# The Most Interesting Man in the World > The Most Interesting Man in the World is a 2009 image-macro meme featuring actor Jonathan Goldsmith, overlaid with the template "I don't always X, but when I do, Y. The Most Interesting Man in the World is an image macro meme based on the Dos Equis beer advertising campaign that ran from 2006 to 2018, starring actor Jonathan Goldsmith as a suave, gray-bearded gentleman of legendary accomplishments. The meme uses the phrasal template "I don't always X, but when I do, I Y" over a photo of Goldsmith's character, and it became one of the most recognizable advice animal formats of the late 2000s and 2010s. The campaign itself was so successful it boosted Dos Equis sales by 22% while competing imports declined[3]. ## Origin The advertising campaign was created by the global marketing firm Euro RSCG Worldwide (now Havas Worldwide) for Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery[3]. The ads first aired in the United States in 2006, with Goldsmith playing the title character and PBS Frontline narrator Will Lyman providing the voiceovers[6]. Goldsmith landed the role through an audition where performers were given the ending line "...and that's how I arm wrestled Fidel Castro" and told to improvise[5]. Goldsmith started by removing one sock, then improvised for 30 minutes before reaching the concluding line[3]. He based his characterization on his late friend and sailing partner Fernando Lamas[5]. The ads were uploaded to YouTube on April 10, 2007, through the wistl1976 channel[2]. That same month, the promotional website StayThirstyMyFriends.com launched, letting fans upload toast videos with a bottle of Dos Equis[2]. The meme format itself emerged in late 2009. The Internet Wayback Machine's first snapshot of the Meme Generator page for "Most Interesting Man in the World" dates to November 22, 2009[2]. By January 2010, a Quickmeme page had been created, with the first submission captioned "I don't masturbate often / but when I do, I use women"[2]. - **Platform:** Dos Equis TV ads (source character), Meme Generator / Quickmeme (meme format) - **Creator:** Euro RSCG Worldwide (ad campaign creators), Jonathan Goldsmith (actor/character), Will Lyman (narrator) - **Date:** 2009 ## Overview The Most Interesting Man in the World meme features a still image of Jonathan Goldsmith in character as the Dos Equis spokesman, typically seated at a lounge surrounded by attractive women, with white Impact font text following the "I don't always X, but when I do, I Y" template. The format works because it mirrors the character's detached cool. In the original ads, he famously says "I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis"[3]. Meme creators swap in anything from mundane daily struggles to absurd hypotheticals, keeping the character's deadpan confidence intact while the content gets increasingly ridiculous. The character's appeal comes from the over-the-top narrated feats in the commercials: slamming revolving doors, parallel-parking trains, having blood that smells like cologne[4]. This absurdist masculinity made the format endlessly adaptable. ## How It Spread Before the meme format took off, the ad campaign was already drawing attention. On November 18, 2007, the advertising blog Advertising 305 called the campaign "a stroke of genius"[2]. Time Magazine listed Dos Equis as a top TV ad of 2007 that December[2]. By April 2008, forum users on the Texas Longhorns fan site HornsFans were comparing Goldsmith's character to Chuck Norris[2]. Slate published an analysis in May 2009 noting the ads took "aesthetic cues" from director Wes Anderson's work, praising the "wonderful visual details" and the way the campaign blended "absurd humor with suave sophistication"[1]. The food blog Eat Me Daily reported in June 2009 that the character already had a Twitter impersonator account[2]. People Magazine interviewed Goldsmith in July 2009, revealing he lived on a 47-foot boat in California[2]. An archived 4chan post with edits of the Goldsmith character dates to August 3, 2009[2]. Once the Meme Generator and Quickmeme pages launched in late 2009 and early 2010, the format exploded. By April 2012, the Quickmeme page had over 96,000 submissions and a Facebook fan page had pulled in more than 243,000 likes[2]. The format's popularity fed back into brand awareness. In February 2010, Vitamin Water launched a parody campaign called "The Most Ridiculous Man in the World" starring basketball player Steve Nash, who delivered the line "I don't always drink water, but when I do, it's Vitamin Water" and signed off with "Stay vitaminized, my friends"[2]. ## How to Use The standard format uses a still photo of Goldsmith's character (usually the lounge scene) with two lines of white Impact text: 1. **Top text:** "I don't always [X]..." where X is some common or mundane activity 2. **Bottom text:** "...but when I do, [Y]" where Y is an unexpected, funny, or exaggerated follow-up ## Cultural Impact The Most Interesting Man in the World crossed over from advertising into mainstream pop culture in ways few ad campaigns achieve. On September 22, 2012, Saturday Night Live featured Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing the unimpressive son of the Most Interesting Man, with Jason Sudeikis as the father, across two sketches[3]. The character's "facts" format directly paralleled the Chuck Norris Facts meme that preceded it. Forum users made the comparison as early as 2008[2], and both formats share the same DNA: hyperbolic third-person boasts about a seemingly invincible figure. The Dos Equis campaign essentially gave the internet a new, more sophisticated vessel for the same joke structure. Goldsmith published a memoir in 2017 titled *Stay Interesting: I Don't Always Tell Stories About My Life, But When I Do They're True and Amazing*, leaning fully into the character's identity[5]. His charity work also blended with the persona. He advocated for landmine victim support, worked with the Morris Animal Foundation on canine cancer research, supported the S.A.B.R.E Foundation for Siberian tiger preservation, and championed Free Arts for Abused Children and the Stella Link Foundation fighting child sex trafficking in Cambodia[5]. The campaign's influence on advertising was notable. Slate's analysis compared the ads to Wes Anderson's filmmaking style, noting the deadpan narration and "Andersonian protagonists of infinite skill and superlative quirk"[1]. The approach of using an older, aspirational male figure rather than the typical young-guy-at-a-bar formula influenced beer marketing broadly[1]. ## Fun Facts - Goldsmith's audition involved removing one sock and then improvising for 30 minutes, far longer than any other performer[3]. - He modeled the character after his late sailing partner Fernando Lamas, the Argentine actor[5]. - When not filming the ads, Goldsmith lived on a 47-foot sailboat in Marina del Rey, California, which feels very on-brand[2]. - The character's business card in the ad campaign "simply says 'I'll call you'"[4]. - Will Lyman, the narrator, is best known as the voice of PBS's Frontline, a role he's held since 1984[6]. - According to a lawsuit, Goldsmith earned over $900,000 in 2015 alone from the role[2]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is The Most Interesting Man in the World? It's an image macro meme based on the Dos Equis beer advertising campaign that ran from 2006 to 2018, featuring actor Jonathan Goldsmith as a suave, bearded gentleman. The meme uses the template "I don't always X, but when I do, I Y"[2]. ### Where did The Most Interesting Man in the World come from? The character originated in a Dos Equis ad campaign created by Euro RSCG Worldwide, first airing in the U.S. in 2006[3]. The meme format emerged in late 2009 when a Meme Generator page was created using a still from the ads[2]. ### What does The Most Interesting Man in the World mean? The meme plays on the character's effortless cool and accomplishments. Creators use the "I don't always... but when I do" format to make jokes about everyday situations, giving mundane choices the weight of a worldly gentleman's considered preference[1]. ### How do you use The Most Interesting Man in the World? Place a photo of Goldsmith's character with top text reading "I don't always [activity]" and bottom text reading "but when I do, [punchline]." The humor comes from the contrast between the character's sophistication and whatever situation you insert[2]. ### Is The Most Interesting Man in the World still popular? The meme's peak was roughly 2010 to 2014, with over 96,000 Quickmeme submissions by April 2012[2]. While less frequently created today, the format is still widely recognized. Dos Equis revived the original campaign with Goldsmith in January 2026[3]. ### Who plays The Most Interesting Man in the World? Jonathan Goldsmith, an American character actor born September 26, 1938, in the Bronx. He had over 350 TV appearances before the Dos Equis role, including Westerns and shows like Dallas, Magnum P.I., and MacGyver[5]. ### Who narrates the commercials? Will Lyman, best known as the narrator of PBS's Frontline since 1984. His deep, polished voice delivered the character's outrageous feats and the iconic "Stay thirsty, my friends" sign-off[6]. ### What inspired the character? Goldsmith based his portrayal on his deceased sailing partner and friend Fernando Lamas, the Argentine actor[5]. The campaign's style drew comparisons to Wes Anderson's filmmaking, with deadpan narration and absurdist set pieces[1]. ### How did the audition work? Auditioners were given the ending line "...and that's how I arm wrestled Fidel Castro" and told to improvise their way there. Goldsmith removed one sock to start and improvised for 30 minutes[3]. ### Why was the character retired? In March 2016, Dos Equis announced Goldsmith's departure, saying they wanted to "reboot the character in a way that's relevant for today's drinker so the brand doesn't get stale." His final commercial sent the character on a one-way trip to Mars[5]. ### Who replaced Goldsmith? French actor Augustin Legrand debuted as the new Most Interesting Man in September 2016, using the sign-off "Stay thirsty, mis amigos." The replacement campaign ended in 2018[3]. ### Did the campaign actually boost sales? Yes. Dos Equis reported sales increased every year from 2006 to 2010, tripled in Canada in 2008, and the brand saw a 22% U.S. sales increase while other imported beers declined 4%[3]. ### Is Goldsmith coming back? In January 2026, Dos Equis announced the campaign's revival with Goldsmith returning. The first new commercial aired January 19, 2026, during the College Football Playoff National Championship on ESPN[5]. ## References 1. [The quirky genius of the Dos Equis ad campaign.]() 2. [JAYATOGEL | Login Bandar Toto Togel Macau & Sdyney Online 4D Terbesar & Terpercaya]() 3. [The Most Interesting Man in the World - Know Your Meme]() 4. [The Most Interesting Man in the World]() 5. [The Most Interesting Man in the World - Urban Dictionary]() 6. [Jonathan Goldsmith]() 7. [Will Lyman]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/most-interesting-man Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library