# He Was The Best Guy Around He Was The Best Guy Around is a TikTok audio format from a 1992 ABC 7 Eyewitness News interview, in which a New Yorker insisted that convicted mob boss John Gotti was exactly that. Years later it went viral on TikTok in spring 2023, when creators attached it to photos of vicious-but-adorable cats and favorite fictional killers. ## Origin On April 2, 1992, after a jury convicted mob boss John Gotti of murder and racketeering, ABC 7 Eyewitness News interviewed people on the street for a reaction segment. Two New Yorkers insisted Gotti had done nothing wrong, with one declaring he 'was the best guy around' regardless of the charges[1]. Eyewitness News uploaded the archival footage to YouTube on October 9, 2019, where it drew little attention for several years[7]. TikTok user @Madrandombro reportedly turned the clip into a dedicated audio page on March 31, 2023, letting other creators attach it to their own videos[7]. Their account was later renamed Just Jenna Show and the original upload went down, with archive copies and a reupload by @officialsaarah preserving it[2]. - **Platform:** ABC 7 broadcast (1992) / TikTok (viral spread) - **Creator:** Unknown - **Date:** 2023 ## Overview Posts typically feature a cat lounging or a pet owner showing fresh scratch marks while the 1992 audio plays, insisting the animal is sweet and innocent[4]. Variants swap in movie villains or anti-heroes the poster admires, from John Wick to Anton Chigurh, with the joke landing on the gap between the audio's defense and whatever carnage is on screen[7]. He Was The Best Guy Around works because the earnest, straight-faced praise sounds absurd once you see what it is being applied to. Cat content dominates the sound, often showing bloody hands or torn furniture alongside close-ups of the cat looking angelic[6]. Some creators also point the audio at themselves, defending friends or relatives with bad reputations, which sits closer to the original 1992 intent[3]. ## How to Use Common convention is to play the audio over a photo or short clip of a cat, pet, or beloved violent character while the on-screen text or visual flatly contradicts the audio's loyalty[3][4]. The joke lives in that gap, letting the poster swear by a creature or character whose crimes are obvious in the frame. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is He Was The Best Guy Around? It is a TikTok audio format taken from a 1992 ABC 7 Eyewitness News interview, in which a New Yorker defended convicted mob boss John Gotti by calling him 'the best guy around'[1]. Creators pair the clip with their aggressive cats or favorite movie killers[4]. ### Where did He Was The Best Guy Around come from? ABC 7 interviewed two New Yorkers on April 2, 1992 after Gotti's conviction, and the channel uploaded that archival footage to YouTube in October 2019[1]. TikTok user @Madrandombro reportedly turned the clip into an audio page on March 31, 2023[2]. ### What does He Was The Best Guy Around mean? The joke flips a straight-faced defense of a notorious criminal into a punchline for defending something that is actually guilty, like a cat that just drew blood[4] or a fictional character with a high body count[3]. ### How do you use He Was The Best Guy Around? Play the audio over a photo or clip of a cat, pet, or beloved violent character while the visual flatly contradicts the audio's claim of innocence[3]. Cat posts often show scratched skin or destroyed furniture with the sound insisting the animal is harmless[4]. ### Is He Was The Best Guy Around still popular? Peak usage came in spring 2023, when @raymondthecatman's cat edit passed 155,000 likes in one month[4]. Cat accounts drove most reuse after that, though the loudest activity was tied to that initial 2023 push[6]. ## References 1. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6utfcax4v9s]() 2. [https://www.tiktok.com/@officialsaarah/video/7242449604816506155]() 3. [https://www.tiktok.com/@ihurtkozzi/video/7226491083130178858]() 4. [https://www.tiktok.com/@raymondthecatman/video/7229735519159061787]() 5. [https://www.tiktok.com/@whitewinedaddy/video/7225354127222770990]() 6. [https://www.tiktok.com/@fluffy.frida/video/7229840031572315438]() 7. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/he-was-the-best-guy-around]() 8. [https://www.tiktok.com/@bjplayallday/video/7222731414704246058]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/he-was-the-best-guy-around Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library