Man Famous for Playing Dead on TikTok Plays Dead on ‘CSI: Vegas’

Josh Nally’s dedication to playing dead has given life to a new career – as a TV actor.

After hosting a creepy TikTok account filled with numerous videos of himself looking “lifeless,” the 42-year-old Kentucky restaurant manager will appear as a dead man in an upcoming episode of CSI: Vegas.

“I want to thank CSI: Vegas for being a part of it,” Nally says in a celebratory TikTok video. “It really is an amazing experience.”

Nally has built up an enviable following on his TikTok account @living_dead_josh, where he regularly posts videos of himself looking lifeless. In the videos, the bearded, casually dressed Niley lies motionless – often in wooded areas, but also in swimming pools, beds and bars. The account currently has more than 118,000 followers and Nalley’s videos have garnered over 4 million likes.

“Over the past year, you’ll be commenting, liking, sharing, and following me,” Nally says on TikTok. “Without your will, I couldn’t have done it.” He ends the video by popping a bottle of champagne.

Neily told the Louisville Courier Journal that he decided to go full possum after seeing a TikToker post about hot sauce, attracting the attention of several hot sauce companies.

“I thought if I was creative enough playing an inanimate person, I could get the attention of a TV show or a movie production company,” he told the paper, “and how about that, it worked.”

CBS liked what they saw in Nalley’s videos and offered him the role. He traveled to California and CBS producers took him to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, according to the Courier Journal. A TikTok video shows him posing alongside CSI star actress Marg Helgenberger.

@living_dead_josh Tune into the season 2 premiere on September 29th @csicbs #csivegas#cbs#dreamcometrue#goals#fyp#foryoupage♬ Who Are You – The Who

It took Nalley 321 days of initial non-live videos to get his big break. Now that he has accomplished this feat, he still finds reasons to tap into his inner corpse.

“Not alive until the next episode of CSI: Vegas,” he wrote in a recent Tok.

The crime drama CSI: Vegas, a sequel to the long-running series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, premieres in 2021, starring Paula Newsom, Matt Lauria and Mandeep Dillon. CSI: Vegas starring Neilly premieres November 3 on CBS and is directed by Mario Van Peebles.

Nalley recently shared a video commemorating the one-year anniversary of his death-themed videos, and is even selling merchandise online, including a “Cast Josh” t-shirt. He told his followers that he would continue to post on the account. So it looks like fans can count on his spooky videos throughout the spooky season and beyond.