Two Russian rooftoppers and artists are going viral for climbing the Empire State Building for what might go down as one of the most elaborate wedding proposals of all time.
The couple are Ivan Beerkus and Angela Nikolau, and they’ve inspired a whole lot of strong opinions on social media, with some loving the art of the climb and some finding it all a bit extra.
Here’s what you need to know about their climb and how social media has turned these artists into a meme.
Who Are Angela Nikolau And Ivan Kuznetsov And Did They Really Scale The Empire State Building?
The people who climbed the Empire State Building are Angela Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov, also known as Ivan Beerkus. They’re famous artists and “rooftoppers,” meaning they scale buildings freehand and often take photographs of their climbs.
In 2024, the couple was even the subject of the Netflix documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story, which earned them more widespread notoriety.
On July 1st, 2026, the couple posted a series of photos from the top of the Empire State Building that went viral. In one photo, Nikolau shows off an engagement ring that she received from Beerkus on top of the building.
In another, the two are shown flying a large black flag from the building that reads, “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.”
The newly engaged couple was arrested later that day as the story garnered widespread attention, and further footage of them on top of the building went viral. In the end, they were hit with several charges, including reckless endangerment.
Since then, they’ve posted more photos from the daring climb and become two of the most talked-about people on social media for the day, also inspiring a wave of memes using their image as an exploitable or reference for jokes.
How Are People Reacting To The Empire State Building Climbers?
The Empire State Building climbers quickly went viral and became a massive story online in early July 2026. The couple garnered a lot of praise for the stunt, which many saw as romantic and interesting.
Others were more negative in their reactions, seeing the stunt as dangerous and attention-seeking, and the message on the flag as underwhelming or vapid.
The couple also became the subject of a lot of memes on sites like Reddit and X / Twitter, including memes that joke about their fascinating relationship and share rooftopling hobby, edits of the flag they flew and more.
What Are Some More ‘Empire State Building Climbers’ Memes?
For the full history of the Empire State Building Climbers, be sure to check out Know Your Meme’s encyclopedia entry for more information.