On Tuesday, June 22, Joey Janela decided to kill some time by trolling Drake Wuertz by attending the Seminole County School Board Meeting regarding mask mandates for children.
Wuertz has frequented school board meetings, pushing for the county and state to unmask children during the pandemic.
Janela, who entered the meeting late, was disruptive and eventually kicked out. The moment went viral on social media and was picked up by the local news in Florida.
Speaking on The Wrestling Perspective podcast, Janela detailed his experience.
"I was bored and saw [David Bixenspan] tweeting about how he was watching the live YouTube school board meeting about taking the masks off the kids and how it was going to cause some sex trafficking ring and snatching kids up with masks. I don't know what the conspiracy is, but I think it's completely ridiculous. I hit up Bixenspan and said, 'How far is the meeting?' It was 29 minutes (away). I wanted to go to the meeting but I didn't have a proper disguise and I wanted to go overboard with it and do a Sasha Baron Cohen bit. I didn't think I could make it because I wanted props and I wanted to speak. It's 29 minutes, I say to Breet [Lauderdale], 'I'm gonna try to do it.' He said they had been talking for two hours and I wouldn't make it. I asked Bix, 'How long do you think it'll go?' He said there were a lot of speakers to go. I went to Ross, found the first plaid shirt and tan pants I could find and a pair of gas station sunglasses. $36. I found an Orlando baseball cap at Walgreens. I made it in 20 minutes," recalled Janella.
The idea behind the bit was to interrupt Drake while he was speaking, but Janela was a tad bit late and had some trouble getting in. However, Janela still spoke with Drake at the meeting.
"Drake had just spoke, I wanted to interrupt him, but I missed him. I try to get in the door and everything is locked. I see a guard, he opens the door, and say, 'I just got out of work, where is the meeting for the mask mandate?' I run in and wanted to sit by the camera but I messed up. I sat by Drake and wanted to get a selfie. He goes, 'Hi Joey, how ya been?' He knew it was me right away and knew I was there to fuck with him. I said, 'Drake, you wouldn't believe this, I'm a big believer in Christ now. I'm born again and I would like to speak. How can I speak?' He said I had to fill out a form beforehand. 'Ah, shit,'" said Janela.
Despite not being able to interrupt Drake, Janela went on with the bit and managed to work people as a result.
"Some guy, a professor or doctor, starts talking. I'm looking around and people are starting to get disgusted by what he's saying. I start yelling at him, 'Your time is up! Your time is up!' I got directly behind the podium where the camera is and I'm causing such a stir, they change the camera angle so I'm not seen. Some woman sheriff walks up to me and says, 'You spout again, you'll get kicked out.' Do I really want to get arrested for this? I start yelling again, 'I'm just frustrated with this mask bullshit!' and I walk out. I think they are on to me and realize I'm not there for the right reasons. As I'm walking out, there are two guys in suits and a couple of cops. I'm speedwalking through the front door. I jump in my car and there are a flock of people looking at me. I speed away," he recalled. "I hit up [Bixenspan] and was like, 'Did you see me?' He said I wasn't seen at all. I fucked up and blew my opportunity. Later in the night, I posted the selfie and the tweet and the hashtags and it caught fire. Then people pulled clips. I worked Cornette into thinking I was a QAnon guy, not the first time I've worked him, which is why he hates me. There are people that love it and know I'm trolling and there are people who now think I'm a right-wing guy. There are also people who knew I was joking but they hate me so much and say I gave too much attention to Drake and that I could have cost the pro-mask people the meeting. It was a whole shitstorm on social media. Then, I saw the news clip."
In the interest of completeness, I composited the ENHANCED version of @JANELABABY trolling the Seminole County School Board meeting last night with the clip of him shot by WESH-TV’s camera for the best possible Joey Janela Trolling Experience. pic.twitter.com/8vFu5yWm85
— David Bixenspan (@davidbix) June 24, 2021
Janela finished up by saying Drake reached out to him after the meeting.
"I got a text from Drake and he said, 'Nice to talk to you for a short bit, I'm right down the street if you need anything.' I don't know if I worked him into thinking I'm really a born-again Christian guy. Maybe he can convert me. I don't think so. It was fun and people enjoyed that it was ridiculous," said Janela.
Janela ended up auctioning off his "Florida Man" gear. T-shirts and stickers were also sold.
You can find more Janela merchandise by clicking here.
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