# Bad Luck Brian > Bad Luck Brian is a 2012 image-macro meme featuring Kyle Craven in a 7th-grade yearbook photo wearing a sweater vest and braces, with two-line captions describing hilariously unfortunate situations. Bad Luck Brian is an advice animal image macro featuring a 7th-grade yearbook photo of Kyle Craven wearing a plaid sweater vest and braces with an awkward grin. First posted to Reddit in January 2012, the meme pairs this unlucky-looking portrait with two-line captions describing hilariously unfortunate situations. It became one of the most recognizable image macros of the early 2010s and turned Craven into a full-blown internet celebrity. ## Origin On January 23, 2012, Ian Davies uploaded a yearbook photo of his childhood friend Kyle Craven to Reddit[3]. The two had attended Archbishop Hoban High School together in Akron, Ohio[3]. The photo dated back to the 2005-06 school year, when Craven was in seventh grade. Before the picture was taken, Craven deliberately rubbed his face with his sweater to make it red and put on a goofy grin[3]. The school principal wasn't amused and made him retake the photo, but Craven and Davies had already scanned the original[3]. Davies posted the image with the caption "Takes driving test... gets first DUI," but it barely registered, pulling fewer than 5 upvotes[2]. Later that same day, someone else posted a version with the caption "Tries to stealthily fart in class / shits," and that one hit the front page of /r/AdviceAnimals, racking up over 3,300 upvotes within two months[2]. - **Platform:** Reddit/4chan - **Creator:** Ian Davies (original poster), Kyle Craven (subject) - **Date:** 2012-01-01 ## Overview Bad Luck Brian follows the classic advice animal format: a central photo with white Impact font text on top and bottom. The top line sets up a normal or hopeful scenario, and the bottom line delivers a comically terrible outcome. The humor comes from the escalation. The setups are mundane and the payoffs are catastrophic, absurd, or deeply embarrassing[2]. The photo itself does a lot of heavy lifting. Craven's forced smile, visible braces, and sweater vest create the perfect visual shorthand for someone the universe has it out for. You don't need to read the caption to know this guy's about to have a bad time[4]. ## How It Spread The meme picked up steam fast. By January 29, 2012, the digital marketing blog Twenty Something ran a roundup of notable examples[2]. On March 12, Redditor Very_Juicy posted a version captioned "Falls asleep in class / wet dream" to /r/AdviceAnimals, which pulled nearly 2,900 upvotes in a week[2]. A week later, the same image hit 9gag and collected over 48,000 likes in 24 hours before spreading to Pinterest[2]. BuzzFeed and Funny or Die both published collections later that month[1]. By June 2012, the Quickmeme page for Bad Luck Brian had received more than 104,000 submissions, and Facebook fan pages were pulling tens of thousands of likes[2]. The photo also became one of the most popular templates on 4chan, Facebook, and Twitter[3]. The meme spread to FunnyJunk and Tumblr as well, with new variations appearing daily throughout 2012[2]. ## How to Use Bad Luck Brian follows a simple two-line format: 1. **Top text:** A normal, everyday activity or a hopeful scenario (e.g., "Gets invited to a party") 2. **Bottom text:** A wildly unfortunate or embarrassing outcome (e.g., "Wrong address, shows up to an intervention") ## Cultural Impact Bad Luck Brian was one of the defining advice animals of the early 2010s meme era, alongside Scumbag Steve, Overly Attached Girlfriend, and Success Kid. The format helped establish the image macro as the dominant meme format on Reddit during that period. BuzzFeed called one Bad Luck Brian post its most-read article in the site's history at the time[1]. The meme crossed over into mainstream advertising through deals with Volkswagen, McDonald's, and The General insurance[3]. Craven's 2012 Reddit AMA debacle, where the moderator's removal comment became one of the most downvoted in the site's history, showed how seriously the Reddit community took its meme celebrities[2]. The NFT sale in 2021, fetching around $36,000, placed Bad Luck Brian among the meme NFTs that traded during the digital collectibles boom[3]. The 2026 locker room dedication at his former high school shows the meme's legacy reaching back into the physical world where it started[3]. ## Fun Facts - The school principal made Craven retake his yearbook photo because he thought Craven was making the face on purpose. He was[3]. - Craven played the hand chimes, a detail revealed during his 2012 Reddit AMA[2]. - Seth Rogen recognized Craven in public, which Craven shared as evidence his real-life luck is actually pretty good[2]. - The moderator who deleted Craven's first AMA attempt received 35,000+ downvotes on their explanation comment[2]. - As of 2025, Craven works as VP of his family's construction company in suburban Akron[3]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Bad Luck Brian? Bad Luck Brian is an advice animal image macro featuring a 7th-grade yearbook photo of Kyle Craven, paired with captions describing embarrassing or tragically unlucky situations[2]. ### Where did Bad Luck Brian come from? The meme originated on Reddit on January 23, 2012, when Ian Davies posted his friend Kyle Craven's yearbook photo from Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron, Ohio[3]. ### What does Bad Luck Brian mean? The meme represents a universal experience of things going wrong at the worst possible time. Captions set up a normal scenario and deliver a hilariously unfortunate punchline[4]. ### How do you use Bad Luck Brian? Write a hopeful or mundane scenario on the top line and a disastrous outcome on the bottom line, using the original yearbook photo as the background[2]. ### Is Bad Luck Brian still popular? The meme's peak was in 2012-2013, but Craven has kept it alive through brand deals, including a 2023 commercial with The General insurance and Shaquille O'Neal[3]. ### Who is the real Bad Luck Brian? His real name is Kyle Edward Craven, born August 10, 1989. He's from Akron, Ohio and works as vice president of his family's construction company[3]. ### What school did Bad Luck Brian attend? Craven attended Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron, Ohio, where the famous yearbook photo was taken during the 2005-06 school year[3]. ### Why was the original yearbook photo retaken? The school principal believed Craven was making the goofy face on purpose and required him to retake it. Craven and Davies had already scanned the original[3]. ### How much money has Bad Luck Brian made? Craven estimated he earned about $20,000 from licensing and merchandise within three years starting from 2015. He also sold a Bad Luck Brian NFT for roughly $36,000 in 2021[3]. ### What happened with Bad Luck Brian's Reddit AMA? Craven's first AMA attempt on April 11, 2012 was removed by a moderator whose explanation comment received over 35,000 downvotes. He returned successfully on May 8, 2012 on the Advice Animals subreddit[2]. ### What brands has Bad Luck Brian worked with? Craven has appeared in campaigns for Volkswagen, McDonald's (2018), and The General insurance alongside Shaquille O'Neal (2023)[3]. ### Did Bad Luck Brian sell an NFT? Yes. In March 2021, Craven sold a Bad Luck Brian NFT for approximately $36,000[3]. ## References 1. [The Best Of The Bad Luck Brian Meme]() 2. [Bad Luck Brian - Know Your Meme]() 3. [Bad Luck Brian]() 4. [Bad Luck Brian - Urban Dictionary]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/bad-luck-brian Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library