About

X is so hot right now is a memorable quote uttered by the character Mugatu in the 2001 comedy film Zoolander. Online, people use the phrase to describe something that is trending or popular in image macros that feature a shot from the film in which Mugatu says the line.

Origin

On September 28th, 2001, Paramount Picture released the film Zoolander in the United States.^[1] In the film, the character Muagtu (portrayed by Will Ferrell) says, "That Hansel's so hot right now," to actor Mila Jovovich when the character Hansel (portrayed by Owen Wilson) enters the film.

While it's unclear when the meme was first shared, the earliest available example is a remix posted by YouTuber guydudeperson4 on September 21st, 2010. The post received more than 204,000 views in about 10 years (shown below).

Spread

In the 2010s, image macros of Mugatu saying the line grew in usage. For example, in 2014, one memer used the quote to joke about the popularity of the social media app Ello (shown below, left).

On July 31st, 2015 by Redditor Not_A_Bold_Username posed the meme in the /r/AdviceAnimals ^[2] subreddit. The meme features the caption, "Leaving kids in cars so hot right now." The post received more than 10,000 points (83% upvoted) and 115 comments in less than six years (shown below, center).

Many continued using the meme throughout the decade. On July 2nd, 2019, Redditor chrisrayn shared a variation in the /r/AdviceAnimals^[3] subreddit, hwere it received more than 36,000 points (90% upvoted) and 265 comments in less than two years (shown below, right).

Various Examples

Search Interest

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External References