The true story behind one of the internet’s most recognisable memes has been uncovered.
We’ve all seen the picture of the lad with the strained expression where his veins are literally popping out of his forehead.
Lots of people assumed the guy was holding in a fart while sitting next to a ‘cute girl’, but it turns out that this isn’t actually the case.
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The guy in the infamous clip is named Michael McGee and his journey to internet viral fame began back in 2013.
Speaking recently to BuzzFeed Video, he explained how he and his best friend Matthew Rosero, who took the picture, were known as being close pals in school and they had a reputation for being funny.
Rosero said it was the week the ‘booty had me like’ memes were going viral on Twitter and he began thinking of a way to jump in on the trend.
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Having noticed that his friend McGee had a pesky forehead vein which always bulge out when he laughed or made a strained expression.
The trio were in the same algebra class, which is more than enough of a reason to look the way McGee does in the picture. The girl in the background is identified as BuzzFeedVideo only as Amber, who McGee admitted he once had a crush on.
Naturally, Rosero asked his mate: “Yo mate, make your veins bulge out real quick and let me take a picture."
McGee was cool with it and held his breath and ‘flexed’ his neck and head, which ‘killed’ some of his brain cells because he cut his body off from its oxygen supply for the snap.
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“It’s not the smartest thing to do,” he quipped.
“I saw him making the face and I was like ‘what is he doing?’" Amber recalled.
Rosero posted the pictured on Twitter under the #BootyHadMelike hashtag and just like that, a hit meme was born - flatulence not included.
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In fact, back in 2018, he spoke about the image to UNILAD, emphasising: “I was not flatulent, by any means!”
"It was funny, everyone in the class saw it and they all laughed,” Amber shared.
Following the posting of the picture, in December during Christmas break, McGee noticed his phone was ‘really scorching hot’ and he assumed it might be due to a his power outlet short circuiting. Little did he know his phone was blowing up because his face was spreading across the internet.
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A guy on Reddit had the picture and included his own funny caption which read: “Trying to hold a fart next to a cute girl in class.”
And it blew up and spread, just like an actual fart.
“Overnight I went from 700 Twitter followers to like 3,000 or something like that,” he said.
The trio also shared why they think the meme has had so much longevity - because its so universal.
Another caption which has been paired with McGee’s photo said: “When you’re vegan and u haven’t told anyone in 5 minutes” and another read: “When you try to hold in that 3rd cough so people don’t think you have covid.”
McGee proudly named his meme one of the top five of all time and we don’t disagree.
In another strange twist, McGee went to the same school as the ‘overly attached girlfriend’ meme star Lana Morris.
What were they feeding the kids at this school?
McGee’s only regrets seem to be not copyrighting the meme to make money from it.
The more you know…
Gregory Robinson