Tom Cruise "Proceed" / Leaning On Tree 4chan Post
Submission 735
Part of a series on 4chan. [View Related Entries]
Tom Cruise "Proceed" / Leaning On Tree 4chan Post
Part of a series on 4chan. [View Related Entries]
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| About • Origin • Spread • Various Examples • Search Interest • External References • Recent Images |
About
The Tom Cruise "Proceed" 4chan Post or Tom Cruise Leaning On Tree is a viral post made to 4chan in 2017 in which an anonymous user shares a blurry photo of actor Tom Cruise leaning against a tree, along with a story claiming that they took the photo after Cruise caught them masturbating in the bushes, Cruise supposedly saying to them, "Proceed." The story is not true, and the image originates from a 2010 post to a German blog. The post garnered viral spread online throughout the 2020s, inspiring memes referencing the post, including recaptions and exploitable edits.
Origin
On April 7th, 2017, a photograph of actor Tom Cruise leaning against a tree, sourced from a July 22nd, 2010, article published on the German blog Eisbachwelle[1] about a trip Cruise took to Munich, Germany, was posted to an unknown board on 4chan. The anonymous user who posted the image wrote in the post:
sometimes I masturbate in bushes in a public park. one day I notice a person behing me. it was tom cruise. all he said was "proceed". I felt uncomfortable and took a picture and left.
On August 7th, 2021, iFunny[2] user fre_sh_avo_ca_do posted a screenshot of the 4chan post, garnering over 32,000 Smiles in four years.
Spread
The post with Tom Cruise leaning on the tree continued to spread throughout the 2020s as it appeared in further reposts and meme edits.
On May 20th, 2022, Redditor u/diablesie reposted the post to the /r/Greentext[3] subreddit, garnering over 2,600 upvotes in three years.
On May 13th, 2025, Instagram[4] user @male reposted the image, garnering over 93,000 likes in five months.
On May 18th, 9GAG[5] user filmarin posted a meme including the post that gained over 80 upvotes in the same span of time.
On November 2nd, Instagram[6] users @trashcanpaul and @houseofgsming co-posted a new variation of the meme with altered text, garnering over 133,000 likes in three days.
The text is taken from an October 31st, 2025, post by X[7] user @pr0spector777, which garnered over 220,000 likes in five days.
Various Examples
Search Interest
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