Where is Cecil Cornish now? All about the Joplin tornado survivor from The Twister: Caught in the Storm
Cecil Cornish, a survivor of the 2011 Joplin tornado, is featured in The Twister: Caught in the Storm. On May 22, 2011, at just 17 years old, he was working at Cherry Berry yogurt shop in Joplin, Missouri, when an EF-5 tornado hit on graduation day. As the storm devastated the town, killing 161 people, Cecil helped customers hide before taking cover himself.
Now, Cecil lives in Joplin with his husband, Landan Cornish. He works as a hairstylist and volunteers with JOMO EQ and PFLAG, helping the LGBTQ+ community. He’s also been a medical marijuana patient since 2022, managing PTSD from the tornado.
The documentary, directed by Alexandra Lacey, shows Cecil's story of survival and growth. It premiered on Netflix on March 19, 2025.
Everything to know about Cecil Cornish
Cecil Cornish was born to Debbie and Charles Cornish on October 31, 1993, in Joplin, Missouri. Coming from a religious family, attending Grace Baptist Church was a regular ritual.
He liked heavy metal music and playing video games like The Legend of Zelda. At Joplin High School, he was a junior in 2011 when the tornado hit and was known for his long hair and quiet personality.
Cecil Cornish experienced a hard time when he found himself gay against his faith, which, over time, he resolved. He graduated in 2012, took a gap year, and then went to cosmetology school for the licensure from 2014 to 2015.
Today, Cecil still lives in Joplin, Missouri, with his husband, Landan Cornish, whom he married on October 10, 2020. He works as a hairstylist at a local salon and runs a small photography side business with Landan, who’s a graphic designer.
Cecil Cornish also helps out at Unity of Joplin, a church that welcomes everyone. Since 2022, he has been open about using medical marijuana to help with anxiety from the tornado. He enjoys spending time with his pets: Pixel, a dog, and Luna, a cat. He stays close to family and friends in Joplin.
The story behind Netflix's The Twister: Caught in the Storm
On May 22, 2011, a huge EF-5 tornado hit Joplin, Missouri, while Cecil Cornish, a 17-year-old junior at Joplin High School, was working at Cherry Berry, a frozen yogurt shop. It was graduation day for seniors, and the town was busy. Around 5:17 p.m., a tornado warning came, and sirens went off at 5:34 p.m.
The storm started west of Joplin at 5:37 p.m. and grew fast, reaching winds over 200 miles per hour. By 5:41 p.m., it tore into the city, about a mile wide, as per NBC26. Cecil noticed the weather turning bad—dark clouds and strong winds.
When the tornado hit, he stayed calm and helped customers get to safety in the back room. The building shook, windows broke, and the roof rattled as the storm passed.
The violent nature of the tornado gave the impression to people that everything would just collapse, but Cecil and others remained safe indoors. In the end, the tornado uprooted 8,000 buildings and took approximately 161 lives in just 38 minutes across Joplin, as reported by NBC26. After it passed, Cecil drove with a coworker to check on his parents.
Their apartment was wrecked, but he later got a text saying they were okay at a hospital. He rushed to find them, seeing the town in ruins like a war zone.
Stay tuned for more news and updates, and watch The Twister: Caught in the Storm on Netflix.
