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Where Is The 'Matthew McConaughey Smoking' Meme From? The 'Rust Cohle Smoking' Meme Explained
It has been more than a decade since Matthew McConaughey starred in the iconic American mystery-thriller television series True Detective, leaving a legacy of memes and reactions images behind, like the well-known "Matthew McConaughey Smoking" meme, also known as "Rust Cohle Smoking."
The meme features a memorable image of McConaughey's character aggressively smoking a cigarette, which was fairly relatable for many netizens, turning the scene into a go-to reaction image online, used to express feelings of intense tension, anxiety or deep thought.
Let’s take a closer look at where this meme comes from and how it has become one of True Detective's most memorable memes.
Where Is The 'Matthew McConaughey Smoking' Meme From?
The meme originates from the fourth episode of True Detective's first season, titled "Who Goes There," which aired on February 9, 2014. In this episode, Rust Cohle, portrayed by McConaughey, goes undercover and has to use an illegal substance to maintain his disguise.
In one particular moment, he takes a long drag from his cigarette, capturing a moment of deep contemplation and tension of the situation he's in.
A few years later, in January 2016, YouTuber Ακάλυπτος Ανδρέας posted the clip of the Rust Cohle Smoking scene to the site.
How Did The 'Matthew McConaughey Smoking' Meme Start?
The meme began to gain traction approximately a year after the scene aired on TV, in April 2015, when X user @rustcohle95 shared a screenshot of the moment, captioning it, "Trying to resist watching the leaked Game of Thrones episodes." This tweet sparked interest, leading to more users referencing the image.
The popularity of the meme continued to grow over almost a decade, particularly on Reddit. For instance, in April 2017, a Redditor shared the smoking image alongside a post about the MOAB bomb.
How Is The 'Matthew McConaughey Smoking' Meme Used?
The "Matthew McConaughey Smoking" meme has quite a versatile usage as a reaction image and image macro, being mostly shared to convey feelings of tension, worry or deep contemplation. It's often utilized in scenarios where someone is trying hard to resist temptation or is caught in a moment of significant stress.
For instance, in November 2019, Redditor lacanderson shared an edited version in which the McConaughey has a phone in his hand and the caption reads, "The guy who killed Epstein looking at all the #epsteindidntkillhimself memes."
For the full history of Matthew McConaughey Smoking, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.
