But That's None of My Business
Part of a series on Kermit the Frog. [View Related Entries]
[View Related Sub-entries]
About
"But That's None of My Business" is a sarcastic expression used as a postscript to an insult or disrespectful remark said towards a specific individual or group. The phrase was popularized through an image macro series featuring Kermit the Frog from The Muppets and punchlines poking fun at a wide range of faux-pas and questionable behaviors in everyday social situations, with the meme format also becoming known simply as Kermit Drinking Tea.
Origin
As early as January 2014, Instagram users began posting captioned images of Kermit the Frog with the hashtag “#kermitmemes” (shown below, left).[4] On June 17th, the earliest known Kermit image macro including the phrase “that’s none of my business” was highlighted by the @kermitbelike[5] Instagram feed in a post mocking delusional women described as being "ratchet" (shown below, right).
Spread
On June 20th, the @thatsnoneofmybusinesstho Instagram[3] feed was created, which highlights pictures of Kermit the Frog with "none of my business" captions. In the first four days, the feed gained over 130,000 followers.
On the same day, Twitter users began tweeting jokes using the hashtags #NoneOfMyBusiness and #Kermit, reaching over 19,000 and 11,000 mentions in the first four days respectively according to the Twitter analytics site Topsy.[3]
On June 22nd, 2014, the single topic blog "Kemit the Snitch" was launched on Tumblr,[1] which highlights notable examples from the image macro series. The first post featured a photograph of Kermit the Frog drinking a glass of iced tea with a caption mocking men who wear fake Jordan sneakers (shown below).
On the following day, YouTuber Bugatti Beez uploaded a video of Kermit the Frog reading notable "But Thats None Of My Business" examples (shown below). In the first 24 hours the video gained over 100,000 views and 480 comments.
Various Examples
As of June 2014, there are over 2,100 images uploaded under the tag "kermitmemes" on Instagram.[2]
#TeaLizard
On June 20th, 2016, the meme saw a resurgence when Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James who led the team to earning its first NBA championship title in the franchise history, returned home wearing an “Ultimate Warrior” t-shirt and a cap embroidered with an image of Kermit the Frog sipping tea. That same day, James posted an Instagram of his meme-themed hat alongside the Larry O’Brien Trophy with the caption taunting his critics and skeptics:
On June 21st, LeBron James' fashion statement was picked up by several news sites and sports blogs, including USA Today, Washington Post, GQ, New York Daily News and BarStoolSports, many of which underscored the celebrity athlete's sense of humor. Meanwhile, ABC's Good Morning America (GMA) chimed in on the emerging Crying Lebron photoshop meme with a tweet asking the followers whether it should be counted among the ranks of other well-known memes in the sports world, in which Kermit the Frog's tea-sipping image was mislabeled with the hashtag #tealizard.
In the following hours, GMA's tweet was met with a slew of snide remarks from those who noticed the misnomer #tealizard, as well as media coverage from The Verge, AOL, A.V. Club and Mashable.
Search Interest
External References
[1] Tumblr – Kermit the Snitch
[2] Iconosquare via Wayback Machine – kermitmemes
[3] Topsy – #NoneOfMyBusiness #Kermit
[3] Instagram – thatsnoneofmybusinesstho
[4] Iconosquare via Wayback Machine – dat_satisfying_pancake
[5] Iconosquare – @kermitbelike
[6] ImgFlip – But That's None of My Business
[7] GIPHY – search for But That's None of My Business
[8] Tumblr – Tagged Results for 'But That's None of My Business'
[9] Twitter – Search Results for 'But That's None of My Business'
[10] Imgur – Search Results for 'But That's None of My Business'
[11] Pinterest – Search Results for 'But That's None of My Business'
[12] Uproxx (via Wayback Machine) – These Kermit The Frog “But That’s None Of My Business” Memes Are The New Internet Hotness
[13] Instagram – @KingJames' Instagram
[14] Bleacher Report – LeBron James Rocks Hat with 'None of My Business' Kermit Meme Before Game 7
[15] GQ – LeBron Hilariously Trolled the Warriors With His Outfit
[16] USA Today – LeBron James issues a perfect post-championship response to his critics
[17] New York Daily News – LeBron James wears Kermit sipping tea hat, has message for his haters
[18] BarStoolSports – Whatever Stylist Put Lebron’s Post-Championship Outfit Together Deserves A Huge Raise
[19] Washington Post – LeBron James and Dwyane Wade fire back at critics on Instagram
[20] The Verge – 2014's best meme returns, only to be brutalized by TV morning show
[21] Mediaite – EXCLUSIVE: An ABC Insider Just Gave Us the Scoop on This Morning’s #TeaLizard Phenomenon
[22] Mashable – Some maniac at Good Morning America called Kermit the Frog 'Tea Lizard'
[23] BarStoolSports – Good Morning America Calls The Kermit The Frog Meme The “Tea Lizard”
[24] AOL – #TeaLizard is now a thing -- or so says 'Good Morning America'
[24] AV Club – With #TeaLizard, ABC subjects Kermit The Frog to greater indignity than cancellation
Top Comments
Old Man GigaChad
Jun 25, 2014 at 01:40AM EDT
Jill Moderator
Jun 24, 2014 at 08:17PM EDT