The Brief: Surprised Joey memes use an image of Joey Tribbiani from Friends to convey a sense of shock.
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Friends may have left Netflix, but the memes are still coming in hot. Surprised Pikachu and Surprised Shaq, meet Surprised Joey: the latest addition to the surprised/shocked/scared/startled meme team. This image macro meme format also resembles Kombucha girl’s iconic reaction expressions, Jasmine Masters’s “and I oop,” and the versatile guy blinking format.
This meme uses two images of Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) from the episode of Friends “The One With The Red Sweater” (Season 8, Episode 2). In one image, Joey looks self-assured while in the other, he looks shocked and a bit terrified. Variations of this format combine these images with text to depict someone quickly shifting from cool confidence to uncomfortable surprise.
Joey’s expression comes as he is slow on the uptake on the connection between the owner of a red sweater and who is the father of Rachel’s baby-to-be:
While Joey is probably best-known for his “how you doin'” catchphrase/pickup line, LeBlanc’s expressions, including the one showcased in this meme are another of Joey’s most memorable qualities. This particular image macro format highlights only one of many potential “surprised Joey” reaction images and clips.
Keeping up with the latest news, many iterations of Surprised Joey memes make dark jokes about what the internet has dubbed “World War III.”