It was all a meme: Celebs who found second lives on the internet

Well, Norris was never going to be remembered for his acting, as his most famous role was as “Walker, Texas Ranger.” The show became a meme in and of itself, but not to the degree of Norris. He’s basically a living meme, thanks largely to the “Chuck Norris facts” that took the early socialized internet by storm.

Many people still think Jordan is the best basketball player to ever live. That hasn’t stopped him from becoming a meme. When MJ shed tears, he gave birth to a truly ubiquitous meme, Crying Jordan. The man himself even has joked about it from time to time. There is also a heavy meme quality to his one starring film role, in “Space Jam.”

Keanu is beloved on the internet. These days he’s mostly making vicious action movies like the “John Wick” series. Once upon a time, though, some pictures of him looking sad emerged, and suddenly this sparked imagination. The “Sad Keanu” meme was born, and as somebody who lacks an internet presence, Keanu had no real say in it.

Wilder is a meme thanks to a character of his. It’s more Willy Wonka who has been memed, but Wilder is the man who played him. A still image of Wilder as Wonka has become known as the “Condescending Wonka” meme, which was quite popular on Twitter for a while.

There are a couple of DiCaprio GIFs that have entered meme territory. In a way, “The Wolf of Wall Street” is basically the first Martin Scorsese movie to be built for the meme world. And yet the biggest Leo meme probably comes from “The Great Gatsby” and features DiCaprio raising a glass to…whatever people are talking about. There is also the image-based meme of DiCaprio in "Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood" of him pointing at the TV screen that has become well worn.

Hill, a talented actor who can do both comedy and drama with equal aplomb, actually gave birth to a new, fleeting meme in 2019. In that one a photo was taken of him at the perfect moment juuust when he was dropping his coffee. The big Hill meme, though, can actually be used in GIF form in conversation. You’ve likely seen the shot of him giving a “cut it out” gesture while sitting in an award show audience.

I’m-a let you finish, but Kanye had one of the biggest memes of all time! So much so that, years later, we can do the “I’m-a let you finish” bit and you know exactly what we mean. That’s the power of this meme, which admittedly came from one of many not-so-great moments of Kanye misbehavior. These days, using a Ye meme is a little iffy, given his turn toward anti-Semitism.

Nick Young, aka Swaggy P, felt like a walking meme. There’s a popular meme of his looking confused with some question marks around him. However, if you are a basketball fan, you probably also remember the meme of the infamous moment when Young turned to celebrate a three, only for the ball not to actually go in.

Drake feels like the kind of guy who would be extremely happy to be a meme. Lucky for him, he is. Doubly lucky, it’s thanks to his music video for his hit song “Hotline Bling.” Had he been less fortunate, he’d be a meme for something from his time on “Degrassi.”

Yeah, he’s a Muppet, but he’s a celebrity Muppet. And we’re still counting Kermit because he’s a star in our eyes and also he has one of the iconic memes of the last decade. To this day, you’ll still see Kermit sipping tea used in haughty response online. We assume Miss Piggy is annoyed that she hasn’t reached that level of meme fame.

Xzibit is the kind of person who has truly gotten a second life as a meme. After all, “Pimp My Ride” was many years ago, and he’s not exactly a star these days. However, for whatever reason, a photo of him has become the focal point of a meme, built around turns of phrase beginning with “Yo dawg.”

Stewart has been in our lives and on our screens for decades. Whether it’s as Captain Jean-Luc Picard (a role he has recently taken up again) or Professor Charles Xavier, we’ve seen a lot of the British actor in our lives. While his fame isn’t at the center of a well-known meme of the Picard face palming in exasperation, it’s become a quick way for people online to express their own frustration.

Charlie on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” made a mistake when he decided to get hooked on caffeine and cigarettes while working his first real office job. Never the sharpest tool to begin with, the character played by Day built himself a conspiracy wall surrounding the seeming non-existence of a man named Pepe Silvia. Of course, Pepe Silvia is very much real, and would like his mail, but the image of Charlie freaking out has extended beyond that.

Cage basically seems to act to generate memes. Have you seen his insanity in “Vampire’s Kiss?” The bees stuff in “Wicker Man?” Heck, basically everything that happens in “Face/Off?” Even in critically acclaimed movies like “Moonstruck” he’s still bonkers. Then there’s some of Cage’s odd moments just from living his life. Basically, Cage exists as a living meme at this point.

Here’s another one based on a line of dialogue you surely have heard by now. All we need to say is “Bye Felicia.” It has become a favorite kiss-off line for many, even those who have never seen Ice Cube in “Friday.”

Oprah was on TV for decades, but there is one moment that has stood above the rest and the one that entered the land of memes. One day, in a bit of cross promotional synergy masquerading as generosity, Oprah gifted her entire audience with a new car. As the crowd lost their minds, because a new car is nice even if it’s all a marketing ploy for both the automobile company and Oprah herself, Oprah pointed with enthusiasm and declared that, yes, you get a car, and you get a car. Everybody gets a car!

We can tell you why Astley has become a full-fledged meme at this point. However, we think this really says it better than we ever could.

“America’s Next Top Model” is a pretty “extra” show as is. That’s part of its appeal to fans. Tyra Banks is not there to keep it chill as the host. She’s there to talk about smiling with your eyes and, on one occasion, to angrily declare, “We were all rooting for you.” It is a moment that has lived on.

Who would have thought a ‘90s movie about a ‘70s sitcom would become the source of a meme in the 2010s? You can thank Netflix for that. In the campy spoof of “The Brady Bunch,” it’s Christine Taylor who takes on the role of Marcia. Her sister Jan is still jealous of her, and, like in the show, makes up a boyfriend named George Glass. Marcia is skeptical, and says dismissively, “Sure, Jan.” Thus, a meme was born.

We’ll end with one of the freshest memes on the internet. “Hot Ones,” the internet interview show where Sean Evans and a celebrity chat while eating incredibly spicy wings, is a good show in and of itself. It's also incredibly popular with the kind of folks who make memes, and when Paul Rudd appeared on the show, a bit of improv acting between Evans and Rudd particularly struck people. It’s now a major meme, though it remains to be seen if Rudd will have the legs of Chuck Norris facts.