But the Kid Is Not My Son — Crude hand-drawn doodle of a spider with an oval body and long thin legs on a pale green background.

But the Kid Is Not My Son

2022viral sounddeclining

Published November 9, 2026

"But the Kid Is Not My Son" is a viral TikTok sound made from a low-quality acapella clip of Michael Jackson singing a line from "Billie Jean," which took off in August 2022. By late August, animators were setting the audio to spider cartoons that hit tens of millions of views, starting with a @raredoodle piece showing a spider tossing away a baby spider.

tiktok sound trends animation memes audio memes misheard lyrics memes music memes

Overview

The audio snippet lasts just a few seconds and centers on the lyric "but the kid is not my son, woo," with the final "woo" acting as the comedic beat creators sync their punchline to1. Early edits were loose, often just general TikToks that played the song underneath pet or household footage before a spider cartoon fixed it as an animation format.

The format sharpened once animator @raredoodle's spider cartoon hit TikTok, where a dancing adult spider holds a tiny spider child, then flings it away at the final vocal hit3. The "But the Kid Is Not My Son" spider became a recurring character as fan animators reused it for new scenarios like spitting venom at a girl or dancing on a frightened kid's bed5.

Origin & Background

Platform
YouTube (source audio) / TikTok (viral spread)
Date
2022

On July 3, 2022, a YouTube channel named xscape uploaded a low-quality acapella recording of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean," isolating the line "but the kid is not my son, woo, she says I am the one"1. The upload stayed obscure for weeks, logging only about a thousand views by September4.

The audio moved to TikTok on July 28, when @kaylaloveskittys set it to a video of her cat, with the "but the kid is not my son, woo" portion playing over the footage2. That clip passed 5.3 million views within two months and became a usable track for other creators2.

How It Spread

The audio's biggest break came on August 17, 2022, when animator @raredoodle posted a cartoon of a spider dancing, picking up a smaller spider, and tossing it away on the final "woo"3. That animation hit over 44 million views in a month and defined the visual template other creators would copy3.

Spider remixes followed quickly. On August 29, @anima_lice posted an animation where the spider spits venom into a girl, which passed 4.7 million views in two weeks5. The next day, @h1raru uploaded a version where the spider dances on a scared kid's bed, passing 1.2 million views within two weeks6. By September 12, @haru_rynozuke_ had posted an animation of someone reacting in shock after the spider tosses the baby spider7. TikTok's internal counter showed over 20,000 videos using the "But the Kid Is Not My Son" sound by September 134.

Timeline

2022-07-03

YouTube user xscape uploads a low-quality acapella recording of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" isolating the "but the kid is not my son, woo" lyric.

2022-07-28

TikToker @kaylaloveskittys sets the audio to a video of her cat, the first use that would draw mainstream attention on TikTok.

2022-08-17

Animator @raredoodle posts a spider cartoon synced to the audio, hitting over 44 million views and setting the visual template.

2022-08-29

TikToker @anima_lice posts a fan animation where the spider spits venom into a girl.

2022-08-30

TikToker @h1raru uploads an animation of the spider dancing on a frightened kid's bed.

2022-09-12

TikToker @haru_rynozuke_ posts an animation of a shocked onlooker reacting as the spider throws the baby spider.

2022-09-13

Over 20,000 TikTok videos have used the sound, per KYM.

How to Use This Meme

A typical "But the Kid Is Not My Son" edit syncs the "woo" vocal hit to a moment of abandonment or rejection in an animated scene. The common convention since August 2022 features a parent cartoon character, often a spider, holding a smaller version of itself, then flinging it away on the beat3. Live-action remixes often use the sound over footage of pets, kids, or awkward family moments2.

Frequently Asked Questions