The Five Phases Of Eric: Unpacking The Viral Legacy Of "This Happened To My Buddy Eric"

Few phrases in the modern internet lexicon carry the same weight of vague, unsettling, and perfectly nonsensical humor as the declaration: "This happened to my buddy Eric." As of late 2025, this simple sentence, initially posted as a one-line movie review, remains one of the most enduring and widely-used copypastas across platforms like Letterboxd, Reddit, and TikTok.

The phrase has transcended its humble beginnings to become a cultural shorthand, a perfect non-sequitur used to comment on everything from distressing news to bizarre fictional scenarios. Its power lies not in what it reveals, but in the terrifying, hilarious, and utterly ambiguous implications it leaves hanging in the air. This is the definitive, updated breakdown of the phenomenon that happened to everyone's favorite fictional friend, Eric.

The Definitive Biography of a Viral Phrase: Origin and Core Entities

The entire "Buddy Eric" phenomenon can be traced back to a single, minimalist review on the social movie-logging platform, Letterboxd. The review’s brevity and ominous implication launched it into internet history, cementing its status as a foundational piece of modern meme culture.

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• The Reviewer: The phrase was posted by the Letterboxd user known as CloserLook Media.
• The Date of Origin: April 28, 2020, during the early days of the global pandemic when internet usage and engagement with platforms like Letterboxd surged.
• The Subject Film: The 2019 psychological thriller, Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix. The film’s narrative—a man’s descent into madness and radicalization—is the key to the meme's initial meaning.
• The Original Review: The entire text of the review was just: "This happened to my buddy Eric."
• The Implication: The joke implied that the reviewer’s friend, Eric, had a similar phase of radicalization or mental breakdown as the film’s protagonist, Arthur Fleck, and subsequently "became the Joker."
• Current Status: The review quickly became one of the most-liked and commented-upon reviews in Letterboxd history, often cited as the prime example of the platform’s unique, chaotic humor.
• The Identity of Eric: The true identity of "Buddy Eric," if he exists at all, remains unknown, adding to the meme's mystique and universality.

The Five Cultural Phases of Buddy Eric's Meme Evolution

The longevity of "This happened to my buddy Eric" is a testament to its flexibility as a copypasta. It has evolved through several distinct phases, allowing it to remain relevant years after its creation.

1. The Letterboxd Phase: Contextual Chaos

The initial phase was confined primarily to the Letterboxd platform. The phrase was quickly copied and pasted by other users, often placed under reviews for completely unrelated films. This established the phrase as a non-sequitur joke, a way to inject absurd, dark humor into any cinematic discussion. The humor here is meta-commentary on the nature of online reviews themselves, which often veer into the personal or the nonsensical.

This period also saw the rise of the wider "Insane Letterboxd Reviews" trend, where users competed to write the most unhinged, one-line, or deeply personal reviews for movies. Eric’s review paved the way for other viral reviews, such as comments for the film Paddington 2 or the notorious "I watched this movie and now I’m gay" reviews for certain male-led action films. The phrase became a badge of honor for those "in the know" about the platform’s subculture.

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2. The Copypasta Phase: Universal Application

Once the phrase left Letterboxd, it became a true copypasta—a block of text copied and spread widely across the internet. On platforms like Reddit, particularly in subreddits like r/whenthe and r/distressingmemes, the context shifted entirely. It was no longer about movies, but about a vague, unsettling connection to a bizarre or horrifying event.

If a post showed a picture of a bizarre news headline, a terrifying urban legend, or a deeply cursed image, the top comment would inevitably be "This happened to my buddy Eric." The joke became the implication that Eric is somehow the universal victim or perpetrator of every strange, dark, and unbelievable event on the internet. This use case is closely associated with the "Trollface Incident" memes of late 2020, which often involved cryptic, pseudo-creepy stories.

3. The Philosophical Phase: The Joke of Meaninglessness

A deeper analysis of the meme reveals its philosophical core: the joke is that it means absolutely nothing, yet implies everything. The vagueness of "this" allows it to be applied to any situation, making Eric a stand-in for the "friend of a friend" anecdote trope—a narrative device used to lend false credibility to an unbelievable story. By using a generic name like Eric, the phrase achieves a disturbing universality. It is a commentary on the nature of internet virality, where context is stripped away until only a hollow, infinitely reusable shell remains. The phrase is a perfect embodiment of absurdist internet humor.

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4. The Topical Authority Phase: The Buddy Trope

The meme’s success is also rooted in a long-standing internet trope: the "My Buddy" story. This trope is used to disassociate the poster from an embarrassing, illegal, or unbelievable event by pinning it on a generic, untraceable friend. Eric's phrase is the ultimate, distilled version of this trope, removing the story entirely and leaving only the attribution. This places "Buddy Eric" in the same lineage as other classic internet figures, such as:

• The infamous "My Cousin’s Friend’s Sister’s Dog" stories (used for flimsy excuses).
• The "My Dad Works at Nintendo" claims (used for false leaks and rumors).
• The "My Uncle is a Lawyer" threat (used to end online arguments).

By using the phrase, users are not just making a joke; they are participating in a recognized, generational style of internet storytelling.

5. The Longevity Phase: 2024 and Beyond

Even in late 2025, the meme shows no signs of slowing down. Its continued use is most notable in comments sections on X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok, where it serves as a reaction to unexpected or over-the-top content. For example, a video of someone performing an unbelievable physical feat or a shocking political gaffe will still garner comments stating, "This happened to my buddy Eric."

Its enduring nature is due to its low barrier to entry and its high payoff in terms of cultural recognition. It is a quick, easy way to signal to others that you understand the chaotic, self-referential nature of online humor. It has become a permanent fixture in the copypasta hall of fame, frequently reappearing alongside other classics like the Navy Seal Copypasta and the Darth Plagueis the Wise monologue.

The Undying Legacy of Eric

The "This happened to my buddy Eric" meme is more than just a funny movie review; it is a cultural artifact that perfectly encapsulates the internet’s ability to turn the mundane into the mythical. It started with a single Letterboxd user, CloserLook Media, and a vague reference to the themes of the Joker film, but it quickly became a universal punchline.

The entities surrounding the meme—the Letterboxd community, the copypasta phenomenon, the 2019 film release, the Arthur Fleck character, and the absurdist humor trend—all contribute to its topical authority. Eric is the friend who has seen and done it all, from becoming a radicalized vigilante to witnessing the most bizarre events on the planet. He is the internet’s everyman, a cautionary tale told in four simple, unforgettable words. The next time you encounter a truly unbelievable piece of content, remember Eric. It probably happened to him, too.