‘Trainwreck: Storm Area 51’ on Netflix: Where Is Matty Roberts Now?

Netflix’s Trainwreck documentary series turned the spotlight on one of the internet’s most infamous meme, with Trainwreck: Storm Area 51.

Directed by Jack Macinnes, this two-part documentary special chronicles the saga of a plan that over a million people would break into the secretive military base, Area 51, which has long been rumored to house aliens from outer space.

It all started with a joke by 20-year-old Matty Roberts, who ran a small Facebook page called “Shitposting because I’m in shambles.” The joke? A Facebook event to “storm Area 51” on September 20, 2019, because “they can’t stop all of us.”

“I just thought it’d be a funny post for my page of 40 followers,” Roberts says in the documentary. “I didn’t think it’d go anywhere.”

The post blew up overnight, with thousands of people RSVP’ing as “Going.” Roberts was delighted, and embraced the short-lived fame that comes with a viral internet post. However, after a visit from the FBI, Roberts called off the event. In the end, less than 200 people showed up to the gates of Area 51, and no one actually tried to storm it. But six years later, what happened to Matty Roberts?

Where is Matty Roberts from Trainwreck: Storm Area 51 now?

Matty Roberts, now 26, lives in Bakersfield, California with his mother, Malinda Ortega, who is also featured in the documentary. You can find him on Instagram, where he’s been posting stories about the Trainwreck documentary.

Roberts took advantage of his few months of internet fame back in 2019 by organizing an EDM music festival, dubbed Alienstock, in Las Vegas, on the day of the “Storm Area 51” event. Roberts reluctantly moved the event from the small Nevada town of Rachel—close to Area 51—to Vegas, due to infrastructure concerns. Another, smaller music festival was still held in Rachel, Nevada.

PornHub sponsored the Alienstock event, ponying up $70,000, and around 10,000 people attended the festival. So, despite rumors it would be the next Fyre Fest, the festival was a success. As seen in the documentary, Roberts got to take the stage to a roaring, cheering crowd. But though he was rich in attention, Roberts made only made $1700 at the festival, from merch sales. To that end, he went back to his job at the vape shop in a local mall. The documentary doesn’t specify whether Roberts still works there today, though the final shot of the film does imply it.

“I’ve just gone through the most surreal, and exciting moment of my life,” Roberts tells the camera at the end of the documentary. And then, one week later, I’m back on the clock at the vape shop.”

But, according to the documentary, the military spent $11 million mobilizing troops and other resources in anticipation of the event. So, hey, at least Roberts ended up in the black!