Jesse What The Fuck Are You Talking About — Wide Breaking Bad scene showing both Jesse Pinkman and Walter White seated across from each other at a diner table

Jesse What The Fuck Are You Talking About

2020Image macro / dialogue edit / reaction memeactive

Published March 31, 2026

Also known as: Jesse WTF Are You Talking About · Jesse What Are You Talking About

"Jesse, What the Fuck Are You Talking About" is an image macro and dialogue meme format based on *Breaking Bad* characters Walter White and Jesse Pinkman. Originating on iFunny in March 2020, the format places modern internet slang in Jesse's mouth while Walter reacts with bewildered frustration. The meme became a universal reaction to incomprehensible online speech and spread rapidly across Twitter, Instagram, and iFunny throughout spring 2020.

breaking bad memes image macro memes dialogue edit memes slang memes multi panel memes

Overview

The meme follows a simple formula: a multi-panel image shows Jesse Pinkman rambling to Walter White using dense internet slang, Gen Z vocabulary, or deliberately absurd online jargon. Walter, visibly confused or annoyed, responds with some variation of "Jesse, what the fuck are you talking about?" The humor comes from the contrast between Jesse's chaotic modern-internet energy and Walter's straight-laced, no-nonsense reaction1.

Most versions use screenshots from two specific dining scenes in the *Breaking Bad* franchise. The first comes from the Season 4 premiere "Box Cutter," where Walt and Jesse eat at Denny's5. The second, and more commonly used, comes from *El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie*, where the two share a flashback meal at a restaurant6. The framing of these scenes, with the characters sitting across from each other in a booth, makes them natural templates for back-and-forth dialogue edits.

Notably, Walter White never actually says this exact phrase in the show3. The line is an internet distillation of Walt's general exasperation with Jesse across five seasons of the series. It's a "Beam me up, Scotty" situation: the quote feels so right that most people assume it's real3.

Origin & Background

Platform
iFunny (first post), Twitter (viral spread)
Key People
CosmicRewind, @garfpoop
Date
2020

On July 17, 2011, *Breaking Bad* Season 4 premiered with the episode "Box Cutter" on AMC5. The episode features Walt and Jesse eating breakfast at a Denny's, providing one of the two key source images for the meme. Years later, on October 11, 2019, *El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie* released on Netflix6. A flashback scene in the film shows Walter and Jesse dining together at a restaurant, discussing food and their futures. This second scene became the primary visual template.

The first known meme using this format appeared on March 13, 2020, when iFunny user CosmicRewind posted a multi-panel edit using the *El Camino* restaurant scene4. In the post, Jesse tries to explain what "based" means to Walter, who grows increasingly confused and demands Jesse explain himself2. The format was straightforward: Jesse speaks in internet dialect, Walt doesn't get it.

How It Spread

The meme sat relatively dormant for a few weeks after CosmicRewind's post. Then on April 6, 2020, Twitter user @garfpoop posted a version using the Mommy GF/Return to Tradition format, picking up over 860 retweets and 5,400 likes within two months4. Two days later, on April 8, 2020, Twitter user @ohip13 posted a Joker/Doomer/Blackpill recaption that hit 2,400 retweets and 15,100 likes4. These two posts cracked the meme wide open.

By April 10, iFunny reposts by users Penns and Gxbe racked up over 3,600 and 4,000 smiles respectively7. On April 13, Instagram user bearboob posted a version that pulled in over 37,600 likes in two months4. Twitter user @sunbodied followed on April 17 with a post earning 380 retweets and 1,300 likes4.

The format split along platform lines during this period. Twitter creators mostly used the *El Camino* clip and video format, while iFunny and Instagram favored the static image macro approach4. The meme spread to Facebook and other platforms through late April and May 2020, riding the wave of pandemic-era online activity.

By 2023, the meme saw a major resurgence on TikTok and Reddit3. Users started deploying it as a reaction to "schizoposting," those rambling, stream-of-consciousness text blocks that read like someone hasn't slept in days. Voice edits where someone impersonates Jesse spouting internet slang while a Walter impression responds became especially popular1. The format also spawned crossover jokes with other *Breaking Bad* memes, including a mashup where Jesse tells Walt about *Rick and Morty*'s Pickle Rick episode2.

How to Use This Meme

The format typically works in one of two ways:

1

Static image macro: Take a screenshot of Walt and Jesse at the diner (usually from *El Camino*). Add text where Jesse says something packed with internet slang, meme references, or deliberately incomprehensible jargon. Walt's response is a variation of "Jesse, what the fuck are you talking about?"

2

Voice edit / video: Record or use AI-generated voices imitating Jesse and Walt. Jesse delivers a monologue full of current online terminology (e.g., "Yo Mr. White, that bussy was so sigma it got ratioed in 4K, fr fr, no cap"). Walt responds with confused anger1.

Cultural Impact

The meme tapped into a real generational language gap. As internet slang evolved faster and faster through the early 2020s, "Jesse, what the fuck are you talking about" became a shorthand for anyone overwhelmed by the pace of online vocabulary shifts3. It works in group chats, comment sections, and quote tweets as a one-line dismissal of any message that reads like gibberish.

Urban Dictionary's top entry defines it as "a statement that can be made when one around you says something that is complete nonsense, like excessive usage of modern internet slang or memes in regular conversation"1. The definition itself nods to the voice edit tradition, noting the meme originated from "voice edits of Jesse Pinkman and Walter White from Breaking Bad in diners"1.

The meme's longevity owes a lot to Bryan Cranston's face. As one writer noted, his expression isn't just anger: "it's a mix of disappointment, exhaustion, and a tiny bit of 'I might actually have a stroke if you keep talking'"3. That specificity of emotion gives the template more range than a simple angry reaction image.

Fun Facts

Walter White never actually says "Jesse, what the fuck are you talking about" in *Breaking Bad*. The internet condensed five seasons of his frustration into a single fictional quote3.

The *Box Cutter* episode that provides one of the meme's source images was watched by 2.58 million households and was the most-watched *Breaking Bad* episode until the Season 5 premiere5.

*El Camino*, which provides the more popular source image, won Best Movie Made for Television at the Critics' Choice Television Awards6.

The meme's first viral post on iFunny was specifically about explaining the word "based," which was itself a relatively new piece of internet slang in early 20204.

The format bridged a rare gap between iFunny and Twitter meme cultures, which typically operate in separate ecosystems4.

Derivatives & Variations

Pickle Walt / Pickle Rick crossover:

Jesse excitedly tells Walt about *Rick and Morty*'s Pickle Rick, and Walt responds by claiming he turned himself into a pickle too. A direct mashup of two meme universes[2].

Voice edits and AI parodies:

Creators use AI voice cloning or impressions to produce audio/video versions where Jesse and Walt "speak" new dialogue. These became the dominant form on TikTok by 2023[3].

Deep-fried and distorted versions:

The format got the standard internet treatment of heavy image compression, saturation, and noise for an extra layer of ironic humor[3].

Reversed format:

Some versions flip the dynamic, making Walter the one spouting nonsense and Jesse the confused reactor[3].

"Jesse, we need to cook" crossover:

The "what the fuck are you talking about" format frequently merges with the separate "Jesse, we need to cook" meme for compound jokes[3].

Frequently Asked Questions