Benjamin Hayes Grier (born June 8, 2000) is an American

Internet personality An Internet celebrity (also known as a social media influencer, social media personality, internet personality, or simply influencer) is a celebrity who has acquired or developed their fame and notability through the Internet. The rise of social m ...

. He became known for his popularity on the

Vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselv ...

, a now-defunct video sharing service.

Early life

Grier is the third child of four in his family. His oldest brother,

Will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

, completed his

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

career in 2018 as the starting quarterback for

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State College ...

and was chosen by the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

in the third round of the

2019 NFL Draft The 2019 NFL Draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee. The first round was held on April 2 ...

. He has another older brother, Nash, who is also known for posting videos on

. Grier was a celebrity contestant on the 21st season of ''

Dancing With The Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...

'', partnering with

Emma Slater Emma Slater (born December 25, 1988) is an English-American professional dancer and choreographer. She is best known for her appearances on '' Dancing with the Stars''. Personal life Emma Slater was raised in Tamworth, Staffordshire, England, ...

. Competing at age 15, he is the youngest male contestant to have ever been on the show. On October 26 (Week 7), Grier and Slater were eliminated and finished the competition in 8th place, with the show's co-host,

Tom Bergeron Thomas Raymond Bergeron (born May 6, 1955) is an American television personality, game show host, comedian and actor, best known for hosting ''Hollywood Squares'' from 1998 to 2004, ''America's Funniest Home Videos'' from 2001 to 2015, and ''Danci ...

, remarking that he was "leaving on a night when he excelled." Shortly after leaving the show, Grier signed a deal with

Creative Artists Agency Creative Artists Agency LLC (CAA) is an American talent and sports agency based in Los Angeles, California. It is regarded as an influential company in the talent agency business and manages numerous clients. In March 2016, CAA had 1,800 emplo ...

for media and publishing exposure and announced that he'd be joining the ''Dancing With The Stars Tour'' in early 2015. Hayes is also in the Hulu TV show called '' Freakish'' season one and has a reality show on the app go90 called ''Top Grier''. In November 2016, Grier released his first novel, ''Hollywood Days with Hayes''. In 2017, Verizon renewed ''Top Grier'' for two more seasons. The show revolves around the life of the 17-year old digital influencer and his family and friends.

Personal life

On July 28, 2016 it was reported that Grier was involved in a

dirt bike The six main types of motorcycles are generally recognized as ''standard'', ''cruiser'', ''touring'', ''sports'', ''off-road'', and ''dual-purpose''. ''Sport touring'' is sometimes recognized as a seventh category or integrated with the ''touring' ...

accident and was sent to the hospital. He had several broken bones but was released two days later on July 30. On July 31, 2021, Grier was arrested on outstanding warrants from California. Grier was charged with felony conspiracy, common law robbery, and assault causing serious bodily injury, after allegedly assaulting a man and robbing him of his $1,200 cell phone. The charges were dropped on November 1 due to insufficient evidence.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grier, Hayes Living people People from Mooresville, North Carolina 2000 births American Internet celebrities Vine (service) celebrities Place of birth missing (living people)