Where Does The 'Chandler Bing Hugging A Record' Meme Come From? The Matthew Perry Meme Explained

The sad news about actor Matthew Perry's sudden death last Saturday (10/28) caught fans by surprise after a representative for the actor and a law enforcement source said he apparently drowned at his Pacific Palisades home.

Perry's most memorable character was Chandler Bing from the memorable 90s sitcom Friends, which even after its conclusion, almost two decades ago, still yields a deep appreciation from fans all over the globe.

Chandler's likable traits and expressive behavior inspired a series of memes such as Chandler dancing on things, Marcel's favorite song and the iconic Chandler Bing hugging a record.

This article will explain the origin of Chandler hugging on the album meme that began to be used in several montages on social media.

Where Does The 'Chandler Bing Hugging A Record' Meme Came From?

'Chandler Bing hugging a record' image comes from a scene in the eighth episode of the third season of Friends, titled "The One With the Giant Poking Device," when Chandler breaks up with Janice again. The episode originally aired on November 14th, 1996, and, at the very end of the episode, Chandler hugs a Lionel Richie album while singing with his eyes closed. The video (shown below), amassed over 111,000 views and 4,100 likes since it was uploaded on YouTube on October 6th, 2013, by user @FRIENDSLATINOAMERICA.

How Did 'Chandler Bing Hugging A Record' Became A Meme?

The meme was initially started in 2014 by Tumblr user nothingtolosebutmymind, who posted the earliest known edit of the scene and added an Oasis album (shown below, left). On December 5th, 2018, Tumblr user and fan account ionlyliketaylor posted a Reputation variation that gained over 90 notes in two years (shown below, right).

The meme's repercussion migrated to other social media and even an Instagram page @chandler_holding_ur_fav_album was created to just post variations of the Chandler Bing hugging a record meme. Unfortunately, the page hasn't made new publications since September 2020, but left several photos of Matthew Perry's character embracing different albums, including works by Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Weezer, Rosalía, Kendrick Lamar, Radiohead, Beastie Boys and much more.

For the full history of the "Chandler Bing hugging a record" meme, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.