Where does "Just a Chill Guy" come from?

For a few days now, the meme known as "Just a Chill Guy", also called "My New Character" or "Chill Guy," has gone increasingly viral, though no one seems to understand its origin or original meaning. Unlike many other memes, this one doesn’t originate from a movie moment, a song, or a commercial but is (apparently) entirely original. Fortunately, the online encyclopedia Know Your Meme has tracked its story from the start, making it possible to trace the character’s origin. At the center of the meme is an anthropomorphic dog wearing a gray sweater, blue jeans, and red shoes. The image shows the character with a smug expression, hands in pockets, and a relaxed demeanor that reminds many of a variation on the classic design of Brian Griffin, one of the protagonists of Family Guy. Originally, the meme was born from a post on X shared in October last year by user @PhillipBankss with the caption: “My new character. his whole deal is he's a chill guy that lowkey doesn't give a fuck”. The post garnered about 17,000 likes over 11 months while spreading on Instagram in reel format, it gained over 57,900 likes. But at this point, “Chill Guy” could hardly be called viral. The meme exploded last September on TikTok, when the character began appearing in the mixed format we know today, inserted into various contexts and situations. One of the first posts, from September 4, a video by @xssume, used a quote from the protagonist of the series Dexter, accumulating over 6.6 million views and 1.2 million likes in less than a week. 

Another TikTok posted the same day by @.jesuslover445, using the same audio, garnered 3.6 million views and 805,200 likes as the meme continued to evolve and appear in increasingly new forms. The resemblance to Brian Griffin was further cemented when user @abnormalpenguin2 created a video where the character's voice was AI-generated to say: “I know I'm supposed to be a chill guy and lowkey not really care about anything, but I'm tired of trying to be someone that I'm not…”, amassing over 1.5 million views in four days. Starting in November, the meme reemerged on TikTok in the format we now know as "I'm Just a Chill Guy," where the character appears in various scenarios and settings, with each description ending in the phrase that gives the meme its name. Many of these memes used the instrumental track Hinoki Wood by Gia Margaret, already featured in earlier videos. The essence of the meme, now that it has “stabilized,” lies in irony: tracing back to its original appearance, the “he just doesn’t give a fuck” attitude creates a sort of double meaning where the character is both calm and somewhat irresponsible. This tranquility stems from his dangerous carelessness—highlighted by the increasingly “unchill” situations in which he maintains his cheeky grin.

Alongside the success of "Chill Guy," creator @PhillipBankss introduced a new spin-off character called “My Old Character,” while a female version called "Just a Chill Girl" also emerged. However, neither has yet achieved the success of the original. Another curious development, especially in the aftermath of the U.S. elections, which saw Donald Trump’s victory reignite discussions about cryptocurrencies, was the launch of a meme-inspired cryptocurrency called $CHILLGUY, which reached a peak market value of $47.3 million by November 19 of the same year. This raises the question of whether the meme’s potential conversion into cryptocurrency (now tinged with political undertones tied to the cultural repertoire of Trumpism thanks to Elon Musk) might end up ruining the meme itself—assuming, of course, that the meme’s popularity lasts.