About

The I Never Told You This Before Trend, also known as the I've Never Told You This Before Trend or I Never Told You This Before But I Love It When You X, is a social media trend in which two people take turns telling the other person something they "love" about them but have never told them, followed by the person then making that change to themselves before it's their turn. The trend is usually not genuine things they love, instead describing absurd characteristics such as weird eyebrows, clown makeup or no hair, humorously forcing the person to then change themselves to fit the description.

The trend initially appeared among Brazilian and Portuguese-speaking users on YouTube Shorts and TikTok in late July 2026, spreading to other platforms like Instagram Reels in August, with couples, parents and children and pairs of friends participating in it and sharing their examples online as it grew.

Origin

The exact first post to spawn the trend is unknown, but the earliest examples of the I Never Told You This Before Trend began appearing on YouTube sometime in late July 2026 from Brazilian users.

On July 29th, 2026, influencer and YouTuber^[1] Mí Lopes uploaded an early example of the trend with her son, showing the two forcing the other to adopt increasingly absurd traits like face paint, pigtails and facial hair. The upload, titled "I DID THE TREND WITH MY SON; I NEVER TOLD YOU," garnered just over 810 views and 10 likes in two weeks.

Over the following days, the trend received significantly more virality online as prominent creators and influencers from Brazil started participating in it.

For example, on July 30th, YouTuber^[2] Rafael Santos Fc shared a version with him and fellow Brazilian influencer and TikToker Doarda that received over 1.1 million views, 39,000 likes and 210 comments in 12 days.

Spread

In subsequent days and weeks, the I Never Told You This Before Trend continued growing online as it spread from Brazilian social media users to American users and other countries in late July and August 2026. It also spread to platforms like TikTok and Instagram, where it reached new audiences.

For instance, on July 30th, 2026, the YouTube channel Transicionadas uploaded a version with a couple, titled "COUPLE TREND: I never told you this, but I prefer you," that garnered over 37,000 views and 1,000 likes in 12 days.

On August 1st, TikTokers^[3] andy.and.michelle posted a version of them participating in the trend, receiving over 793,500 views and 1,750 comments in 11 days.

Also on August 1st, 2026, TikTok^[4] user larobenz posted another couple version, garnering over 452,000 likes and 2,600 comments in 11 days.

That same day, Instagram^[5] user itsariannetorress shared an example with her boyfriend, receiving roughly 8,300 likes and 40 comments in 11 days.

On August 11th, 2026, TikToker^[6] zhcyt posted another example as the trend continued spreading online in mid-August 2026, garnering over 214,200 likes and 2,470 comments in a day.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References