Tay Zonday gave us one of the most iconic videos in YouTube history. But the man behind “Chocolate Rain” has been through way more than most fans ever realized.
On April 23, 2007, Adam Nyerere Bahner — better known by his YouTube moniker — uploaded a nearly five-minute original song called “Chocolate Rain” to the platform. The clip has since pulled in over 142 million views and more than 450,000 comments, making it his most popular video to date. Zonday himself called it a “defining moment” for YouTube.
But the real story behind the viral sensation? Most people have never heard it.
Tay Zonday Had Zero Roadmap for YouTube Fame
After the video blew up, 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 on The Tamron Hall Show in January 2025 and looked back on just how wild those early days were.
“When I did it, there weren’t any breadcrumbs to follow. I couldn’t ask, ‘Well, what did Rebecca Black do? What did other people do at this moment?’” he told Hall. “So it was kind of this moment of new heat. It was also new for YouTube because this was back in the day when Myspace was actually still the biggest thing on social media in 2007.”
In an April 2022 interview with Racket, Zonday got even more specific about the chaos that followed.
“I did dozens of radio interviews over a period of weeks in the summer of 2007. I fielded hundreds of solicitations to coauthor books, sign with major music labels, perform at private events and do brand deals. It was very sudden. My brother helped as a manager-caretaker but we were still overwhelmed,” he said.
Tay Zonday Revealed His Autism Diagnosis
What viewers didn’t know while “Chocolate Rain” was becoming a meme: Zonday he had been diagnosed with Asperger’s (now called autism spectrum disorder) as a teenager, but didn’t yet understand what that meant for his daily life.
“In recent years, I’ve achieved a much better understanding of my psychiatric needs as an autistic adult,” he told Racket. “At the time I went viral in 2007, I didn’t understand the importance of that diagnosis. I was living in a lot of sensory suffering without connecting the dots.”
His recollection of appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! — twice — is raw.
“When the curtain came up on Jimmy Kimmel and the crowd screamed, I wish I was clear that autistic hyperacusis (a neurological pain and fear response to sound) is why I felt crushed and like a ghost in my own body,” he said. Dyspraxia, which he described as “a brain-body disconnect that often correlates with autism,” affected his ability to emote during performances and play the piano.
“Now I have terminology, but for much of my adult life I just suffered silently,” he said.
Tay Zonday Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Tay Zonday Revealed the Meaning of ‘Chocolate Rain’
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 to,” he told Racket. “While the song was going viral in 2007, there didn’t seem to be any space to be serious or polemic.”
Where Is Tay Zonday Now?
Zonday has returned to YouTube periodically to drop original songs and covers, and he regularly posts singing videos on Instagram. But financially? The reality of viral fame hasn’t matched the fantasy. Zonday was remarkably open about his finances with Racket.
“Some Los Angeles years got quite lean financially and my parents bailed me out. A lot of people who get bailed out by family don’t admit it. I have no shame. I don’t believe in meritocracy. I believe in grace and luck. Some months, my family has kept me from being homeless. In fact, my net worth right now is technically negative,” he said.
He shared that he derives modest income from music residuals, voice work, teaching voice-over and Cameo videos, among other sources. And if he could rewind the clock?
“If I was 22 again, I might pursue a nice, boring job at the Social Security Administration. Or maybe I’d become a radiologist. Interpreting scans seems very peaceful. My high school biology teacher told me to become an actuary. I should have listened.”
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