‘Bacon is good for me’: The surprising life of ‘King Curtis’ now, 20 years after viral meme

Some memes are frankly eternal, and 20 years after “King Curtis” appeared on Wife Swap USA, people are still quoting his iconic line: “Bacon is good for me.”

Way back in 2009, Wife Swap USA featured the Holland family, comprised of parents Ginger and Cliff, son Curtis, and daughter Courtney. With a laidback life and a love of processed food, the reality TV show paired them with their actual nightmare: The Brown family, who ran fitness bootcamps together. 

Upon Joy Brown moving into the Holland household, she quickly became the nemesis of six-year-old Curtis. He adored chicken nuggets, bacon, cheese, and she loved anything green and grown in the ground. Naturally, they clashed in a major way. 

When Joy attempted to throw out what she deemed processed junk, he spoke up with his legendary line: “I want my bacon. I gotta’ tell you something. Bacon is good for me.”

But it didn’t stop there; the rest of Curtis’ meltdown was basically a Shakespearean sonnet. No words since have packed more of a punch. 

“Chicken nuggets is like my family,” he said in one moment, adding in another, “She thinks, out of the blue, she’s a smart little girl that can do whatever she wants. She acts like she’s the queen and we’re the sorry people!”

Credit: Hulu

The cherry on top of the drama was the moment Curtis decided to pack his bags and run away, something we’ve all done at least once when our parents refused to get us Maccies. 

“I am leaving, and you can’t stop me when I’m packing my bags,” he said. “She’s going to try to stop me, but she can’t run in those little high heels. You’ll never see this face again!”

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Curtis ‘bacon is good for me’ Holland is all grown up 

In 2026, nearly 20 years after the eternally viral moment, Curtis Holland is the ripe age of 23. He resides in North Carolina as a welder, and spends most of his time in the outdoors fishing, hunting, and fixing up cars.

Sadly, he’s earned no money from going viral every other day, which surprises me. I thought he’d have a bacon line by now. 

@jessiitolaa

Happy 22nd birthday to my king of a cousin 🫶🏼 #kingcurtis #fyp #baconisgoodforme

♬ King Curtis_Wife Swap – hulu

“We live in a small community, and a lot of people say that I’m the movie star,” he told the New Statesman in 2015. “I mean I don’t have a Twitter but a lot of people say that I’m up there just about every week.”

In the interview, he confirmed what we’re all still wondering 20 years on: “Bacon is still good for me.”

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Featured image credit: Hulu/TikTok