Thay Sunday gave us the most iconic video in YouTube history. But the man behind “Chocolate Rain” has been through more than most fans ever realized.
On April 23, 2007, Adam Nyerere Bahner – better known by his YouTube moniker – uploaded the first approximately five-minute track “Chocolate Rain” to the platform. The clip has attracted over 142 million views and over 450,000 comments, making it his most popular video to date. Zonday himself called it a “defining moment” on YouTube.
But the real story behind the viral sensation? Most people have never heard of it.
Tay Zonday Had Zero Roadmap To YouTube Fame
After the video went viral, Zonday packed up and moved to Los Angeles to pursue opportunities and network. The thing is, there was no playbook for Internet fame in 2007. He appeared The Tamron Hall Show January 2025 and looked back at how brutal those early days were.
“When I did it, there were no crumbs to follow, I couldn’t ask, ‘So what’s going on? Rebecca Black what did i do What did other people do at this time?'” Hall told. It was also new for YouTube because this was back in the day when Myspace was still really a big thing in social media in 2007.”
In an April 2022 interview with Racket, Zonday elaborated further on the chaos that followed.
“I did a lot of radio interviews over a period of weeks in the summer of 2007. I asked for hundreds of contributors’ books, signed with major music labels, did private events and did product deals. It was difficult. My brother helped as a managing director but we were still in awe,” he said.
Tay Zonday Reveals His Autism Diagnosis
What viewers didn’t know when “Chocolate Rain” became a meme: Zonday had been diagnosed with Asperger’s (now called autism spectrum disorder) at a young age, but she didn’t understand what that meant in her daily life.
“In recent years, I’ve gained a better understanding of my psychological needs as an autistic adult,” she told Racket. “When I got infected in 2007, I didn’t understand the importance of this diagnosis. I was living through a lot of suffering without connecting the dots.”
His reminder to come forward Jimmy Kimmel Live! – twice – green.
“When the curtain opened Jimmy Kimmel and the crowd screamed, I wish I was clear that autistic hyperacusis (nerve pain and fear response to sound) is why I felt crushed and like a ghost in my own body,” he said.
“Now I have words, but for most of my life I was an adult and I suffered in silence,” she said.
Thay Sunday
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty ImagesTay Zonday Reveals What ‘Chocolate Rain’ Means
Zonday explained that he wrote “Chocolate Rain” about institutional racism.
“I chose not to discuss ‘chocolate rain’s intended meaning as a ballad about institutional racism until 10 years later in 2017. Maybe it didn’t feel safe,” he told Racket. “When the song was played in 2007, there didn’t seem to be any serious or critical space.”
Where Is Tay Zonday Now?
Zonday has occasionally returned to YouTube to drop original songs and covers, and often posts singing videos on Instagram. But financially? The reality of viral fame does not match the fantasy. Zonday was incredibly open about his finances with Racket.
“Some years in Los Angeles, it’s going down financially and my parents bailed me out. Many people who get bail from the family don’t accept that. I’m not ashamed. I don’t believe in morality. I believe in kindness and luck. For some months, my family prevented me from being homeless. In fact, my income now is bad,” he said.
He revealed that he earns a small income from music credits, voice work, voice-over tutorials and cameo videos, among other sources. And if he can turn back the clock?
“If I were 22 again, I might pursue a nice, boring job at the Social Security Administration. Or maybe I’d be a radiologist. Interpreting scans seems so peaceful. My high school biology teacher told me to be an actuary. I should have listened.
