Maury Lie Detector — Maury meme joking that a professor's claim about the exam matching lecture material was a lie

Maury Lie Detector

2012image macroclassic

Published November 5, 2026

Maury Lie Detector, also known as The Lie Detector Determined That Was a Lie, is an advice animal image macro showing Maury Povich reading off a card, captioned with everyday exaggerations followed by the show's signature polygraph verdict. The format first showed up on Meme Generator in October 2012 and caught fire on r/AdviceAnimals in September 2013, when a joke about friends not repaying loans collected over 23,800 upvotes in two days.

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Overview

Each image macro places Maury in his familiar seated pose, card in hand, with two lines of Impact text that treat any trivial statement like a sworn claim being tested on air5. A typical caption presents a mundane boast or excuse on top, and the punchline below reads "the lie detector determined that was a lie," applying the show's confrontational beat to student procrastination and unpaid loans1.

The joke works because the setup mimics real episodes of Maury, where contestants answer paternity or infidelity questions before a live studio audience. Posters apply that same solemn presentation to petty lies, stretching the gap between daytime tabloid drama and ordinary deception6. Popular targets include professors promising easy exams and people who announce they are deleting their Facebook profiles2.

Origin & Background

Platform
Meme Generator (source) / Reddit (viral spread)
Date
2012

Episodes centered on polygraph tests have been a recurring segment on the Maury show, where guests agree to lie detector exams to support or dispute accusations, giving the host a predictable final beat when he reads the results aloud5. On October 2nd, 2012, a Meme Generator page titled "Maury Povich LOL" was launched with a screenshot of Povich seated and reading from a card, and users began adding captions ending with the phrase "the lie detector determined that was a lie"6.

How It Spread

On October 21st, 2012, Redditor stopsayingyolo submitted a Povich macro to r/funny with the caption "Professor claimed the exam will look just like what was covered in lecture," testing the joke on academic frustration1. Redditor I_From_Yugoslav followed on December 8th, 2012, with a version in r/AdviceAnimals mocking people who announce they are deleting Facebook2.

Activity stayed modest until September 21st, 2013, when Redditor 4dolfin posted a Povich macro to r/AdviceAnimals about computer use and masturbation, attracting over 5,100 upvotes in four days3. Two days later, 4dolfin returned with a macro about friends who fail to repay loans, which collected more than 23,800 upvotes and 790 comments inside 48 hours4. By September 2013, the dedicated Maury Lie Detector Meme Generator page held over 1,000 user-made images, and the original Maury Povich LOL page held more than 8007.

Timeline

2012-10-02

A Meme Generator page titled "Maury Povich LOL" launches with a seated screenshot of Maury Povich reading from a card.

2012-10-21

Redditor stopsayingyolo submits the first r/funny Povich macro, applying the lie detector punchline to misleading professor promises.

2012-12-08

I_From_Yugoslav posts a version in r/AdviceAnimals aimed at users who threaten to delete their Facebook profiles.

2013-09-21

Redditor 4dolfin submits a Povich macro to r/AdviceAnimals that attracts over 5,100 upvotes in four days, reviving the format.

2013-09-23

4dolfin's follow-up macro about friends who do not repay loans collects more than 23,800 upvotes and 790 comments in 48 hours.

2013-09

The dedicated Maury Lie Detector Meme Generator page passes 1,000 user-made images.

How to Use This Meme

Posters typically select a screenshot of Maury Povich seated with a card and add two lines of white Impact text. The top line presents a questionable claim, such as what someone said, promised, or bragged about, and the bottom line reads "the lie detector determined that was a lie." Common targets include authority figures making false promises and people exaggerating their own behavior5.

Frequently Asked Questions