"She legit reminds me of Fiona from Shrek" — Keemstar reacts to Hurricane Milton ASL translator going viral for her facial expressions

As Hurricane Milton made headlines for its impact across the southeastern United States, social media is abuzz as Daniel "Keemstar" Keem, popular internet personality and host of DramaAlert, shared his candid reaction to a viral American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter.

On October 10, 2024, Keemstar took to his X account and reflected on the viral clip of an ASL interpreter suggesting that the woman in the clip reminds him of Fiona from Shrek —

"Bro, I’m not even trying to make a joke or be mean in anyway, but she legit reminds me of Fiona from Shrek," Keemstar commented.

During the City of Tampa's live updates on Hurricane Milton, provided by the Florida police, the ASL interpreter went viral for her dynamic expressions and dedication to accurately conveying the urgency of the hurricane updates in sign language.

However, her animated approach sparked mixed reactions, with some accusing her of being insincere or making a joke out of the interpretation —

"Another fake one 😭," one wrote on X.

"Is this really better than a TV monitor that displays the text captions from the broadcast?" a netizen commented.

"Why is moving her tongue like that!? Girl, get off my TV! 😂" a user on X.

"dawg this is part of american sign language… i’m deaf person dead*ss 💀," netizen on X.

However, many users on X responded to the accusations, asserting that the ASL interpreter was doing her job to the best of her ability. Many even pointed out that sign language inherently requires expressive facial expressions to convey a message accurately.

Others, including individuals who had studied sign language in college, supported the interpreter, noting that her approach aligned with proper ASL techniques and demonstrated a correct and effective interpretation —

"ASL is extremely expressive and using facial expressions and body language is normal much like vocal tone and inflections in voice when speaking is normal. I can understand her signing just fine she’s not faking it," one wrote.

"That's how you're supposed to do ASL honestly, I learned it in college. I do that with my face too when I'm signing to deaf people," another on X.

"People might think she’s over-exaggerating, but she’s just communicating effectively," one more on X.

Neither the Florida police nor the sign language interpreter has responded to the online reactions at the time of writing. Meanwhile, Hurricane Milton continues to wreak havoc across the southeastern United States.

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Hurricane Milton unleashes widespread flooding and tornadoes across Florida

On October 9, 2024, at 8:30 pm local time, Hurricane Milton struck near Siesta Key, Florida, as a powerful Category 3 storm. As per NBC News, Siesta Key, a barrier island neighboring Sarasota, faced the brunt of Hurricane Milton’s initial impact.

Moreover, at 3 am local time on Thursday, the center of the storm was located approximately 30 miles southeast of Orlando, boasting maximum sustained winds of 85 mph, categorizing it as a tropical cyclone.

Deanne Criswell spoke to BBC Radio 4's Today programme and suggested that more than 70,000 Floridians are staying in government shelters. She further added that Hurricane Milton has been downgraded to category one but still warned the residents about a considerable storm surge that is predicted due to winds pushing water ashore —

"The wind, even though it’s decreasing, the threats are not decreasing. With the increased amount of rain, with the threat of flash flooding happening, you need to stay put. Don’t go out, try to make sure you’re as safe as possible," Deanne Criswell said.

Moreover, according to NBC News, two deaths have been confirmed in St. Lucie County on Florida's Atlantic coast. Also, the reports suggest that tornados have touched down the sides of Florida.

In addition, around 11 pm local time, more than two million utility customers were without electricity. Therefore, NBC News Lite, a lightweight version of NBC News, has been turned on for readers in Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee who have low internet connections.

According to CBS News, Hurricane Milton is expected to cause flooding in certain areas of Florida's Gulf Coast, with tornadoes and storm surges projected to reach heights of four to seven feet.