About

Y/N and CEO Side Character POVs refer to a TikTok and Instagram Reels trend inspired by fan fiction and BookTok romance tropes that depict a self-insert character (referred to as Y/N or "your name") and a possessive CEO love interest. The trend mocks clichéd romance tropes in which the "Y/N" main character and the CEO flirt with each other overtly in an office setting, from the perspective of a peripheral side character in the story. Another character routinely paired with the "Y/N" love interest character is the Mafia Boss. "Y/N and CEO Side Character POV" memes are typically set to the Dexter piano soundtrack, also used in the James Doakes Suspecting meme.

Origin

"Y/N" or "Your Name" is a typical self-insert name placeholder used in fanfiction to help readers insert their own names and imagine themselves as the lead character in romance stories posted on websites like Archive of Our Own or Wattpad.

One of the earliest notable Y/N and CEO side character POV videos was posted by Instagram^[6] user @i_ambooked on November 15th, 2025. The caption on the video read, "Me on a Sunday working because Y/N didn't deliver anything this week because she was busy working on a 'private project' with the CEO in his office." The post gathered over 55,000 likes in two weeks.

On November 22nd, 2025, TikToker^[1] @dahlwithsomerice posted a video that read, "Me watching Y/N get off work early every day and getting all her work dumped on me be she has 'more important business' with the CEO." The video gathered over 4 million plays and 800,000 likes in a week.

Spread

Several TikTokers posted videos building on the idea of being a side character in Y/N and her love interest's romance, as seen in a November 25th, 2025, TikTok by TikToker^[2] @luh_pov that read, "me pretending not to see y/n below the table while I tried to make the CEO sign the paperwork." The video gathered over 10 million plays and 1.5 million likes in six days.

That same day, TikToker^[3] @moonzi127 posted a IShowSpeed Trying Not to Laugh meme alongside the caption, "me and the rest of the mafia members trying not to laugh when our boss calls Y/N kitten cuz we'll get executed," gathering over 6 million plays and 1 million likes in five days.

Also on November 25th, TikToker^[4] @josukexme posted a video joking about the possessive CEO ripping off her hijab fabric to cover up Y/N's immodest outfit, gathering over 20 million views and 4 million likes in five days.

On November 28th, 2025, X^[5] user @hiscoraline tweeted, "me liking and reposting all the y/n and the ceo mafia boss videos on tiktok coz it’s literally the funniest trend ever," gathering over 98,000 likes in two days.

me liking and reposting all the y/n and the ceo mafia boss videos on tiktok coz it’s literally the funniest trend ever
pic.twitter.com/wHvqcZUG2I

— Nora❦ (@hiscoraline) November 28, 2025

CEO and Y/N "Plot Armor On" Webtoon by @Erykistired

In late November 2025, artist @Erykistired asserted that their Webtoon^[7] "Plot Armor On" was being traced without credit for a number of "Y/N and CEO" memes on TikTok.

On November 29th, @Erykistired tweeted,^[8] "I understand that once something becomes a meme it’s sort of public domain, but I still want everyone doing this trend to credit me if they reference a piece of art from me that’s not a meme," showing examples of their artwork being coopted and gathering over 18,000 likes in two days.

Various Examples

Search Interest

Unavailable.

External References