About

X in the Y, What Will He Do? is a snowclone used in image macros, often utilized to humorously highlight the content of the picture. The format gained notable presence on iFunny, Instagram and certain Reddit communities such as /r/okbuddyretard starting in September 2019, spawning Joker on a TV Show, What Will He Do subformat in October 2019.

Origin

The first known meme of the format is based on a photograph of a duck inside a GameStop store captioned "duck in Game Stop, what will he buy." While the original poster of the meme is unknown, the earliest known repost of the image was made by Facebook^[1] community Lightcel Gaming on September 2nd, 2019. On September 6th, 2019, Redditor^[2] J4yk3 posted the image to /r/okbuddyretard subreddit, where it received over 9,000 upvotes in five months (shown below).

Spread

In the following days, the image was widely circulated online, with multiple reposts on Facebook and Instagram. For example, a September 7th, 2019, repost by Broke Niqqa Society II Facebook^[3] group received over 230 reactions and 60 shares. A same-day repost by iFunny^[4] user DolanJr gained over 1,600 smiles.

In the following weeks, memes following the format gained significant popularity online, particularly in /r/okbuddyretard subreddit, iFunny and Instagram. For example, a September 12th, 2019, meme by Redditor^[5] DankUrethra received over 750 upvotes (shown below, left). A November 9th, 2019, post by Instagram^[6] user @coochei received over 4,500 views and 1,100 likes in two months (shown below, right), with an iFunny^[7] repost by Basilica gaining over 66,100 smiles in the same period.

In numerous examples, the format has been used in conjunction with Just Vibin' captions.

Joker on a TV Show, What Will He Do

Joker on a TV Show, What Will He Do? refers to a series of images in which the 2019 film Joker titular character Joker is edited into various popular talk shows, usually paired with a snowclone caption Joker on X, What Will He Do? The format implies that Joker is intending to murder the host of the show akin to one of the final scenes of the film. The subformat originates from an October 6th, 2019, iFunny post by user Alexios (shown below).^[8]

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References