AboutWhat does the meme depict?

The "Here's Johnny" meme originated from the catchphrase used in 'The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,' but gained meme status through its famous use in the horror film 'The Shining' (1980). In the iconic scene, Jack Nicholson, portraying the character Jack Torrance, breaks through a door with an axe. As he peeks menacingly through the broken door, he exclaims, 'Here's Johnny!', a moment that has been widely used as an exploitable template for various humorous purposes. The template typically features Jack Nicholson's deranged expression as he peeks through the door, setting up for humorous or unexpected replacements of his face or the quote.

OriginWho did it first?

The original phrase 'Here's Johnny' stems from 'The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,' which aired from 1962 to 1992. The catchphrase was used by Ed McMahon during the show's introduction, announcing the entrance of Johnny Carson. The line gained further popularity through a chilling scene in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, where Jack Nicholson uses it in a terrifying yet memorable context. This particular scene not only cemented the phrase in pop culture but also laid the groundwork for its use in various meme formats YouTube clip from The Shining.^[1]

Origin: 1962