Doors burst open. Heads whip toward the commotion. A loud voice echoes through the massive lecture hall: “I am the JBL Speaker Kid.” Suddenly, Fetty Wap’s “Again” blares from a large JBL speaker as a student struts down the aisle of Thomas 100, going straight to the front during the professor’s lecture. Phones are pulled out to record as students laugh at the spectacle. However, one question wanders throughout the room, who is this kid?
The Takeover
Thomas 100, one of Penn State’s largest lecture halls, holds over 700 students. Normally, the only sounds are a professor’s lecture, the occasional side conversation or a squeaky chair. However, a new voice has been recently added into the mix, the JBL Speaker Kid. His unexpected disruptions have become well-known amongst Penn State students and have also gone viral on social media.
The JBL Speaker Kid has entered different lectures held in Thomas 100. One notable disruption was during Professor Eric Silver’s Knowing Right From Wrong class during a quiz. As “Again” blasted through the room, a TA quickly escorted him out. Afterwards, Professor Silver asked his students how he should react if the JBL Speaker Kid returned. The conclusion was that he would dance along.
Dancing into Fame
A week later, the doors burst open and the JBL Speaker Kid made his return. However, Professor Silver was ready. Instead of stopping the disruption, he danced. The entire lecture hall erupted into laughter and cheers as both Professor Silver and the JBL Speaker Kid danced together. When interviewed about the spectacle, Professor Silver acknowledges, “It’s really fun to see all the smiling faces, you know, in the room when he does his thing.” Inevitably, this stunt went viral on social media. There was a lot of praise for Professor Silver’s positive approach to the situation. While the small disruption to class was comical, people wondered if the JBL Speaker Kid would return to do something even bigger.
Round Two
Not long after, JBL Speaker Kid graced Professor Silver’s class again, but this time, with karaoke. As Bon Jovi’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” played, the two sang a duet. Most students enjoyed it. When the song ended, Professor Silver turned this disruption into a teaching opportunity. He interviewed the JBL Speaker Kid, now identified as Tyler, asking why he pulls these stunts and what he thinks about those who disapprove. Tyler responded with, “There is a lot of bad things happening, and I think it is important to bring more positivity into the world.” The class cheered their agreement. Professor Silver was glad to tie the moment back to his course material, turning chaos into a teachable lesson.
Will He Strike Again?
After two entertaining interruptions, the question remains, will the JBL Speaker Kid return? Professor Silver seems content with only two appearances. “I’m fine up to this point, we’ve done it, we did it twice, and that’s as far as I wanna go,” he said. Whether or not he barges into Thomas 100 again, the JBL Speaker Kid created a comical disruption for Penn State students.
Were you in class when the JBL Speaker Kid arrived? Have a funny lecture hall story? Share with @VALLEYmag on X!
