“Joe Byron” TikTok Star Is No Longer Homeless Thanks To Fans & GoFundMe

What do you wanna tell Joe Byron right now?

BYHayley Hynes
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TikTok users all over the world will be happy to know that TJ, the man best known for conning the nickname “Joe Byron” while appearing on Side Talk NYC, is no longer homeless thanks to the over 2,300 people who donated to a GoFundMe campaign created in his honour.

“TJ is a homeless man trying to get his life together and off the streets,” the initial description explained, setting a goal of $5,000. “This will help him get inside and warm place to sleep at night and food to eat. He is sober he just needs a little push.” At the time of publication, more than $35,000 has been raised to help the comedian find a home.


An update video posted to TikTok shows the man saying, “because of you guys out there, my fellow fans and everything – God bless your heart – because TJ, aka Byron, is not on the street anymore! Thank you,” he happily said.

Back when the fundraiser was sitting at $10,000 TJ didn’t hesitate to express his gratitude, so we can only imagine how much it’s grown since then. “Hey, my people. Thank you so much. I love you guys. But remember, you do make a difference,” he said in a video uploaded earlier this month.

“I never thought a dumb idiot like me would be this popular. But, you know what, I’m not the popular one. You guys are. And thank you for the new pad I’m gonna get because of all your givings. All the givings you gave me overnight. I made over $10 million…$10,000, sorry. I got a little excited, I jumped the gun,” he said with a laugh.

Check out some of the best moments from Side Talk NYC in the clip below.


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About The Author
Hayley Hynes is the former Weekend Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop, she stepped down after two years in 2024 to pursue other creative opportunities but remains on staff part-time to cover music, gossip, and pop culture news. Currently, she contributes similar content on Blavity and 21Ninety, as well as on her personal blog where she also offers tarot/astrology services. Hayley resides on the western side of Canada, previously spending a year in Vancouver to study Fashion Marketing at Blanche Macdonald Centre and Journalism at Mount Royal University in Calgary before that. She's passionate about helping others heal through storytelling, and shares much more about her life on Instagram @hayleyhynes.