I was at Disney for 15 years then they let me go - but that's when the magic really happened

A Disney employee who was let go from his job after 15 years became an overnight sensation when his Twitch stream shot him to internet stardom.

Chet Atkins was the voice of Crush the Turtle for Turtle Talk with Crush at EPCOT in Orlando, Florida, but he says Disney 'abruptly' let him go due to an unspecified medical condition that meant he repeatedly missed work.

The lifelong entertainer - who said he misses the job, which had him communicating and improvising with guests as the turtle from Finding Nemo, 'every day' - turned to live streaming video games on Twitch gaining just 101 subscribers and zero views.

But his life changed overnight when TikTok user KindPenguins shared a video of himself live-donating $450 as an act of kindness to Atkins during his stream.

The sweet clip shows the streamer singing a song in-character as Crush when the donation comes in and he gasps: 'I can't tell you what that means to me!'

The clip has since garnered 59.3 million views while Atkins - whose username is chetter72 - has amassed 300,000 subscribers on Twitch and 619,400 on TikTok. 

Upon receiving the donation from KindPenguins, Atkins was visibly shaking and tearing up on the livestream.

He said: 'KindPenguins, what the heck? What the heck? KindPenguins, what are you doing? Oh my gosh. I can't tell you what that means to me. 

'I'm shaking right now. Can you handle that?  Is that OK for you? I don't know want to stress you out.'

Kind Penguins responded: 'Love deserves love.'

Upon request, Atkins will impersonate Crush for his subscribers, whether that be singing 'Happy Hatch Day' or reminding his followers to 'just keep swimming.'  

And the good deeds didn't stop there. 

In an Instagram reel, Atkins unboxed a present from KindPenguins, who sent the streamer a care package including custom made Astro A40 Xbox headphones, decorated with the penguins. The device retails for $130.

Atkins said: 'I want to shout a big thank you to KindPenguins, what am amazing thing he did for me, changed my life for the positive, I'm so thankful for him.'

'I can't tell you what this means to me and what that this community means to me.'

Users in the comments of his streams and social media posts praise Atkins for his positive energy, and share stories of the times their families visited Turtle Talk with Crush

One user commented: 'You probably were our Crush when I took my boys to Disney World.

'I really recognized your voice...Thanks for making my boys dreams come true, dude!'

Another wrote: 'You picked my son out of the crowd as Crush and just made his absolute day many years ago— and it’s one of our favorite memories.'

A third chimed:  'KindPenguins sent me to your page, YOU made me stay.'

The streamer is now getting sponsorships and growing his following day by day.