6-Year-Old Vine Celebrity Famous for His Dance Moves Is Now Making $8,000 for Club Appearances

Meet 6-year-old TerRio Harshaw. Originally from Riverdale, Ga., the paunchy child is an unlikely celebrity in most circles. But Harshaw has achieved Internet fame thanks to funny dance moves and the video social network Vine.

Sure, Harshaw is far from a household name, but the kid's "Ooh kill 'em" phrase and dance has been featured in commercials with LeBron James and on the CBS Sports Network. The trend made it online thanks to Harshaw's cousin, Maleek Taylor.

"It all started in June," Taylor recalled to CBSSN. The two were outside playing basketball. "After he made a shot, he just started dancing, and I went to go get my phone."

In the spur of the moment, Taylor shouted "Ooh kill 'em" and Harshaw kept dancing, wiggling his rotund arms in a scooping motion and shaking from side to side.

The heavyset kid quickly rose to fame on Vine, and then beyond. Athletes and celebrities such as Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond, talk show host Arsenio Hall, and St. Louis Rams wide receiver Tavon Austin became fans of Harshaw's dance and catch phrase. He has met LeBron James and Dwyane Wade and heard "Ooh kill 'em" uttered as a SportsCenter punch line.

But this new era of instant fame usually does not come without its issues. An article in the Miami New Times details Harshaw's fortune but also the kid's new schedule and entourage. Harshaw is now managed by Herbert "Dooney" Battle, a 25-year-old who scores the boy four-figure sums to make club appearances. The income and fame have brought Harshaw a renewed sense of self-esteem and his family a bigger home.

"Everyone used to make fun of TerRio for being big, but now people that never ran with us run with us," said his 10-year-old sister, Mikayla.

However, the New Times also reports that the child star's manager was arrested twice on felony charges. The future of Harshaw's education also seems unclear, as the paper says he has "apparently been taken out" of his elementary school and lives part-time with Battle.

The manager paints a different side of the story when talking to the newspaper.

"When he was 2, he was a vegetable for 67 days," Battle said. "He had his tonsils removed, and it went bad. They were going to pull the plug in 48 hours, and then 24 hours into it, he came back."

Others are still worried about the child's welfare, with some signing a Change.org petition to return TerRio to the classroom. Battle contends that Harshaw is "just a happy kid."