ST. BERNARD PARISH, La. (KLFY) – Most people know Tessica Brown as the “Gorilla Glue Girl,” but that’s not all she is. The Louisiana native is a mother and says her passion lies in her daycare center and dance team. Fittingly, she also now owns a haircare line.

Everything changed drastically for Brown when she posted a video on TikTok about her hair in February of 2021. In the video, she explains that her hair was stuck after using Gorilla Glue in a pinch because she ran out of her hairspray.

“My hair has been like this for about a month now. It’s not by choice,” she said. The video now has over 50 million views and Brown became known as “Gorilla Glue Girl.”

“I didn’t think for one second it was going to go the way it did.”

Brown had to fly to Los Angeles to have her hair and scalp fixed by a plastic surgeon. She wants people to know her identity goes beyond one viral video.

“I’m a daycare provider,” Brown said, “and I have my own dance team. I was already known here.”

Internet fame for Brown came with pros and cons. She’s been interviewed by the likes of Wendy Williams, and both Porsha Williams and The View sent her wigs. Some of those experiences were great, but she said she’s also received a lot of hate and some threats. One person sent her a letter with a picture of a severed head.

Through everything, the mishap did also bring positivity and inspired career moves for Brown. She launched a hair care line, has been recognized on the street, and even released a song.

She said she’s thankful overall, and that even if she hadn’t gone viral from the Gorilla Glue incident, she believes something else would have happened to put her in the spotlight. “God does things for a reason,” said Brown.

As for any lessons learned over the last year, Brown said, “All I can say is, don’t use Gorilla Glue on your hair.”

Brown wants people to know that despite rumors that have circulated, she’s alive and well. She was also very candid about a miscarriage that she had, and has been a little exhausted by the pressure to answer people’s questions about what happened. Brown shared she is trying for another baby.