82-Year-Old Texan Dubbed 'Old Man Steve' Becomes TikTok Sensation

TARRANT COUNTY, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Stephen Austin, 82, is suddenly a social media darling. "I still find it hard to believe. And most of my fans seem to be young people," explained Austin.

The North Texan man was posting fun videos on YouTube and the now defunct video app, Vine. Then there was a suggestion.

"And my nephew said, Uncle Steve you oughta be on TikTok and I said, ok I'll give it a try," said Austin.

(credit: Stephen Austin on TikTok)

He started using the name "Old Man Steve."

"I have 1.4 million on TikTok and I have over 25 million likes on my TikTok videos," said Austin. All by posting 30-second to one-minute long videos of him making a sandwich or cereal in the kitchen or dancing.

"It's not really dancing," Austin laughs.

He does it while mixing in humor and laughter. "Most of the time it's spontaneous. I don't really plan out anything," Austin said.

He could have hardly planned for the whirlwind of attention he's receiving. "Who would think at my age that I would become a kind of celebrity? I mean, I don't get it.... It hasn't changed my life. I don't have an entourage or a bodyguard," said Austin.

But he does get fan email and that's what he says gives him purpose to get in front of the camera.

"I've had some young people write me saying they've had a really bad day and that when they saw one of my videos they smiled and it changed their day," explained Austin.