# Bye Felicia > Bye Felicia is a 1995 dismissive catchphrase from Ice Cube's film *Friday*, used to wave off annoying people, that exploded as a viral reaction GIF and social media phrase in the 2010s. "Bye Felicia" is a dismissive catchphrase originating from the 1995 comedy film *Friday*, where Ice Cube's character Craig waves off an annoying neighbor named Felisha with two words of pure indifference[1]. After simmering in Black culture for over a decade, the phrase exploded online in the early 2010s through *RuPaul's Drag Race*, Twitter hashtags, and a 2015 resurgence tied to the N.W.A. biopic *Straight Outta Compton*[4]. It's the internet's go-to line for telling someone they're irrelevant, and you couldn't care less that they're leaving. ## Origin On April 26, 1995, the comedy film *Friday* hit theaters[5]. Co-written by and starring Ice Cube alongside Chris Tucker, the movie follows Craig Jones (Ice Cube) and Smokey (Tucker) through a single chaotic day in South Central Los Angeles. Among the parade of neighborhood characters is Felisha, played by Angela Means-Kaaya, a persistent mooch who keeps trying to borrow things from everyone around her[10]. The scene that launched the catchphrase is deceptively simple. Felisha approaches Craig and Smokey, asking to borrow a car and then a joint. Smokey shuts her down. When she turns to Craig for backup, he doesn't even look at her. He just says "Bye, Felisha" with flat, total indifference[6]. No argument, no insult. Just erasure. That delivery, slumped over and refusing eye contact, made the line stick. As Ice Cube later told Conan O'Brien, it's "the phrase to get ANYBODY out of your face that's saying something stupid"[7]. - **Platform:** *Friday* (film), Twitter / Tumblr (viral spread) - **Creator:** Ice Cube (co-writer/actor, originated the line), DJ Pooh (co-writer), Angela Means-Kaaya (actress who played Felisha) - **Date:** 1995 ## Overview "Bye Felicia" is a two-word dismissal used to tell someone their presence, opinion, or existence doesn't matter to you[4]. It functions as a verbal door-slam, a way to end a conversation on your terms without wasting energy on an argument. The phrase typically appears as reaction GIFs, Twitter replies, image macros, and the hashtag #ByeFelicia. It carries a specific tone: not angry, not hostile, just utterly unbothered. You're not fighting someone. You're erasing them[6]. The spelling itself carries cultural weight. The original film character's name is spelled "Felisha," but the meme version shifted to the more common spelling "Felicia." Some commentators have noted this as an example of the phrase drifting from its Black cultural roots as it entered mainstream usage[4]. ## How It Spread For over a decade after *Friday*'s release, "Bye Felicia" lived as an inside joke among fans of the film, passed around in real-life conversations within Black communities[4]. The phrase's internet life started slowly. On March 11, 2007, YouTuber HyFlyer988 uploaded a clip of the original scene, which pulled in over 870,000 views in its first eight years[5]. On December 7, 2008, Urban Dictionary user pimpin'817 submitted the first definition, describing it as a way to dismiss someone unimportant[5]. The phrase picked up serious momentum around 2009 through *RuPaul's Drag Race*, where contestants and judges adopted it as a signature dismissal[4]. Drag culture gave the line a new layer of theatrical sass that translated perfectly to social media. By early 2014, it was spreading fast. On January 14, a Redditor asked r/OutOfTheLoop why "bye Felicia" had suddenly blown up[5]. In April, makeup artist Jeffree Star began posting tweets with the hashtag #byefelicia[5]. By August 2014, the hashtag was tweeted over 35,000 times in a single month[5]. The mainstream media caught on quickly. Nicole Richie awkwardly explained the phrase to Ryan Seacrest on his radio show in August 2014[11]. BuzzFeed published a listicle offering "22 Alternative Names to Say 'Bye' to Instead of Felicia"[5]. On December 9, 2014, VH1 premiered a short-lived makeover reality show literally called *Bye Felicia*, starring Deborah Hawkes and Missy Young. It lasted eight episodes[5]. Google Trends data shows a massive spike in searches during the summer of 2015, coinciding with the theatrical release of *Straight Outta Compton*[6]. The biopic, directed by F. Gary Gray (who also directed the original *Friday*), included a scene where O'Shea Jackson Jr., playing his real-life father Ice Cube, drops a "Bye Felicia" on a groupie being shoved out of a hotel room. The moment was fictional, improvised by Jackson Jr. during a late-night shoot around take 23[6]. "What if I said 'Bye Felicia?' Wouldn't that be funny?" he asked. Gray told the crew to grab the cameras and roll one more time[6]. ## How to Use "Bye Felicia" works best as a final word. The standard format: 1. Someone says or does something annoying, irrelevant, or attention-seeking 2. You respond with "Bye Felicia" (spoken, texted, or posted as a GIF/meme) 3. There is no step 3. The conversation is over. ## Cultural Impact "Bye Felicia" crossed from internet slang into broadcast television, political discourse, and the dictionary. Dictionary.com added a full entry for the phrase, defining it as "a slang way of dismissing someone"[4]. Ice Cube himself endorsed its universal application, telling interviewers it works on "ANYBODY" saying something stupid[7]. The VH1 reality show *Bye Felicia* (2014-2015) attempted to build an entire brand around the phrase, though the makeover series lasted only one season[5]. Jordin Sparks titled her 2014 mixtape *#ByeFelicia*, reportedly as closure for her breakup with Jason Derulo[3]. Shonda Rhimes used it on Twitter to dismiss a critic of the gay scenes on *How to Get Away with Murder*[3]. The phrase appeared on merchandise: mugs, t-shirts, phone cases, often in pink or gold lettering[11]. The Robin Roberts/Omarosa exchange in 2017 marked perhaps the phrase's highest-profile use in a news context, demonstrating how thoroughly it had crossed into mainstream American English[8]. The moment was covered by at least six major news outlets within 24 hours[9]. ## Fun Facts - The original character's name is spelled "Felisha" in the *Friday* credits. The "Felicia" spelling came later and is now standard in meme usage[4]. - The *Straight Outta Compton* "Bye Felicia" scene was improvised by O'Shea Jackson Jr. around 4 AM during roughly the 23rd take of a different shot[6]. - F. Gary Gray directed both *Friday* (1995) and *Straight Outta Compton* (2015), making him responsible for the phrase's origin AND its controversial fictional backstory[1]. - The hashtag #ByeFelicia was used over 300,000 times on Instagram alone, according to tracking data[13]. - Angela Means-Kaaya, the actress who played the original Felisha, went on to open a vegan restaurant in Los Angeles. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is "Bye Felicia"? "Bye Felicia" is a dismissive catchphrase used to signal you don't care about someone's presence or departure. It originated from the 1995 film *Friday*[4]. ### Where did "Bye Felicia" come from? The phrase comes from a scene in *Friday* where Ice Cube's character Craig dismisses a mooching neighbor named Felisha by saying "Bye, Felisha" without even looking at her[6]. ### What does "Bye Felicia" mean? It means "I don't care that you're leaving" or "you're not important enough for a real goodbye." Dictionary.com defines it as "a slang way of dismissing someone"[4]. ### How do you use "Bye Felicia"? Use it as a final response to dismiss someone annoying, irrelevant, or attention-seeking. It works as a spoken phrase, text reply, GIF, or hashtag[4]. ### Is "Bye Felicia" still popular? The phrase reached peak mainstream saturation around 2015-2017 but saw major resurgences during political events in 2017 and 2021. It's widely recognized and still used, though less frequently than at its peak[4]. ### Who played the original Felisha in *Friday*? Angela Means-Kaaya played the character Felisha in the 1995 film[10]. ### Why is "Felicia" spelled differently from the movie? The film credits spell the character's name "Felisha," but as the phrase went mainstream, the more common spelling "Felicia" took over. Some see this spelling shift as part of the phrase's drift away from its Black cultural roots[4]. ### Why was the *Straight Outta Compton* scene controversial? Critics argued the scene was misogynistic because it depicted a woman being physically shoved out of a hotel room nearly naked as a punchline, in a film that already failed to address N.W.A.'s documented mistreatment of women[1]. ### What did Robin Roberts say to Omarosa? On December 14, 2017, after Omarosa teased a White House tell-all on *Good Morning America*, Roberts said on-air: "She said she has a story to tell and I'm sure she'll be selling that story. Bye, Felicia"[7]. ### How did Omarosa respond to Robin Roberts? Omarosa told *Inside Edition* the comment was "petty" and characterized it as "a black woman civil war"[12]. ### When did Michelle Obama use "Bye Felicia"? In December 2018, Obama used the phrase on *The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon* to describe her thoughts while leaving the White House at the end of her husband's presidency[4]. ### Is "Bye Felicia" considered cultural appropriation? Some commentators view its mainstream adoption as appropriation of Black culture, noting the phrase was popular in Black communities for years before white and mainstream audiences adopted it, often without knowledge of its origin in *Friday*[4]. ### What role did *RuPaul's Drag Race* play in spreading the phrase? The show helped bring the phrase to wider audiences around 2009, with contestants and judges using it as a signature dismissal. This gave the line a theatrical flair that translated well to social media[6]. ## References 1. [#ByeFelicia Gets an Uncomfortable New Origin Story]() 2. [A Meme Gets An Uncomfortable Backstory In 'Straight Outta Compton' : NPR]() 3. ['Straight Outta Compton' Gives 'Bye Felicia' A Funny Origin Story That Will Make The Phrase Even More Meme-Worthy]() 4. [Bye Felicia - Know Your Meme]() 5. [Bye Felicia]() 6. [Bye Felicia - Urban Dictionary]() 7. [Urban Dictionary: bye felicia]() 8. ['GMA' host Robin Roberts on Omarosa's White House exit: 'Bye, Felicia']() 9. [bye Felicia | Slang | Dictionary.com]() 10. [Bye Felicia: The History of a 21-Year-Old Phrase Turned Meme]() 11. [What Does 'Bye Felicia' Mean And The 20 Best 'Bye Felicia' Memes And Quotes | YourTango]() 12. [Bye Felicia Meaning: What it Means and How to Use it in Everyday Life - English Study Online]() 13. [The Origins Of Bye Felicia]() 14. [Bye Felicia EXPLAINED! Origin, Meaning & When to Use It]() 15. [22 Alternative Names To Say "Bye" To Instead Of Felicia]() 16. [Watch ABC's Robin Roberts diss Omarosa: 'Bye Felicia']() 17. ['GMA' host Robin Roberts on Omarosa's White House exit: 'Bye, Felicia']() 18. [Omarosa Calls Robin Roberts' 'Bye Felicia' Remark 'Petty' After Disputing Reports of White House Exit | Inside Edition]() 19. [bye Felicia | Slang | Dictionary.com]() 20. [Robin Roberts’ ‘Bye, Felicia’ is the ultimate way to dismiss Omarosa – New York Daily News]() 21. [MTV | Homepage - Shows & Schedules]() 22. [All The Black Women Saying ‘Bye, Felicia’ To Omarosa - Newsweek]() 23. [Omarosa calls Robin Roberts' 'Bye Felicia' line 'petty']() 24. [The Cultural Impact of the Famous 'Bye, Felicia' Meme]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/bye-felicia Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library