A Divorced Adult’s Guide to Kids’ Culture: What Is a Gucci Morty?
This week’s list of things that matter only to young people includes Gucci Morty and Chanty Beluga—two unrelated but incredibly popular meme characters—the stolen source code of the world’s largest video game, and a viral YouTube video that cost more than your house. So get ready to find out what’s what and who’s who among the younger generation.
What is “Gucci Morty” and why is it so popular?
Internet users create countless hundreds of thousands of memes every day, but only a tiny percentage of them gain any popularity, and only one in a million actually becomes relevant. This week, that meme was “Gucci Morty.” The image depicts Morty from “Rick and Morty” wearing a black Gucci shirt, looking carefree … and that’s it. That’s it.
I wouldn’t have noticed, but millions of young people have embraced this meme. Since it first appeared about a week ago, the Gucci Morty has spread like wildfire, from Instagram to TikTok to X and wherever else young people share memes. Variations and references have sprung up, accompanied by a snippet of Lil Tecca’s “Lot of Me,” which gave Gucci Morty his signature line: “I see you wanna hang out with me.” Here’s an example:
People started dressing like Morty in a Gucci style:
It’s become a true phenomenon, and everyone under a certain age knows Gucci Morty. But what does it mean? Why this particular meme? It’s mostly ironic: commenters remark on Gucci Morty’s seemingly endless aura, and meme creators place him in “cool” situations. But Gucci Morty’s viral spread has become part of a joke that has created a vicious cycle of memes, with people posting images of Gucci Morty because there are so many memes of him, or sharing videos commenting on his sudden appearance everywhere:
Commenters seem to agree that the Gucci Morty will disappear as quickly as it appeared, so enjoy it now before it becomes a “remember that one…” meme in a few weeks.
Who is Shanti Beluga?
Gucci Morty isn’t the only inexplicable viral star this week. There’s also Shanti Beluga. Created by comedian Courtney O’Donnell, Shanti Beluga is a friendly woman who likes to say, “Hi, I’m Shanti Beluga” when doing things like ordering food , coffee , or making a doctor’s appointment. The videos are typically about five seconds long and rack up millions of views. Her popularity seems to be due to a few reasons: 1) “Shanti Beluga” is a funny name. 2) The short dialogue hints at a larger, stranger life for Shanti that’s never fully explored. Shanti Beluga buys a portable cryochamber on Facebook Marketplace . She gets served with legal papers . She’s ” auditioning for the Crypt Keeper.” It doesn’t seem like much to explain all the views, but some things just grab people, and they shrug.
All About the Grand Theft Auto VI Leak
There’s no more anticipated video game than Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto VI . Scheduled for release on November 19, 2026, Grand Theft Auto VI is a game nearly every gamer wants to play, but few actually do. A mysterious hacker group called Cyberleek somehow gained access to a playable version of the game and uploaded at least 10 gameplay videos to a Telegram channel and website. From there, they quickly spread, giving everyone a behind-the-scenes look and a glimpse of what to expect from the game upon its release. But this isn’t just a viral marketing ploy. Rockstar Games and its parent company, Take-Two Interactive, are furiously subpoenaing Discord, Microsoft, and hosting providers, demanding they hand over IP addresses and accounts associated with Cyberleek and remove the videos as they appear. Cyberleek’s website and Telegram channel are currently unavailable, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that doesn’t stop them from posting new videos in the coming days. Cyberleek’s leaks are often accompanied by messages condemning digital-only game releases, but the real motivation isn’t altruism, but a cryptocurrency scheme. Cyberleek has posted a poll on their website where people can vote on what to show next by purchasing the “CyberLeek” memecoin. There’s no word yet on how exactly the group gained access to the GTA VI source code, leading to theories that a disgruntled employee stole the code, or that some phishing or other attack was wildly successful. The leaks aren’t expected to impact the release date of ” Grand Theft Auto 6: An Extended Look ,” the Netflix special that begins airing on August 27, nor should they affect the release date itself.
What is “The Suffering Girl”?
” Loser Girl ” is slang for a young woman with piercings and a penchant for dark, dramatic, and highly stylized makeup that creates the appearance of a thin, pointed nose and oversized eyes and lips. Here’s a look typical of a loser girl:
Here’s a video makeup tutorial if you want to try this look yourself:
Rumor has it that Misery Girl got her name because she likes the song “Misery” by Pupsies, which you can listen to below (if you dare).
Memes about “suffer girls” often include the phrase “Daddy, turn on that misery,” a reference to the role-playing game that is thought to be unique to “suffer girls.” They often feature photos of user X @himonkeyhamie , who I’m sure doesn’t deserve any of this. “Suffer girl” isn’t a self-proclaimed label like “goth” or “emo,” and not many people seem to embrace the lifestyle. Ultimately, it’s a term used almost exclusively as an insult; as many have noted , it’s essentially an excuse used by weirdos to mock “alternative girls.”
Viral Video of the Week: Outrun 100 Cops and Win $500,000.
In 2017, little-known YouTuber Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson first went viral by sitting in his room and counting to 100,000. Filmed on a budget, this webcam stunt earned millions of views on YouTube. MrBeast’s viral video has racked up nearly 45 million views in just three days this week, proving that you need to up your production values significantly if you want to go viral with a stunt video in 2026. The video, ” Escape 100 Cops, Win $500,000,” is one of the most complex videos ever made for YouTube. MrBeast recruited 100 off-duty Indiana police officers to try to catch him and four of his friends hiding in a simulated city rigged with tunnels, explosives, secret rooms, and more. Anyone who evades arrest for 12 hours will receive $100,000. The police department will receive $500,000 if everyone is apprehended. The video required a huge film crew, a legal department to obtain permits, explosives experts, a post-production department, and much more. Judging by what MrBeast has previously said about his more complex videos, the budget was certainly in the millions.