TikToker Jovante Carter knew he had a special talent when it came to maneuvering certain facial muscles, and he flew all the way to Italy to prove it in front of a panel of official adjudicators from the Guinness Book of World Records.

Known by his online moniker “HolyGxd” on Instagram and TikTok, he's amassed over a million followers with his funny face - but this week, he earned himself a place in the books with what makes him so unique. The New Orleans native has broken the Guinness World record for the longest time spent with the lower lip covering the nostril, known as 'gurning,' clocking a time of 1 min 2 sec.

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An internet star has set a strange new Guinness World Record for stretching and holding his lower lip over his nose — called “gurning” — for longer than anyone else (
Image:
Guinness World Records/Youtube)

In doing this, he also shattered the previous record, set by Shuquan Tang, from China, who previously held his lip over his nostril for 53 seconds when appearing on the set of Lo Show dei Record, an Italian daytime show, back in 2012. Carter appeared on the Italian TV show as it has turned out to be the place where you go to break the gurning record.

An amazing talent that's actually taken quite a few places by storm, some people compete to see who can do this the longest while other compete for who can make the most bizarre face (
Image:
Guinness World Records/Youtube)


While the face looks absurd, it's actually quite difficult. “When performing this trick with the face, you can’t breathe,” explained Official Adjudicator Marco Frigatti. “Effectively, you need to suspend your breath, and also, all the muscles involved get really tired.” Carter says he discovered his talent for gurning while in the third grade.
Jovante Carter, better known by his online moniker “HolyGxd,” made this face for 1 minute and 23 seconds - longer than anyone else (
Image:
Guinness World Records/Youtube)

“I was eating lunch and my classmate told me that when I eat, my whole face disappears,” he told Guinness. “He asked me to chew without food, and I chewed, and I did this thing with my face. Everyone laughed, obviously, and my teacher went crazy.” He added that he was frequently bullied for his 'skinny' appearance and that his TikTok is all about showcasing that which makes you so special.

“I decided to turn the tables, show positivity to everyone, and take back control of my uniqueness that was so made fun of,” he said. “Basically all that I do is try and make people more comfortable with the things that make them different.”

While Carter certainly exceeds at this talent, he's not the only one who does it competitively. The UK is famous for a gurning championship that happens annually, and, according to TopEndSports.com, "Gurning competitions are thought to have originated in 1297 at the Egremont Crab Fair, in the UK, named after the crab apple, which are pretty sour."