'It's gonna be May' meme takes over social media and you can thank Justin Timberlake
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Unless you live under a rock, your social media feed has likely been filled with Justin Timberlake memes. Where did the iconic "It's gonna be May" meme originate, and how are social media users reinventing it 12 years later?
How did the 'It's gonna be May' meme start?
The meme stems from NSYNC's 2000 smash hit "It's Gonna Be Me." When singing the titular line in the song, Justin Timberlake annunciates the word "me" as "May."
According to a 2016 article from E! News, the first iteration of the meme appeared on Tumblr in 2012. The meme was a calendar featuring a smiling photo of Timberlake on April 30 with "It's gonna be May!" written on it. The meme caught fire and different versions of it have been in circulation ever since.
Timberlake even joined in on the fun in 2020, posting a version of the meme on X showing his mouth covered by a mask during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Spring Summer 2020. Thanks for this, Internet. pic.twitter.com/I3mdWPTjiN
— Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) May 1, 2020
2024 social media responses to 'It's gonna be May' meme
Here are some of our renditions of the Justin Timberlake meme 12 years after the original went viral:
Happy “It’s Gonna Be May” GIF day to those who celebrate and to those who don’t but still use social media. pic.twitter.com/FeEpwqkpq7
— Original Orange Bird (@ogorangebird) April 30, 2024
what month are we in? pic.twitter.com/RACoHboupS
— leon (@skyferrori) May 1, 2024
It's gonna be May(hem). pic.twitter.com/754p4qo1bX
— Universal Orlando Resort (@UniversalORL) May 1, 2024
It’s gonna be May! pic.twitter.com/H5NDE0pwxC
— ꧁•٭(Happy)AlyOops٭•꧂ (@officialAlyOops) May 1, 2024
Guess what? It's gonna be May! 😂 #iykyk 😂 pic.twitter.com/j2jO3iIfpL
— 🩵 Scribble Pug 🩵 (@ScribblePug) April 30, 2024
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: 'It's gonna be May' Justin Timberlake meme sees 2024 remixes