“Leave Britney Alone!” Chris Crocker cries in a YouTube video, as of this writing has been seen more than 8.5 million times.

In an Associated Press article, Chris Crocker himself points out the irony of his sudden exponential rise in fame beyond the usual Internet circles:

Since August, Crocker and 44 Blue Productions, a Studio City, Calif., firm specializing in documentaries and reality programming, have been pitching shows to several networks, including MTV and LOGO, a gay and lesbian channel. Crocker signed on with 44 Blue in May.

“Chris first got on our radar a year ago,” Rasha Drachkovitch, president and co-founder of 44 Blue, said in a statement. 44 Blue considers Crocker “a rebel character that people will find interesting. He’s going to be a TV star.”

Crocker said there wasn’t much interest in him as a reality TV star — until the “Leave Britney Alone” video hit.

“It’s just sad to me it takes a Britney video” to generate mainstream interest, he said.

He initially wasn’t even going to post the Britney video, fearing that it would turn off his usual audience.

“They’re not used to me talking about celebrities,” he said. “I’m glad I posted it now, though, because I’m just giving Britney fans a voice.”

The message is a poignant one; fame and celebrity does not bare one from pain and suffering. As we observe and write about celebrities we can become too detached and apathetic.

Books, essays, and dissertations have been written on the phenomena of our obsession with celebrity; books which have not had the audience Chris Crocker’s message has had in recent days. He further reiterates the irony in a television appearance: