First Time?

2018Reaction image / image macrosemi-active

Also known as: James Franco First Time · First Time Meme

First Time? is a 2018 reaction image macro from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs featuring James Franco calmly asking a condemned man on the gallows if this is his first execution, used to joke about routinized extremes.

"First Time?" is a reaction image macro taken from the 2018 Coen Brothers film *The Ballad of Buster Scruggs*, featuring James Franco's character calmly asking a crying man on the gallows if this is his first execution. The screenshot went viral in November 2018 as a template for joking about situations that seem extreme to outsiders but feel routine to those who've been through them before1. It became one of the most versatile reaction memes of the late 2010s, used across Reddit, Twitter, and Imgur to flex hard-won experience in everything from video game difficulty to everyday absurdity.

reaction memesexploitable templatesmovie quote memesdark humor memescoen brothers memes

Overview

The meme uses a single screenshot from the "Near Algodones" segment of *The Ballad of Buster Scruggs*. In the image, James Franco's character stands on the gallows with a noose around his neck, looking sideways at a weeping man next to him and asking "First time?" with a knowing, almost amused expression1. The humor comes from the character's total nonchalance about his own impending death, treating execution like just another Tuesday.

As a meme template, the image works in two ways. In its simplest form, a caption describes some terrible or ridiculous situation, and "First time?" is the punchline from someone who's already been through it. In object-labeling versions, Franco and the crying man are labeled as different groups, communities, or franchises to show one group's seasoned tolerance versus another's fresh horror3.

*The Ballad of Buster Scruggs* is a Western anthology film written, directed, and produced by Joel and Ethan Coen. It premiered at the 75th Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2018, winning the Golden Osella Award for Best Screenplay1. Netflix released the film on November 16, 2018, after a limited theatrical run starting November 91.

The specific scene comes from the second segment, "Near Algodones." Franco plays a cowboy who robs a bank, gets captured twice by different posses through sheer bad luck, and ends up on the gallows with three other condemned men. He looks at the crying man to his left and quips "First time?" before being hooded and hanged1.

Netflix had uploaded the film's trailer to YouTube on September 12, 2018, which included the "First time?" clip. The trailer pulled in over 1.7 million views within three months3.

The meme format kicked off on November 25, 2018, when Twitter user @Ayub_dz posted a screenshot of Franco on the gallows with the caption: "When you're hiding from a school shooter and the foreign exchange student starts crying." The tweet picked up more than 37,000 retweets and 131,000 likes within five days3.

Origin & Background

Platform
Netflix (source film), Twitter (meme format)
Key People
Joel & Ethan Coen, James Franco, @Ayub_dz
Date
2018

*The Ballad of Buster Scruggs* is a Western anthology film written, directed, and produced by Joel and Ethan Coen. It premiered at the 75th Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2018, winning the Golden Osella Award for Best Screenplay. Netflix released the film on November 16, 2018, after a limited theatrical run starting November 9.

The specific scene comes from the second segment, "Near Algodones." Franco plays a cowboy who robs a bank, gets captured twice by different posses through sheer bad luck, and ends up on the gallows with three other condemned men. He looks at the crying man to his left and quips "First time?" before being hooded and hanged.

Netflix had uploaded the film's trailer to YouTube on September 12, 2018, which included the "First time?" clip. The trailer pulled in over 1.7 million views within three months.

The meme format kicked off on November 25, 2018, when Twitter user @Ayub_dz posted a screenshot of Franco on the gallows with the caption: "When you're hiding from a school shooter and the foreign exchange student starts crying." The tweet picked up more than 37,000 retweets and 131,000 likes within five days.

How It Spread

The same day @Ayub_dz posted the tweet, it migrated to Imgur and Reddit. The Imgur repost earned over 5,800 points and 158,000 views in five days. On Reddit, it hit more than 58,000 points with 87% upvotes in four days.

Reddit's r/dankmemes community jumped on the format almost immediately. On November 26, 2018, Redditor Dako_01 posted a version about the anti-vaccination movement that scored over 15,000 points at 97% upvoted. The next day, Redditor hunchoivs made one about kids crying when Mufasa dies in the new *Lion King* film, pulling more than 9,000 points.

By November 30, the template had evolved beyond simple caption memes. Redditor vk1198 posted an object-labeling variation referencing video game developers, where different companies were labeled on the gallows figures to joke about which studios were most accustomed to controversy. It earned over 2,700 points at 97% upvoted.

The format proved extremely adaptable. Users applied it to gaming communities dealing with server crashes, fandoms processing character deaths, professions handling recurring annoyances, and internet subcultures greeting newcomers to their particular brand of chaos. The two-character dynamic (seasoned veteran and panicking newcomer) gave it a clear emotional logic that made it easy to remix without explanation.

Platforms

RedditTwitterInstagramTikTok

Timeline

2018

Format originates from Succession as reaction meme

2018-2019

Spreads across platforms as dark humor reaction format

2019-01-01

First Time? started spreading across social media platforms

2020-present

Is still going strong reaction for shared difficult experiences

2021-01-01

Brands and companies started using First Time? in marketing

2023-01-01

First Time? entered the broader pop culture conversation

2025-01-01

First Time? is still actively used and shared across platforms

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

The "First Time?" meme typically follows one of two formats:

Caption format: Write a scenario describing something shocking, frustrating, or absurd above the Franco screenshot. The image itself delivers the punchline. The joke works best when the situation is genuinely alarming to most people but old news to a specific group. Example: a caption about a game crashing mid-save, with Franco's expression implying veteran players barely flinch anymore.

Object-labeling format: Label James Franco as the experienced group and the crying man as the newcomer encountering the problem for the first time. This version often compares fandoms, professions, or online communities. The gallows setting adds dark comedy, so it pairs well with topics that are bleak but familiar.

The key to a good "First Time?" meme is the contrast between panic and calm. Franco's expression does the heavy lifting. The caption just needs to set up a situation where someone's distress is met with casual indifference from someone who's seen it all before.

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

The meme tapped into a broader internet tradition of "welcome to the club" humor, where experienced community members greet newcomers with weary amusement rather than sympathy. It found heavy use in gaming circles, particularly around communities known for punishing difficulty or buggy launches.

The film itself received significant critical recognition independent of the meme. *The Ballad of Buster Scruggs* earned three nominations at the 91st Academy Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay, and the National Board of Review named it a top ten film of 2018. The meme likely drove additional viewers to the film, as people sought out the original scene after encountering the format online.

Fun Facts

James Franco's character in the film has no name. He's credited simply as "the cowboy" in the "Near Algodones" segment.

The film is structured as six separate short stories with no connecting plot. The meme comes from the second of six segments.

The character who says "First time?" is himself being executed for crimes he didn't commit. He was mistaken for a cattle rustler after the actual rustler escaped.

The trailer containing the "First time?" clip sat on YouTube for over two months before anyone turned it into a meme.

*The Ballad of Buster Scruggs* was originally conceived as a six-part TV series before the Coens reworked it into a feature film.

Derivatives & Variations

Variations with different knowing expressions or characters

A variation of First Time?

(2018)

Extended sequences showing escalating familiarity with difficulty

A variation of First Time?

(2018)

Paired reactions showing before and after experiencing something difficult

A variation of First Time?

(2018)

Versions emphasizing the dark humor of normalized suffering

A variation of First Time?

(2018)

Frequently Asked Questions

References (4)

  1. 1
    Memeencyclopedia
  2. 2
    First Time? - Urban Dictionarydictionary
  3. 3
    First Time? - Know Your Memeencyclopedia
  4. 4
    The Ballad of Buster Scruggsencyclopedia

First Time?

2018Reaction image / image macrosemi-active

Also known as: James Franco First Time · First Time Meme

First Time? is a 2018 reaction image macro from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs featuring James Franco calmly asking a condemned man on the gallows if this is his first execution, used to joke about routinized extremes.

"First Time?" is a reaction image macro taken from the 2018 Coen Brothers film *The Ballad of Buster Scruggs*, featuring James Franco's character calmly asking a crying man on the gallows if this is his first execution. The screenshot went viral in November 2018 as a template for joking about situations that seem extreme to outsiders but feel routine to those who've been through them before. It became one of the most versatile reaction memes of the late 2010s, used across Reddit, Twitter, and Imgur to flex hard-won experience in everything from video game difficulty to everyday absurdity.

reaction memes exploitable templates movie quote memes dark humor memes coen brothers memes

Overview

The meme uses a single screenshot from the "Near Algodones" segment of *The Ballad of Buster Scruggs*. In the image, James Franco's character stands on the gallows with a noose around his neck, looking sideways at a weeping man next to him and asking "First time?" with a knowing, almost amused expression. The humor comes from the character's total nonchalance about his own impending death, treating execution like just another Tuesday.

As a meme template, the image works in two ways. In its simplest form, a caption describes some terrible or ridiculous situation, and "First time?" is the punchline from someone who's already been through it. In object-labeling versions, Franco and the crying man are labeled as different groups, communities, or franchises to show one group's seasoned tolerance versus another's fresh horror.

*The Ballad of Buster Scruggs* is a Western anthology film written, directed, and produced by Joel and Ethan Coen. It premiered at the 75th Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2018, winning the Golden Osella Award for Best Screenplay. Netflix released the film on November 16, 2018, after a limited theatrical run starting November 9.

The specific scene comes from the second segment, "Near Algodones." Franco plays a cowboy who robs a bank, gets captured twice by different posses through sheer bad luck, and ends up on the gallows with three other condemned men. He looks at the crying man to his left and quips "First time?" before being hooded and hanged.

Netflix had uploaded the film's trailer to YouTube on September 12, 2018, which included the "First time?" clip. The trailer pulled in over 1.7 million views within three months.

The meme format kicked off on November 25, 2018, when Twitter user @Ayub_dz posted a screenshot of Franco on the gallows with the caption: "When you're hiding from a school shooter and the foreign exchange student starts crying." The tweet picked up more than 37,000 retweets and 131,000 likes within five days.

Origin & Background

Platform
Netflix (source film), Twitter (meme format)
Key People
Joel & Ethan Coen, James Franco, @Ayub_dz
Date
2018

*The Ballad of Buster Scruggs* is a Western anthology film written, directed, and produced by Joel and Ethan Coen. It premiered at the 75th Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2018, winning the Golden Osella Award for Best Screenplay. Netflix released the film on November 16, 2018, after a limited theatrical run starting November 9.

The specific scene comes from the second segment, "Near Algodones." Franco plays a cowboy who robs a bank, gets captured twice by different posses through sheer bad luck, and ends up on the gallows with three other condemned men. He looks at the crying man to his left and quips "First time?" before being hooded and hanged.

Netflix had uploaded the film's trailer to YouTube on September 12, 2018, which included the "First time?" clip. The trailer pulled in over 1.7 million views within three months.

The meme format kicked off on November 25, 2018, when Twitter user @Ayub_dz posted a screenshot of Franco on the gallows with the caption: "When you're hiding from a school shooter and the foreign exchange student starts crying." The tweet picked up more than 37,000 retweets and 131,000 likes within five days.

How It Spread

The same day @Ayub_dz posted the tweet, it migrated to Imgur and Reddit. The Imgur repost earned over 5,800 points and 158,000 views in five days. On Reddit, it hit more than 58,000 points with 87% upvotes in four days.

Reddit's r/dankmemes community jumped on the format almost immediately. On November 26, 2018, Redditor Dako_01 posted a version about the anti-vaccination movement that scored over 15,000 points at 97% upvoted. The next day, Redditor hunchoivs made one about kids crying when Mufasa dies in the new *Lion King* film, pulling more than 9,000 points.

By November 30, the template had evolved beyond simple caption memes. Redditor vk1198 posted an object-labeling variation referencing video game developers, where different companies were labeled on the gallows figures to joke about which studios were most accustomed to controversy. It earned over 2,700 points at 97% upvoted.

The format proved extremely adaptable. Users applied it to gaming communities dealing with server crashes, fandoms processing character deaths, professions handling recurring annoyances, and internet subcultures greeting newcomers to their particular brand of chaos. The two-character dynamic (seasoned veteran and panicking newcomer) gave it a clear emotional logic that made it easy to remix without explanation.

Platforms

RedditTwitterInstagramTikTok

Timeline

2018

Format originates from Succession as reaction meme

2018-2019

Spreads across platforms as dark humor reaction format

2019-01-01

First Time? started spreading across social media platforms

2020-present

Is still going strong reaction for shared difficult experiences

2021-01-01

Brands and companies started using First Time? in marketing

2023-01-01

First Time? entered the broader pop culture conversation

2025-01-01

First Time? is still actively used and shared across platforms

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

The "First Time?" meme typically follows one of two formats:

Caption format: Write a scenario describing something shocking, frustrating, or absurd above the Franco screenshot. The image itself delivers the punchline. The joke works best when the situation is genuinely alarming to most people but old news to a specific group. Example: a caption about a game crashing mid-save, with Franco's expression implying veteran players barely flinch anymore.

Object-labeling format: Label James Franco as the experienced group and the crying man as the newcomer encountering the problem for the first time. This version often compares fandoms, professions, or online communities. The gallows setting adds dark comedy, so it pairs well with topics that are bleak but familiar.

The key to a good "First Time?" meme is the contrast between panic and calm. Franco's expression does the heavy lifting. The caption just needs to set up a situation where someone's distress is met with casual indifference from someone who's seen it all before.

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

The meme tapped into a broader internet tradition of "welcome to the club" humor, where experienced community members greet newcomers with weary amusement rather than sympathy. It found heavy use in gaming circles, particularly around communities known for punishing difficulty or buggy launches.

The film itself received significant critical recognition independent of the meme. *The Ballad of Buster Scruggs* earned three nominations at the 91st Academy Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay, and the National Board of Review named it a top ten film of 2018. The meme likely drove additional viewers to the film, as people sought out the original scene after encountering the format online.

Fun Facts

James Franco's character in the film has no name. He's credited simply as "the cowboy" in the "Near Algodones" segment.

The film is structured as six separate short stories with no connecting plot. The meme comes from the second of six segments.

The character who says "First time?" is himself being executed for crimes he didn't commit. He was mistaken for a cattle rustler after the actual rustler escaped.

The trailer containing the "First time?" clip sat on YouTube for over two months before anyone turned it into a meme.

*The Ballad of Buster Scruggs* was originally conceived as a six-part TV series before the Coens reworked it into a feature film.

Derivatives & Variations

Variations with different knowing expressions or characters

A variation of First Time?

(2018)

Extended sequences showing escalating familiarity with difficulty

A variation of First Time?

(2018)

Paired reactions showing before and after experiencing something difficult

A variation of First Time?

(2018)

Versions emphasizing the dark humor of normalized suffering

A variation of First Time?

(2018)

Frequently Asked Questions

References (4)

  1. 1
    Memeencyclopedia
  2. 2
    First Time? - Urban Dictionarydictionary
  3. 3
    First Time? - Know Your Memeencyclopedia
  4. 4
    The Ballad of Buster Scruggsencyclopedia