#HillaryFly — Hillary Clinton at a debate podium with a small black fly perched on her eyebrow.

#HillaryFly

2016eventdead

Published November 13, 2026

On October 9, 2016, a house fly landed on Hillary Clinton's face during the second presidential debate against Donald Trump at Washington University in St. Louis1. By 9:25 p.m. that night, Twitter users had launched at least four parody accounts for the insect and turned its cameo into a running joke under the hashtag #HillaryFly2.

political satire memes presidential memes hashtag memes 2016 memes debate memes

Overview

The landing happened at around 9:19 p.m. EST while Clinton was answering Trump's attempt to pivot questions about his own treatment of women onto her husband's handling of the 1999 Monica Lewinsky scandal, and the insect stayed on her brow long enough for debate watchers to catch it on the live feed2. Jokes rely on the gap between the stakes of the exchange and the absurdity of a bug choosing her face as a landing spot.

Posts came in two flavors. Satirical digs aimed at Clinton from her detractors used the fly as a visual punchline, while novelty Twitter accounts gave the insect a first-person voice as a debate-night observer2. Matthew Inman of The Oatmeal set the tone early with a mock public-service announcement about the bug, published roughly a minute after the moment aired2.

Origin & Background

Platform
Live TV broadcast (second 2016 presidential debate) / Twitter (viral spread)
Date
2016

The second 2016 presidential debate took place at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri on the night of October 9, 2016, with Hillary Clinton sharing the town-hall stage with Republican nominee Donald Trump. Roughly a minute into her two-minute response to Trump's counter-accusations about Bill Clinton, a house fly landed on her face and stayed visible on the live broadcast long enough for the camera to catch it clearly1.

How It Spread

Jokes started hitting Twitter within the same minute the fly first appeared on screen, with users turning the sight into memes under the #HillaryFly hashtag2. At 9:20 p.m. EST, cartoonist Matthew Inman of The Oatmeal posted a tongue-in-cheek PSA about the bug, and by 9:25 p.m. at least four parody Twitter accounts had launched under names like Hillary Clinton Fly and TheDebateFly, each posting in the fly's voice.

The YouTube clip of the exact moment, uploaded the same night, let viewers who missed the live broadcast replay the landing at will1. News outlets picked the story up across the following day, but the joke's half-life was short: tied to the debate news cycle, #HillaryFly faded within the week.

Frequently Asked Questions