A running joke that treats the fake release of a sequel to Luis Fonsi's 'Despacito' as urgent breaking news, usually staged with a mock chyron or presidential tweet.

Where did Despacito 2 come from?

It started on December 12, 2017, when HUGELOL user WasteofBreath posted a doctored image of NASA engineers under a fake 'Despacito 2 Confirmed by NASA' chyron.

What does Despacito 2 mean?

It parodies how inescapable the original song was, satirizing announcements for a fictional sequel with fake mythology about Shrek, Iron Man, Justin Bieber, and a NASA and Luis Fonsi collaboration.

How do you use Despacito 2?

Post a mock news graphic, tweet, or press image in which a famous figure or agency formally confirms or delays the sequel, or edit reactions to that fake news into a video.

Is Despacito 2 still popular?

The joke peaked between late 2017 and mid-2018 across HUGELOL, Reddit, and YouTube, with LDG_Ballistic's Etika edit alone clearing more than 95,000 views inside two months.

Despacito 2

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Published August 17, 2026

Despacito 2 is a running joke from late 2017 that treats the fake release of a sequel to Luis Fonsi's hit 'Despacito' as urgent breaking news. Fans keep the bit alive with mock chyrons, fabricated presidential tweets, and reaction videos where an authority figure formally confirms (or delays) the imaginary track.

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Overview

Despacito 2 is a running joke that treats the fake release of a sequel to Luis Fonsi's 2017 hit 'Despacito' as urgent breaking news. Posts take the form of a mock chyron, a fabricated presidential tweet, or a press image where a famous figure or institution formally confirms or delays the imaginary track 1. The gag lands because the original song was inescapable that year, so pretending it deserved a NASA press conference is the whole punchline.

The format grew through image macros, YouTube video edits, and Reddit threads, with streamers and YouTubers acting out over-the-top reactions to the 'confirmation' 1. Fans piled on with satirical lore claiming Despacito 2 would end world hunger, star Shrek and Iron Man, and be built by NASA alongside Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee 2.

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Origin & Background

Platform

HUGELOL / Reddit + YouTube (viral spread)

Creator

WasteofBreath

Date

2017

The joke started on December 12, 2017, when HUGELOL user WasteofBreath posted a photograph of NASA engineers cheering under a fabricated news banner reading 'Despacito 2 Confirmed by NASA,' attributed to a former NASA administrator 3. The post cleared 50 points on HUGELOL and locked in the template everyone else copied: a serious institutional voice endorsing an imaginary sequel to a song that had just dominated global streaming charts.

How It Spread

The bit broke out on March 27, 2018, when YouTuber LDG_Ballistic edited the NASA screenshot into a clip of streamer Etika reacting with pure joy while the original 'Despacito' played over the moment. The video collected more than 95,000 views inside two months 1.

About a month later, on April 30, 2018, Redditor B1ng0_B0ng0 titled a mock Donald Trump tweet 'despacito 2 confirmed by nasa' that pulled over 16,000 upvotes and 85 comments; PewDiePie followed on May 26 with 'DESPACITO 2 CONFIRMED BY MARKIPLIER,' which passed 4 million views inside five days 3. Fans folded the mythology into Urban Dictionary entries claiming Mark Zuckerberg had delayed the release and that Despacito 2 would ship on Nintendo Switch, Xbox 360, and Fortnite with Shrek and Justin Bieber on the roster 2.

How to Use This Meme

Typically, people take a real news screenshot, presidential tweet, or press photo and swap the chyron, caption, or graphic to formally announce (or postpone) Despacito 2. A common convention is to attribute the news to an over-serious source like NASA, a head of state, or a huge YouTuber, and then pair it with a reaction video of a streamer celebrating the fake confirmation 1.