7 celebrities who accidentally became memes

Celebrities have always been used to making headlines – but thanks to the age of the internet, they can go viral for a variety of reasons.

Whether it’s tears, a hilarious pose, or a bored look, stars can make the perfect meme template and earn a spot in an online hall of fame.

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Additionally, their reaction to becoming the latest meme can sometimes be just as entertaining as the original joke itself.

Here is a list of various celebrities who have been unexpected:

Ben Affleck

CBS/YouTube

When it comes to accidentally becoming a meme, Ben Affleck has proven he has reach — (though we’re kinda expecting them now).

From Sad Affleck (2016) to Exhausted Affleck Smoking a Cigarette (late 2016) to Dunkin’ Donuts Affleck Juggling His Coffee Order (2020) and Contented Affleck Sitting on a Boat in Paris Dozes” (2022), the actor has a chronicle full of memes about himself.

The last time the actor became a meme was at the 2023 Grammy Awards because he appeared bored as he sat next to his wife Jennifer Lopez at the Feb. 6 event.

Here’s to more Affleck memes in the future.

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan became an unexpected meme in 2009Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Anyone can appreciate a man who gets in touch with his emotions, but for Michael Jordan, that appreciation came in a meme format.

The infamous basketball player’s infamous photo was taken in 2009 by Associated Press photographer Stephan Savoia, who captured a tear-stained Jordan as he prepared to deliver his Hall of Fame speech.

Since then, the image has been used by people to express their sadness.

In 2020, Jordan referenced the meme while delivering an emotional speech at Kobe Bryant’s public memorial service.

“Now he has me. For the next one I’ll have to check out another crying meme…” he said, drawing a huge round of applause.

Chrissy Teigen

At awards shows, emotion can wash over winners and their loved ones — and, in Chrissy Teigen’s case, her tearful reaction to her husband and singer-songwriter John Legend, who won a 2015 Oscar for Best Original Song for his track “Glory” from The Movie Selma made sure it went viral.

Teigen responded to the reaction by tweeting that she didn’t get a chance to practice her “cry face” and was aware that she had become a meme.

She and Legend also had a joke about it on Instagram when they both reenacted the meme.

Emma Roberts

A beachside video of Emma Roberts sparked some hilarious reactions when she posted it to Instagram.

The Scream actor posed on the beach in a green top while swaying to Lana Del Rey’s “Happiness Is a Butterfly.”

At the end of the clip, Roberts, 30, sticks out her tongue and playfully rolls her eyes.

Her video prompted people to create funny captions for the clip, such as “Nobody: The Movie Detective’s Dead Wife in Home Video.”

Roberts was clearly a fan of the answer as she liked and retweeted many memes. She also admitted it had gone viral, saying, “Thank you gays and whoever.”

Keanu Reeves

Keanu shared how his “Sad Keanu” photo on The Stephen Colbert Show came about

We all love Keanu Reeves and it’s only natural that he eventually became a meme.

In this case it was a paparazzi photo in which he was sitting on a bench very sadly.

On The Stephen Colbert Show, the actor revealed the backstory behind the picture when the talk show host shared the photo.

“I’m just eating a sandwich, man!” he explained, to which Colbert asked, “So you’re not really sad in ‘Sad Keanu’?”

“I’ve been thinking,” Keanu replied. “I had a lot going on. I was hungry.”

The photo became an artistic inspiration in the first volume of the BRZRKR comic, which Colbert also featured on the show.

“I didn’t know he was going to do that, but that’s exactly what he did,” Keanu said. “So, I think it’s kind of a meta. That is life in art.”

When asked why he’s a popular meme, Keanu had the best answer: “I have no idea, sir… Really.”

Kris Jenner

Last year, a bait-and-switch trend took over TikTok, using an old video of Kris Jenner and called “Getting Krisss.”

Fake celebrity gossip was seen being posted to lure people in, then suddenly cut to an old video of Jenner playing a sped-up version of the song “Lady Marmalade.”

Jenner’s video is from a self-made music video by the Kardashian family. The family shot the music video for Lady Marmalade in 2011 while filming their annual Christmas card photo.

Jenner gave a truly iconic response to the “You got Krissed” TikTok trend — and fooled people for a moment by jokingly announcing that she’s running for president in 2024.

Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep’s celebrations for Debbie Reynolds were considered SAG Awards to remember

She’s an acting icon, but Meryl Streep also achieved meme status when she was filmed cheering on Debbie Reynolds, who won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2015 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards ceremony.

The image quickly became the perfect template for people to post along with their favorite song lyrics that they enjoy singing along to.

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