COLUMBIA, S.C. — In the early 2000s, Orry Lee Kennedy was a star on the football field at Williston-Elko High School in Williston, South Carolina, a small town in Barnwell County. A little over twenty years later, Kennedy is now starring on social media outlets worldwide as Cornbread Cowboi.
Kennedy, who now lives in Cayce, stopped by WLTX to share his journey to becoming a social media sensation and to discuss where he finds his inspiration.
“I’ve always kind of been a storyteller, entertainer," he said. "Social media is just another avenue to put myself out there.”
Kennedy’s popularity continues to grow. He has over 654,000 Instagram followers and over 227,000 followers on followers Facebook as Cornbread Cowboi.
When COVID-19 left people stuck at home, Kennedy saw an opportunity.
“I saw an audience that I could sort of entertain, the blue-collar, the rural, the 70s, 80s look that I like to dress up as,” he said.
He said he believes his audience is underserved consumers.
“With the storylines I use and, of course, the look I have and the music that I play, I think it tugged at the heartstrings of a lot of people who it reminded them of their dad, uncle, or maybe grandpa,” he said.
He said his rise to stardom happened accidentally, simply by being himself. As Cornbread Cowboi, he became so popular that he had to quit his job to pursue this new career full-time.
Even though this is now Kennedy’s job, he has not forgotten why he started being Cornbread Cowboi.
“I think a sense of humor and bringing joy to people is kind of what I’ve always enjoyed to do. I hope that echoes out to the world,” he said.
Kennedy is set to make his film debut in the upcoming movie "Stranglehold," directed by Clark Duke. This will be his first role on the big screen.