Where Did The Phrase 'White Boy Summer' Originate? Chet Hank's Catchphrase Explained

When Megan Thee Stallion dropped "Hot Girl Summer" back in 2019, she did not know the dust storm her track would kick up nearly two years later. Chet Hanks, the strangest of Hollywood actor Tom Hanks's kids, made it his single-minded goal to make "White Boy Summer" a thing the year that the pandemic first began to ease up.

The mock movement spawned memes and jokes all through March 2021, with Chet Hanks doing his best to rally people to his cause. A parody song and two summers later, Chet Hanks is back in 2024 trying to demystify the signs he has been seeing that have led him to believe that White Boy Summer is back in a bigger way than ever. Here's a history lesson on the origins of the phrase and how it has evolved over the years.

Where Did The Catchphrase 'White Boy Summer' Originate?

Megan Thee Stallion's 2019 hit Hot Girl Summer acted as fuel for the patios-spitting tattooed-up middle child of Hollywood actor Tom Hanks in the spring of 2021. Chet Hanks, who first went viral of making some disparaging comments about his famous dad, took to his Instagram one day to drop some wisdom about what he thinks the world has planned for 2021.

Chet Hanks posted a video from his car talking about how he has a feeling that "this summer is about to be a white boy summer." Hanks prattled off a list of his muses ("me, Jon B, Jack Harlow") but made sure to clarify that he did not mean "Trump" or "you know, NASCAR type white" people.

How Did The Message Of "White Boy Summer" Spread Online?

Chet Hank's video was reposted across the internet, and caused quite a kerfuffle on sites like Reddit and Twitter. While many seemed to find Hank's clear attempts to embody Black swagger funny, others found it borderline endearing. Jokes about what a "White Boy Summer" would look like began to spread, with people citing everyone from Glenn Howerton to David Lynch to give shape to the mock movement.

What Does Chet Hanks Have To Say About Summer 2024?

As it turns out, Chet Hanks is not quite through with anticipating White Boy Summer, launching an Instagram post in late May to announce yet another "White Boy Summer." He made cryptic references to "signs" he saw that pointing to the onset of WBS, including a message he read in his own shadow, groundhog style.

For the full history of White Boy Summer, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.