Remember ‘Alex from Target’? All About the Former Internet Star’s Quiet Life Now (Exclusive)

“I grew up very quickly. I learned a lot about people,” the onetime Internet sensation tells PEOPLE of the ups and downs he experienced

In November of 2014, 16-year-old Lee was living a “typical” high school life; going to school and working part-time at his local Target in Frisco, Texas. It was only two months into working the checkout line that Lee was photographed by a teenage girl from a nearby high school, who was impressed by his looks.

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Remember ‘Alex from Target’? All About the Former Internet Star’s Quiet Life Now (Exclusive)
“I grew up very quickly. I learned a lot about people,” the onetime Internet sensation tells PEOPLE of the ups and downs he experienced

By Lizzie Hyman Published on April 26, 2024 12:24PM EDT
Alex Lee appears on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” Nov. 5, 2014.; “Alex from Target”
‘Alex from Target,’ a.k.a. Alex Lee, in 2014 and 2024. PHOTO: MICHAEL ROZMAN/WARNER BROS;
Can one photograph change a person’s life? If you ask Alex Lee, the answer is yes.

In November of 2014, 16-year-old Lee was living a “typical” high school life; going to school and working part-time at his local Target in Frisco, Texas. It was only two months into working the checkout line that Lee was photographed by a teenage girl from a nearby high school, who was impressed by his looks.

“I had no idea it was being taken,” the now 26-year-old tells PEOPLE about the photograph, which was posted on Twitter that day and led to an influx of messages and followers on social media. “My phone, an old Samsung Galaxy, blew up with text messages and notifications because my number had been leaked,” he says. “My phone stopped working.”

Lee, who went from 15 Twitter followers to 650,000 in a week — along with a whopping 2 million Instagram followers — was quickly contacted by Ellen DeGeneres’ team, hoping to get the new Internet sensation on her show. “I was not very active on social media, so I had no idea who Ellen was,” Lee admits, laughing. “But a couple days later I was traveling to California to go on the show.”