Ellie Smirk is a reaction image of The Last of Us Part 2 character Ellie Williams smirking directly at the camera, taken from a 2020 bathroom mirror cutscene.

Where did Ellie Smirk come from?

Pinterest user iza.ᐟ shared the first known upload on March 29th, 2024, with the frame originating in the game's 'Birthday Gift' chapter where players control Ellie's facial expressions.

What does Ellie Smirk mean?

The image works as a reply when accusing someone of lying or being suspicious, with the smirk reading as a knowing 'I caught you' expression.

How do you use Ellie Smirk?

Users paste the image into TikTok and X comment threads as a reaction to shady behavior, often with captions about fandom targets like Dan and Phil.

Is Ellie Smirk still popular?

The image hit its usage peak in October 2025, with @lesbinof's tweet topping 30,000 likes and @fartknightmaster's mitosis edit passing 7,000 likes on TikTok.

Ellie Smirk

2024reaction imagesemi-active

Published November 10, 2026

Ellie Smirk, also known as Ellie Smirking or The Last of Us Smirk, is a reaction image of The Last of Us Part 2 character Ellie Williams smirking at the viewer during a 2020 bathroom mirror cutscene1. The screencap bounced around Pinterest and r/thelastofus for over a year before TikTokers and X users adopted it in late 2025 as a go-to reply for anyone looking suspicious or untruthful. By October 2025, a tweet pairing the image with a Dan and Phil joke had picked up over 30,000 likes4.

reaction memes facial expression memes gaming delayed virality memes screenshot memes

Overview

Ellie Smirk shows up most often in TikTok comment threads and X replies as a reaction to lying, shady behavior or someone refusing to own an obvious truth6. The expression, a half-grin with raised eyebrows aimed straight at the camera, reads as both knowing and accusatory, which lets the picture work equally well as 'I caught you' and 'you're being a bit sus right now.' A widely shared Reddit slideshow captioned the look 'omg she's so silly how could she be a serial killer,' a wink at Ellie's revenge-driven body count in the game2.

Edits lean into fandom callouts and visual gags. Low-quality reposts carrying TikTok comment watermarks are a common sight on X4, and video versions include one where the smirk duplicates like a cell undergoing mitosis5. Captions range from parasocial YouTuber accusations to playful jabs between friends, with most usage sticking to reply contexts instead of standalone image macros.

Gallery

Origin & Background

Platform

Pinterest (first upload) / TikTok and X (viral spread)

Date

2024

Pinterest user iza.ᐟ shared the first known upload of the Ellie Smirk image on March 29th, 2024, with the post collecting 379 likes over the following year1. The screencap comes from The Last of Us Part 2's Chapter 2 sequence titled 'Seattle Day 1 – The Birthday Gift,' where players steer Ellie's face through a series of expressions in a bathroom mirror while she waits for Joel3. Naughty Dog developed the 2020 game; iza.ᐟ captured and shared the frame, though whether they produced the first meme-use edit of the image remains unconfirmed6.

How It Spread

Redditor incredibleheadgiver reposted the image on October 1st, 2024 inside a three-photo r/thelastofus slideshow titled 'omg she's so silly how could she be a serial killer,' earning over 1,300 upvotes in the following year2. On February 1st, 2025, Pinterest user Jamie ☆ shared the picture again and collected 670 likes over nine months7.

TikTok uptake became visible on May 22nd, 2025, when creator @starlitgabs used the image in a short video that gathered 137 likes8. The breakout moment arrived on October 13th, 2025, when X user @lesbinof tweeted a low-quality version lifted from a TikTok comment with the caption 'When Dan and Phil upload a "truthful video" but they're STILL pretending to be British,' topping 30,000 likes within a month4. Five days later, TikToker @fartknightmaster posted a video edit of the smirk dividing like a cell undergoing mitosis, which passed 7,000 likes within a month5.

Timeline

2020

The Last of Us Part 2 releases, featuring the bathroom mirror scene in which players control Ellie's facial expressions.

2024-03-29

Pinterest user iza.ᐟ posts the first known upload of the Ellie Smirk screencap.

2024-10-01

Redditor incredibleheadgiver reposts the image in r/thelastofus inside a 'serial killer' joke slideshow, earning over 1,300 upvotes.

2025-02-01

Pinterest user Jamie ☆ reposts the image, drawing a second wave of pins.

2025-05-22

TikToker @starlitgabs uses the Ellie Smirk image in a short video, one of the earliest TikTok uses.

2025-10-13

X user @lesbinof tweets the image with a Dan and Phil caption, passing 30,000 likes in a month.

2025-10-18

TikToker @fartknightmaster posts a mitosis-style edit of the smirk that tops 7,000 likes.

How to Use This Meme

Users most often paste Ellie Smirk into a TikTok comment or X reply when accusing someone of lying or acting shady. Captions often target parasocial YouTubers, true-crime figures or friends dodging an admission, as with the X breakout tweet pairing the image with a jab at Dan and Phil's British accent4.