Netflix's documentary Trainwreck: Storm Area 51 peels back the absurdity of the bizarre Alienstock event and gives us a real look at the chaos and the curious mind behind it all, Matty Roberts.
Matty Roberts, the man behind the viral Storm Area 51 movement, was just a 21-year-old community college student and worked in a vape shop at Valley Plaza Mall when he accidentally triggered a national frenzy in 2019. He lived with his parents in Bakersfield, California, and dreamt of getting a degree in engineering. In his free time, he enjoyed shitposting online and diving into endless rounds of World of Warcraft. Nothing unusual, until the internet turned him into a headline.
Best known for creating the Facebook event that invited millions to search for aliens at the top-secret military base, Roberts quickly became the unlikely face of the internet's most bizarre event. As of 2025, Matty Roberts, now 26, leads a quiet and private life away from the chaos.
Trainwreck: Storm Area 51- The meme that became a movement
Matty Roberst wasn't trying to start a revolution. He just wanted a laugh.
Back in June 2019, while watching a Joe Rogan podcast episode featuring UFO whistleblower Bob Lazar, Matty jokingly created a Facebook event titled Storm Area 51: They Can't Stop All of Us." The Concept? If enough people rushed the secret military base in Nevada, someone was bound to see the aliens.
That was all of it. A meme. A joke. But it blew up, and millions RSVP'd and news outlets covered the unusual event. Even the U.S Air Force issued a warning, and with that, Matty was the face of one of the weirdest viral phenomena of the decade.
Netflix's documentary reveals how the attention quickly spiraled into concern. The FBI showed up at Matty's door, and what was once a joke suddenly turned into an issue of national safety.
Matty tried to pivot the event, and with the possibility that the people might really break into Area 51, he turned the raid into a desert music festival called Alienstock. Due to security concerns, the event was moved from Rachel, Nevada, to Las Vegas, backed by brands like Bud Light and managed by seasoned professionals.
Alienstock wasn't Coachella, but it drew thousands. People came dressed in tinfoil hats and alien costumes, DJs played under neon lights, and conspiracy theorists mingled with influencers.
However, neither Matty Roberts nor his family made any financial benefits from the event. The majority went to the sponsors, and according to the docuseries Trainwreck: Storm Area 51, he made only $1700 by selling t-shirts. After the event, he went back to his job at the Valley Plaza Mall's vape shop.
Trainwreck: Storm Area 51: Where is Matty Roberts now?
As of 2025, Matty Roberts, who is now almost 26 years old, lives a quiet life in Bakersfield. He keeps a low profile, and his private Instagram account has under 1500 followers. His mother, Malinda Ortega, who got featured in Trainwreck: Storm Area 51, continues working as a hairstylist and posts about her professional and personal life on social media often.
Whether remembered as an internet pioneer or a guy who got lucky with a meme, Matty's strange ride of fame proves one thing: in the age of social media and viral content, anyone can go from zero to headline in a matter of hours.
Trainwreck: Storm Area 51 is available to watch on Netflix
Also read: Trainwreck: Storm Area 51 recap – How a meme nearly sparked a military crisis
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