MILAN, ITALY: Gurning is described by Oxford Reference as "competitive making of grotesque faces." Internet star Jovante Carter set a new Guinness World Record for gurning by stretching and holding his lower lip over his nose longer than any other person.
Guinness announced on October 11 that Carter, better known by his online moniker 'HolyGxd,' held his lips over his nostrils for a record-breaking 1 minute and 2 seconds on the sets of 'Lo Show dei Record.'
The previous record that Carter broke was set on the same television show in 2012 by Shuquan Tang of China, who had performed the feat for 53 seconds.
What is Jovante Carter's claim to fame?
Carter, a 22-year-old from New Orleans, has built up his popularity on social media over the years by making weird faces. He has garnered more than 16.9 million followers on TikTok and another 1.5 million on Instagram.
'HolyGxd' now boasts his Guinness World Records certificate on his social media profiles. While walking off the stage after setting the new record, Carter told the crowd, "We turned up, we did our thing."
Official adjudicator Marco Frigatti explained, "When performing this trick with the face, you can’t breathe. Effectively you need to suspend your breath, and also all the muscles involved get really tired.”
When did Jovante Carter discover his gurning skill?
Carter stated that he discovered his unique talent while in the third grade, according to the New York Post.
Speaking to Guinness, Carter said, "I was eating lunch and my classmate told me that when I eat, my whole face disappears. 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.”
Although 'HolyGxd' has millions of followers enjoying his videos on the Internet at present, Carter revealed that he used to be bullied while 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. Basically, all that I do is try and make people more comfortable with the things that make them different," he exclaimed.
