An internet star has set a strange new Guinness World Record for stretching and holding his lower lip over his nose — called “gurning” — for longer than anyone else.
Jovante Carter, better known by his online moniker “HolyGxd,” held his lips over his nostrils for a record-breaking 1 minutes and 2 seconds in Milan, Italy, on the set of “Lo Show dei Record,” Guinness announced Wednesday.
He shattered the previous record of 53 seconds set by Shuquan Tang of China on the same television show in 2012.
“We turned up, we did our thing,” he told the crowd as he walked off the stage after receiving his Guinness World Records certificate, which he now boasts on his social media profiles.
The 22-year-old New Orleans native has garnered more than 16.9 million followers on TikTok and another 1.5 million on Instagram over the years by making the absurd face.
“When performing this trick with the face, you can’t breathe,” explained Official Adjudicator Marco Frigatti. “Effectively you need to suspend your breath, and also all the muscles involved get really tired.”
Carter said he discovered his unique talent while in the third grade.
“I was eating lunch and my classmate told me that when I eat, my whole face disappears,” he told Guinness. “He asked me to chew without food, and I chewed, and I did this thing with my face. Everyone laughed obviously, and my teacher went crazy.”
While he now has millions of followers online enjoying his videos, he said he experienced bullying growing up because of the trick and his skinny appearance.
“I decided to turn the tables, show positivity to everyone, and take back control of my uniqueness that was so made fun of,” he said.
“Basically all that I do is try and make people more comfortable with the things that make them different.”
