Remember Those Viral Memes? See How Their Faces Have Changed!

Grumpy Cat

This has to be one of the most popular memes of all time. Grumpy Cat is one of those memes that we all carry in our back pockets, ready to pull out at the perfect opportunity. For most of us, Grumpy Cat’s expression perfectly captures the dismay of returning to work after a relaxing and fun weekend, but there really isn’t a limit to the number of situations this meme is perfectly suited for. Grumpy Cat’s owner was surprised by how viral this photo of her adorable feline friend became, but they knew Grumpy Cat was one of a kind. Despite his displeased facial expression, this cat lived a wonderful life before sadly passing away in 2019. While physically, Grumpy Cat may be gone from our Earth, he’ll forever be immortalized in the Internet Hall of Fame.

Disaster Girl

Zoe Roth, well-known by her meme-self “Disaster Girl,” is just an ordinary person like you and I. However, her young face is easily recognizable as the star of this hilarious and slightly creepy meme. The picture of Zoe and the burning house was taken by her father, Dave Roth, in January 2004. The local fire department was running a live drill training two blocks away from their home in Mebane, North Carolina, and father and daughter went to check out the action. While watching the fire burn, Dave noticed his daughter smiling devilishly while the house emitted flames and smoke in the background. Dave immediately took a photo and gifted us internet-users with this delightful meme. These days, Zoe accepts her past as a meme star, but mostly she just wants to get into a good college.

Hide The Pain, Harold

Who doesn’t relate to the awkwardly forced smile in the photo on the left? We’ve all had moments where we were forced to hide our pain and put on a fake smile for the world. This meme became a viral sensation in 2011 when Andras Istvan Arato, a Hungarian electrical engineer and model, posed for some stock photos and couldn’t quite get his face to cooperate. Rather than producing a gentle, relaxed smile as he intended, his face seemed to contort in awkwardness. It genuinely looks as though he’s hiding some deep-seated pain, and the internet immediately ran with this picture, transforming it into the meme we all know and love. Andras was a good sport about his face being used for the world of memes, and he’s still a popular figure on social media today.

Side-Eye Chloe

Kids do the darndest things, don’t they? You can never be sure what to expect when you’re dealing with children. Even when you think you can anticipate how they’re going to react, they’re likely to surprise you! YouTuber KAftC uploaded a video on September 12th, 2013, titled “Lily’s Disneyland Surprise… AGAIN,” which is where this iconic meme got its start. The video features two young girls, sisters Lily and Chloe, as their parents surprise them with the news that they’ll be taking a trip to Disneyland. The oldest sister, Lily, breaks into tears of joy. But the star of this meme had a very different reaction to the news. As the camera pans over her face, you see her giving her parents the side-eye with a disturbed look on her face. The meme will forever be a wonderful example of kids unintentionally being hilarious.

Ridiculously Photogenic Guy

Some people have the magical ability to look effortlessly perfect in every picture. Most of us will never understand how they manage to achieve such a superpower, but it’s an enviable skill to be sure. The man in the photo, Zeddie Little, was in the midst of an intense marathon when a friend watching the race snapped this photo. The picture was uploaded in 2012, and it immediately became a viral sensation. Little wasn’t even trying to look so perfect, which is what makes this picture a rarity that needs to be celebrated! However, that might have been a one-off occurrence because other photos of Ridiculously Photogenic Guy came out decidedly less photogenic.

Good Luck Charlie

Does anyone else remember the adorable Disney Channel sitcom Good Luck, Charlie? If you remember this series, then you’ll instantly recognize where the moment that created this meme originated. The actress who played Charlie, Mia Talerico, made this hilarious expression during a scene in the show, and it cracked audiences up! Someone took a screenshot of the moment, posted it online, and set in motion a meme that continues to live on a decade later. Most people use this meme to express utter confusion about something, and we feel that her expression perfectly nails that feeling.

Overly Attached Girlfriend

Anyone can become a star online these days. All you need is one moment that really resonates with audiences and you’ll find yourself the center of more online attention than you know what to do with! This is what happened to Laina Morris in 2012 when she entered a video contest held by Justin Bieber. She gave a passionate and over-the-top rendition of his song “Boyfriend,” which earned her the tag “Overly Attached Girlfriend.” The video was shot while working at a Pack ‘N’ Mall in Denton, Texas, and it exuded so much excitement and energy that it became the perfect meme material. After this video, Laina became pretty popular on YouTube and gathered over a million subscribers on her channel. However, she’s been on a break from YouTube since 2019 to focus on her mental health.

Doge

Ah, the Doge meme! This has to be a favorite of everyone reading this list because it’s certainly one of the most popular memes we’ll be featuring today. The star of the Doge meme is Kabosu, a rescue Shiba Inu pup adopted by Japanese kindergarten teacher Atsuko Sato. Sato posted several photos of her new doggo on February 23rd, 2010, on her personal blog. One of those pictures included the iconic image of Kabosu sitting on a couch while glaring sideways at the camera with his eyebrows raised and his paws politely crossed. The meme became so popular that someone even tried to make a cryptocurrency with his image!

Scumbag Steve

Some people have a natural talent for depicting a certain persona in pictures. That’s the case for Blake Boston, better known by his meme name “Scumbag Steve.” This meme reached virality in 2001, but the picture itself was originally taken in 2006. Susan, Boston’s mother, took a picture of her then 16-year-old son while at their home in Millis, Massachusetts. Boston was wearing a backward-fitted cap and a winter coat with a collar made of fake fur. Combine that with his typical apathetic adolescent expression and we have the perfect meme material. Of course, Boston wasn’t actually a bad kid, but the combination of his outfit and facial expression was simply too much for the internet to resist.

First World Problems Girl

The term “first world problems” has been used regularly since 2005 to describe minor inconveniences in life that aren’t major issues in the grand scheme of things. it was a term that probably wouldn’t have become as popular as it did if not for the “First World Problems Girl” meme. The star of this meme is Silvia Bottini, a 36-year-old Italian model. She’s worked on numerous TV shows and films as an actress after training at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in Los Angeles. However, acting isn’t the most reliable gig in the world, so Silvia sometimes picked up gigs as a model for stock images. That’s where the photo in this meme comes from. Her forlorn expression paired with the tears and her hand placed delicately against her face made Silvia’s stock image the perfect backdrop for this type of meme.

Bad Luck Brian

Bad Luck Brian is one of those memes that will put a smile on your face regardless of what type of day you’ve had. The star of this meme, Kyle Craven, worked to make this picture look as goofy as possible. Kyle Craven and his best friend Ian Davies attended Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron, Ohio. This photo was originally taken for the school’s 2006-2006 yearbook, and Craven was determined to make his picture stand out. He rubbed his face with a sweater to make it look more flushed and threw on the goofiest smile he could manage. His friend Davies uploaded the picture to Reddit on January 23, 2013, and it instantly became an internet sensation. This meme is frequently used to depict someone who can’t catch a break and is used as a symbol for a stroke of hilarious bad luck.

Confused Math Lady

Unless you’re some kind of super genius, math has definitely stumped us all at some point. It’s what makes this meme so relatable and hilarious. We all know that feeling when you’re presented with something that looks like absolute gibberish and the deadened look of confusion on the woman’s face in this meme perfectly captures that feeling. The star of this meme is a Brazilian actress by the name of Renata Sorrah. The picture is actually from a scene in a telenovela she starred in, Senhora do Destino. We’re not sure how Sorrah feels about becoming the face of utter confusion on the internet, but considering she’s an actress, she’s probably pleased to be easily recognizable. Perhaps this meme has even helped her land more roles!

Ermahgerd

Maggie Goldenberger is the name of the young woman responsible for the iconic “Ermahgerd” meme. The phrase “Ermahgerd” is a rhotacized pronunciation of “oh my god,” and it became a very popular way to express excitement and elation after this meme hit the internet. Maggie is holding several books from the children’s horror fiction series Goosebumps in the picture. Apparently, Maggie and her friends created this photo in the fourth or fifth grade during a period when they were playing dress-up frequently. The friends certainly didn’t expect this picture to receive that attention that it did, but Maggie doesn’t seem to mind her internet fame. Her photo on the right shows that she’s grown into a happy, well-adjusted young adult.

Blinking White Guy

The blinking white guy meme has been ubiquitous with moments when internet users need a way to react to something with complete incredulity. Drew Scanlon is the man behind this legendary meme. The moment that captured Drew’s hilarious expression took place during the filming of a two-hour live stream for Unprofessional Fridays – a show by video game website Giant Bomb. Drew was a producer there and occasionally appeared on camera. After several years, Drew finally took to the internet and used his famous face as a force for good. He tweeted a photo of the original image and asked his fellow Twitter users to take a moment to donate to MS research. He raised tens of thousands of dollars, and it wouldn’t have been possible without memes!

Hipster Barista

Dustin Mattson is the face behind the viral “Hipster Barista” meme, which was first uploaded on August 24, 2011. Mattson expressed how he felt about the meme in an interview for Eater Atlanta:
“I do find it discouraging and disappointing that there was so much exposure brought to an attempt at making a joke of a culinary industry and the professional barista. To me, it’s very telling on how we laud farm-to-table food, craft beer, cocktail mixology, but it’s ok to have no respect for the specialty coffee world and the people who are committed to it. On the other hand, the whole thing only makes me want to work harder at my job, make better coffee, serve my customers better, and bring more positive exposure to both the company I work for, the barista profession, and specialty coffee as a whole.”

Gavin

Gavin is a young boy who became an internet sensation when he was still a toddler. While all children are known for making the most hilarious facial expressions at the strangest times, there was something special about the way Gavin expressed himself. He had a knack for giving the camera a look that instantly became a meme, and there are dozens of photos of his unique facial expressions circling the internet for us all to enjoy. Gavin is 12 years old now, but the images of his baby face will remain in the internet world of fame for many years to come. As for how he feels about his younger self’s internet fame? Just check out his shirt! Clearly, he’s cool with it.

Friend-Zone Johnny

Confused Nick Young

Do you recognize the star of this popular meme? Confused Nick Young, also known as Swaggy P, is an NBA basketball player! This image appeared online on July 22, 2014, when YouTuber Cassey Athena uploaded an episode of the web series Thru The Lens. It featured a day in the life of Nick Young and he made this iconic expression during a moment in the show. The meme exploded after Athena uploaded that episode. It became particularly popular on Black Twitter, especially during the Drake and Meek Mill feud.

My Momma Said

Perhaps you were unaware of who the little girl in the popular “My Momma Said” meme is, so you might be shocked to discover that it is none other than rap Goddess Cardi B! Cardi B was already famous when a Twitter user first posted this photo along with its famous caption on July 1st, 2018. Cardi B posted the image on her Instagram the following day with a new caption and the photo snowballed into the world of memes from there. The meme clearly doesn’t bother Cardi B one bit since she’s posted several variations of it on her Instagram account. Thanks for giving us yet another reason to love you, Cardi B!

Lil Terrio

Does anyone else remember the little boy who did the famous “Oh k*ll ’em dance” in the middle of the street? The star of that iconic moment is TerRio Harshaw, better known by his meme-self as Lil Terrio. He was six years old when this moment was captured, and he’s been living his best life ever since. Lil Terrior is still enjoying the online popularity he received from that moment despite nine years having passed since his iconic dance number. Unsurprisingly, Lil Terrio has stayed in the limelight and he continues to make music, tour nightclubs, and engage with his millions of online followers. This meme helped launch his career and Lil Terrio will be forever grateful for that.

Hide Yo Kids, Hide Yo Wife

The origin story of this meme is actually pretty tragic, but we can still appreciate the internet’s need to turn even the saddest moments into something to laugh at. Antoine Dodson, the famous voice and face behind this meme, was being interviewed by a news crew in Huntsville after his sister was sexually assaulted by an unknown intruder who broke into her home. During the interview, Dodson spoke very animatedly and his voice was clearly full of adrenaline as he uttered the phrase that would go down in meme history- “hide yo kids, hide yo wife.” It’s remained one of the most popular memes on the internet, despite more than a decade passing since its first appearance. Antoine seemed to jump on the internet fame ship and became involved in music and acting after this.

Roll Safe

How many times have you seen a friend post about doing something foolish on social media? It’s probably happened a lot and we bet you’ve responded with the “Roll Safe” meme at least one of those times. This meme actually comes from a screenshot of actor Kayode Ewumi in a scene from an ’80s TV show. The meme is meant to demonstrate someone seeing the wisdom in another’s crazy idea. Personally, we love the message of this meme and it appears that it’s been a positive thing for Ewumi. He’s received minor roles in multiple TV series since the meme spread across the internet.