How Roaring Kitty and Wall Street Bets Shocked the Stock Market

How a guy in a cat T-shirt and a group of Redditors turned Wall Street upside down—and made millions in the process.

Hey there, it’s me, Pennewell! Buckle up, because today we’re diving into a wild, can’t-make-this-up story about a guy with a cat T-shirt, some spreadsheets, and a dream big enough to flip Wall Street on its head.

This isn’t just about stocks or numbers—it’s about how one man’s determination and a Reddit army turned a struggling video game store into the center of a financial frenzy. Think money, memes, and more drama than a soap opera. Let’s get into it.

The World Was Watching

The world was holding its breath.

Stock prices were soaring. Hedge funds were collapsing under the weight of their own bets. Global markets trembled as the rules of the game seemed to shift overnight. News anchors frantically asked the same question: What is happening? Governments launched investigations, and world leaders demanded answers, desperate to understand how this chaos erupted.

And at the center of it all, a single voice prepared to speak.

In a quiet home office, surrounded by unremarkable decorations, a man adjusted his webcam. His setup was simple—a plain desk, a microphone, and a T-shirt with a cartoon cat on it. But as his screen flickered to life, millions of people around the globe stopped what they were doing, waiting for his next move.

This wasn’t a corporate giant. This wasn’t a financial powerhouse. This was Roaring Kitty—a regular guy armed with an idea that would change everything.

Why Does the Stock Market Matter?

Alright, I need you to do something for me. Seriously—stop reading. Look up from this article and take a good, hard look around your classroom. I mean it—count to six while you do it.
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1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6.

Okay, are you back? Good. Now think about everything you just saw. The chairs, the desks, the pencils, the walls, even the floor tiles—every single thing came from a company.

And here’s the wild part: all of those companies are connected to the stock market.

The stock market is a place where people invest in companies by buying small pieces of them, called stocks.

Still with me? Perfect, because now you’re probably wondering: What’s a stock? Great question! Let me explain:

A stock is like owning a tiny slice of pizza. If the pizza grows bigger—yay, extra cheese!—your slice becomes more valuable. If it burns in the oven and even Caseoh wouldn’t eat it, well… your slice isn’t worth much.

When a company does well—more people buy their products, use their apps, or stock up on their snacks—its stock becomes more valuable. If it struggles, the stock loses value.

But here’s the thing: the stock market isn’t just about people getting rich or losing money. It’s the engine that helps companies grow, create jobs, and power economies all over the world. It’s everywhere—woven into the fabric of how the modern world works.

Now imagine what happens when something disrupts that system—when people who the experts call "dumb money" start to use the same strategies as big financial firms to turn everything upside down.

How Roaring Kitty Started a Revolution

Now let me introduce you to Keith Gill. Or, as you’ll come to know him: Roaring Kitty.

Keith wasn’t a billionaire. He wasn’t a CEO. He wasn’t even a Wall Street insider. He was just a regular guy from Massachusetts. (Wait… where even is Massachusetts? Did we spell that right? Oh, it’s the place where they used to burn witches. Anyway, back to the story.)

Keith started making YouTube videos to explain why he thought hedge funds were wrong about GameStop. Hedge funds were betting against GameStop, thinking they could profit by driving the company’s stock price even lower. But Keith saw something different—he believed GameStop was being underestimated.

His videos weren’t flashy—just him, a microphone, and his now-famous kitty T-shirt. He talked about spreadsheets, cracked jokes, and made the stock market feel less intimidating.

And let’s be real: my guy had no rizz. Like, none. One time, he said, “I’m not a cat.” Yeah, we know, bruh.

At first, nobody cared. He had five subscribers. Five. Like, that’s one more than the people sitting at your table right now. My guy couldn’t even get his family to subscribe!

But Keith didn’t give up. He kept posting. Video after video, he shared his research and ideas. And then something incredible happened: a group on Reddit called Wall Street Bets discovered him.

The Revolution Begins

What happened next was nothing short of wild.

GameStop’s stock price skyrocketed—from just $4 to over $300 a share. Hedge funds that bet against the company lost billions, blindsided by a movement fueled by memes, Reddit posts, and a little too much caffeine. Some members of Wall Street Bets made life-changing amounts of money, turning “diamond hands” and “to the moon” into rallying cries heard around the globe.

And here’s where things get really good.

Picture this: financial analysts scrambling to explain how a meme-stock frenzy left them speechless, Reddit threads overflowing with rocket emojis, and hedge funds in full-blown panic mode. Memes were everywhere—cats in suits, GameStop logos on moon rockets, and endless GIFs of "hold the line!" It was like the internet collectively decided to make Wall Street its playground.

And at the center of it all was Roaring Kitty, calm and collected in his T-shirt, proving that with persistence, a little humor, and a lot of spreadsheets, even the most untouchable systems could be shaken up.

Roaring Kitty’s Big Moment

Keith sat calmly at his desk, explaining GameStop’s potential like it was just another day. His $50,000 investment grew to over $30 million. Over time, his net worth climbed to an astonishing $289 million.

To put that in perspective:

• He could buy more than 1000 Teslas with all the upgrades. Then go back the next day and do it again and still have money left over.

• He could afford more than 100 million tacos from Taco Bell.

• Or, he could stock every GameStop in the country with 100+ PS5s

And to think, it all started with five subscribers. Next time you’re staring at your two subscribers—one of them being yourself—don’t feel bad. You don’t even have to say “Skibidi Toilet” five times. Just say what you believe, and who knows? Your channel might blow up too.

Why This Matters

The story of Roaring Kitty and Wall Street Bets isn’t just about money. It’s about how regular people, often dismissed as “dumb money,” stepped into a world dominated by powerful companies and flipped the script. In a stock market where nonprofessionals are expected to fail—or worse, lose everything—they defied expectations and showed what’s possible when strategy and determination meet opportunity.

It’s also a lesson in ambiguity. The stock market is unpredictable, messy, and full of risks, especially for those who aren’t insiders. But it’s in that uncertainty where opportunities are born. Roaring Kitty didn’t have all the answers—he had an idea, a willingness to take a chance, and the courage to embrace the unknown.

In a world where ambiguity can feel overwhelming, his story shows us that sometimes, even those who are underestimated can change the game.

Closing Thought

Roaring Kitty proved that big ideas can come from the most unexpected places. Whether you’re dreaming about stocks, inventing something new, or navigating your own uncertainties, remember: what matters most isn’t where you start—it’s what you believe is possible.

Go off and be great.
– Pennewell