom has only continued to rise, drawing thousands of visitors to the zoo each day just to catch a glimpse of him playing, toting his plush companions, adapting to social hierarchy, and living a peaceful monkey life.

As for the influencers? Their quest for clout came to a swift halt when they were detained on charges of obstructing zoo operations, according to NBC News. Surely, they should have known better than to disturb the internet’s baby monkey.