What is the real name of the woman in the Chewbacca Mask Lady viral video?

The real name of the woman in the Chewbacca Mask Lady viral video is Candace Payne.

Payne, a Texas mother, recorded herself laughing in her car while wearing a Chewbacca mask she had bought at Kohl’s. She posted the four-minute video to Facebook on May 19, 2016, with the caption “It’s the simple joys in life....” Her spontaneous laughter quickly made the clip a viral sensation.

The video became one of Facebook’s most-watched live videos, attracting more than 140 million views and over three million reshares within days. Kohl’s rewarded Payne with gift cards, toys, and loyalty points, while Hasbro later made a “Chewbacca Mom” action figure modeled on her.

A common mix-up is calling the character Chewbacca the “Mask Lady.” Chewbacca is the fictional Wookiee represented by the mask; Payne is the real person in the video. She later wrote the memoir Laugh It Up!: Embrace Freedom and Experience Defiant Joy.