Top 10 Celebrities That Were Turned Into Memes

Never, we repeat, never ask the internet to remove an unflattering image of yourself. Because the internet will respond by making it a viral sensation. Such was the case for Beyoncé in the weeks following her 2013 Super Bowl performance. Buzzfeed posted pictures of the event, some which of which were of the “unflattering” variety. The singer’s publicist requested that some of the poorly timed pics be removed, and so, naturally, Buzzfeed posted a story about it. Soon the pictures were everywhere, and it wasn’t long before the memes started rollin’ in. This is almost as embarrassing as the time one of Beyoncé’s fans butchered her 15 seconds of fame…

Leave it to three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep to produce one of the funniest memes in circulation. The Meryl Streep Singing meme is based on a photo taken of the actress at the 2015 Screen Actors Guild Awards in which she appears to be shouting something. It took a couple of years, but people eventually started posting the picture along with accompanying lyrics, creating a duet of sorts between popular singers and Streep. This celebrity meme can be used in so many different ways… it’s truly the meme that never stops giving!

While performing at a Victoria’s Secret fashion show back in 2014, Ariana Grande was accidentally hit in the face by one of the models’ angel wings. The moment was captured by a photographer and the image of Grande appearing to cower beneath the model quickly went viral. Within a day Grande looking scared was photoshopped into a slew of famous images and movie stills – from her in front of the T-Rex from “Jurassic Park” to her recoiling while sitting in Santa’s lap. As a reminder of how memes intertwine and evolve, there’s even one of her cowering behind Unflattering Beyoncé!

Who’d have thought that Chrissy Teigen looking uncomfortable at awards shows would become a thing? This meme began in 2015 when Teigen’s reaction to her husband John Legend winning the “Best Original Song” award at the Golden Globes was captured on camera. One still in particular emerged of the model/actress looking…a little awkward. People soon began posting the picture with captions of ever-increasing hilarity. Teigen decided to play along, and later posted a pic of her and Legend doing the “cry face” together. Things escalated when Teigen continued making funny faces at subsequent awards shows. Never change Chrissy Teigen, never change.

Tears are very meme-able, apparently. Sports fans whose teams have been defeated in unexpected or depressing ways will definitely recognize this iconic celebrity meme. Crying Michael Jordan started making the rounds in 2012 after images of the NBA great crying during his 2009 Basketball Hall of Fame induction speech got the meme treatment. Nowadays the image of an extremely red-eyed Jordan letting all of his emotions out is used whenever something particularly “cry-worthy” occurs in the world of sports and beyond. Jordan is well aware of the meme’s popularity and says he continues to monitor it to make sure it doesn’t get used for commercial purposes.

And the tears keep flowing! “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” is always good for a laugh or two. But we doubt the show’s producers ever thought that a still of Kim crying would become one of the most hilarious and ubiquitous memes ever to grace the many pages of the interweb. Kim Kardashian Ugly Cry has taken on a life of its own online, and can now be found on everything from phone cases to greeting cards. Talk about cultural impact. There are plenty of ugly cry memes out there, but this one has got to be the best!

The internet can be a truly savage place. Just ask Drake, whose “Hotline Bling” music video was mercilessly parodied by anyone and everyone when it was released back in 2015. Memes and gifs of Drake swatting at tennis balls and putting pepperoni on pizza were everywhere. Even “Saturday Night Live” got in on the fun, producing their own version of “Hotline Bling” that made fun of Drake’s admittedly goofy dance moves. The meme continues to be popular to this day, with screen shots of various scenes still popping up online, with captions of all sorts.

While shooting “Inception” in 2010, Leonardo DiCaprio was photographed walking like he didn’t have a care in the world. Seriously, that’s one insanely confident-looking actor right there. DiCaprio looks so unnatural it’s almost like he wanted the picture to become a meme! Thankfully for him, the Internet never disappoints, and it wasn’t long before Strutting Leo became a thing online. The image has since been photoshopped into, well, everything – from Leo strutting through the Battle of Hogwarts to him to him striding right into Mordor. As if we needed another reason to love this guy!

The image of Keanu Reeves sitting on a park bench eating and looking depressed has become the basis for one of the most famous internet memes of all time. Sad Keanu memes started popping up in 2010, and gained enormous popularity when one was featured on Reddit. Then, nine years later, during what many have dubbed the Keanuaissance, the actor made a surprise E3 appearance that would once again take the internet’s collective breath away. Not only did Reeves announce the April 2020 release date of “Cyberpunk 2077”, but he also shocked gamers with the news that he’d be in the game itself! In a whoa-inducing moment-turned-eventual-meme, Reeves responded to an audience member’s cry of “You’re breathtaking” by repeating it and also calling everyone else in the crowd ‘breathtaking’ as well.



Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions:



Lady Gaga's Super Bowl Jump



Rihanna’s 2015 Met Gala Dress



Winona Ryder's Facial Expressions



Sad Affleck

Shia can be summed up in the same way that Winston Churchill described Russia: he’s “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma". Need proof? Just check out his “Just Do It” motivational video. It wouldn’t have been right for something this…unique to fly by without people repurposing it for their own ends. As such, Shia LaBeouf’s earnest attempt to motivate you (ironically or not) is now one of the most well-known memes in existence. There have been hundreds, if not thousands of parody videos made from it, and stills from the video continue to emerge with new and hilarious captions. Thank you, Shia, for providing the world with endless hours of entertainment!