About

Dear Diary… is an image macro series featuring photographs of people scribbling on a page with captions written as if they are penning thoughts in a personal journal.

Origin

As early as October 2010,^[1] a page was launched on the image macro creator website Meme Generator,^[2] featuring a photograph of the former leader of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin with captions depicting him writing thoughts in a diary, many of which contain "OP is a faggot" punchlines (shown below).

Spread

On May 21st, 2011, a "dear diary" image macro was submitted to FunnyJunk^[5] featuring a man writing in a journal while being eaten alive by a crocodile (shown below, left). On February 3rd, 2012, FunnyJunk^[3] user searchia submitted a '60s Spiderman image macro in which the superhero is shown writing on a piece of paper with a pencil (shown below, right). In the first two years, the post gained over 59,000 views and 930 up votes.

On January 25th, 2013, Redditor masterschmo submitted a photograph of a woman writing on a clipboard inside an overturned car titled "Dear diary…" to the /r/pics^[4] subreddit, where it gathered more than 11,000 up votes and 160 comments prior to being archived. On February 19th, 2014, FunnyJunk^[6] user almightybenjamin uploaded a photograph of a woman wearing a low-cut blouse with the caption "Dear diary… / Why won't anyone make eye contact with me?" (shown below, right). In one month, the post accumulated upwards of 26,000 views and 650 up votes.

Notable Examples

Dear Diary, Jackpot

Many image macros featuring the caption "Dear diary, jackpot" have been created in reference to a memorable quote uttered by the character Quagmire in Season 3 Episode 14 of the animated television show Family Guy, originally aired on December 6th, 2001 (shown below).

The images typically feature the discovery of a person in a compromised or inebriated state, which mock Quagmire's sexual deviancy and disturbing behavior.

Jim Acosta Tweets

On June 29th, 2018, Twitter user @neontaster^[7] tweeted "Fun game: Try to preface any Jim Acosta tweet with the words "Dear diary," (shown below). Within four months, the tweet gained over 19,000 likes and 5,300 retweets.

Shortly after, @neontaster^[8] retweeted example tweets by CNN anchor Jim Acosta, claiming the joke "really works" (shown below). The following day, The Daily Wire^[9] published an article highlighting various examples of Twitter users mocking Acosta with "Dear Diary" replies.

On October 18th, Twitter user @justincap_^[10] replied to an Acosta tweet accusing the Trump campaign of playing music too loud for press to do live TV with "Dear Diary…" (shown below, left). Shortly after, @justincap_ tweeted a screenshot of a direct message from Acosta, telling him "Fuck you" (shown below, right).

The following day, Acosta replied to @justincap_'s demand for an apology, saying he thought he was "an old friend from the campaign days" (shown below).^[11]

Donald Trump Tweet

On January 10th, 2019, Acosta posted a video of himself walking along steel slats in McAllen, Texas while criticizing Donald Trump's stance on immigration (shown below).

That day, Trump retweeted the video along with the words "Dear diary…" (shown below, left).^[13] Within 24 hours, the tweet gained over 149,000 likes and 40,100 retweets. Shortly after, Donald Trump Jr. retweeted his father along with the message "OMG this is amazing. #owned" (shown below, right).^[14]

Search Interest

External References