Pauline Kana just turned a wildly fun concert stunt into a genuine feel-good story. The 99-year-old, who is better known online as “Gangster Granny,” officially set the Guinness World Record for the oldest person to crowd surf after joining Brantley Gilbert onstage at a concert in Bellville, Texas, and riding over the audience with the help of a crowd and a gurney-like platform.
According to Guinness World Records, Kana achieved the mark at 99 years and 274 days old on May 2, 2026. Guinness confirmed that she crowd-surfed over multiple rows of people at Gilbert’s concert, making her the new record holder in one of the most unexpected categories imaginable.
The moment was captured in a video shared by Brantley Gilbert and Kana’s grandson Ross Smith, whose viral videos with his grandmother have made her a social media favorite for years. In the clip, Gilbert introduced her to the crowd and told fans that Granny was about to become the oldest woman to crowd surf. The audience then broke into a loud “Granny! Granny! Granny!” chant as she moved over the crowd.
After the crowd-surfing run, Gilbert told Kana, “That was awesome,” while Smith later wrote that he still had chills hearing the audience chant her name. He called the whole moment an “iconic and funny moment” and thanked the roughly 20,000 people who helped make it happen.
Kana herself ended the whole experience with a line that fit the moment perfectly. After receiving her Guinness certificate, she laughed and said, “I’m the greatest of all time!”
What makes the story especially sweet is that Kana’s fame did not begin with this record. She first went viral years ago through Ross Smith’s comedy videos, which helped introduce her to millions of followers online. Guinness and other coverage note that Smith’s audience now numbers in the tens of millions across social platforms, and Kana has become beloved for her humor, openness, and willingness to try just about anything.
That is why this record feels bigger than a novelty stunt. It is a reminder that joy does not have an age limit. Kana’s crowd-surfing moment was funny, surprising, and genuinely uplifting, but it also showed how a room full of strangers can come together to celebrate someone simply because she showed up ready to have a great time.
At a time when concert moments often disappear as quickly as they happen, Pauline Kana’s record stands out because it feels warm, human, and unforgettable. She did not just set a world record — she gave an entire crowd, and everyone watching online, a reason to smile.
