OP is a Faggot — Cartoon Spider-Man pointing at a book entry labeled 'OP' next to 'Justi'.

OP is a Faggot

2007catchphraseclassic

Published September 19, 2026

"OP is a Faggot" is one of 4chan's oldest inside jokes4, a reflexive insult thrown at whoever starts a thread. First traced to /b/ in 2007, the phrase spread outward through Downfall YouTube parodies1 and image macro edits on Reddit and FunnyJunk, growing from a board taunt into a recognizable meme format.

4chan memes catchphrase memes late 2000s memes imageboard memes trolling memes

Overview

The insult targets whoever started a thread when they post bait, low-effort content, or a question the board finds pointless. On 4chan the word "faggot" works less as a slur about sexual orientation than as gender-policing between anonymous users, an angle ethnographer C.J. Pascoe explored in her 2007 book Dude, You're a Fag3.

Popular formats include Downfall subtitle parodies of Hitler ranting about an OP1, edited 60s Spider-Man comics where a "book about faggots" opens to the abbreviation OP, and rainbow comics riffing on the punchline "When God created OP." Most versions treat the accusation as ritual rather than argument, a payoff readers of /b/ already see coming.

Origin & Background

Platform
4chan /b/ (viral spread via YouTube, Reddit, FunnyJunk)
Date
2007

The abbreviation "OP" for "original poster" dates to Usenet newsgroups in the mid 1990s, with Urban Dictionary user Joe filing the earliest formal entry on December 31, 20032. The specific phrase "OP is a faggot" first shows up in a 4chan /b/ archive dated May 29, 20074. Because /b/ strips identity from every post5, no single person can be credited; the line came from the anonymous board itself.

How It Spread

The catchphrase leaked outside 4chan by way of Urban Dictionary, where user mongo4chan added an "OPFAG" entry on February 28, 2009 pointing readers back to the imageboard2. From there it filtered into other forum communities where 4chan lore was already popular, including a Something Awful thread that ran a parallel bit inviting members to declare "how gay you are."

Video edits carried the joke to YouTube through the Downfall parody format, in which Hitler's bunker rant is subtitled as outrage over an OP being called a faggot1. Reddit user KleurenPrinter posted "When God created OP" to /r/4chan on March 4, 2012, and FunnyJunk user stinkytech followed on May 28, 2012 with an edited Spider-Man comic showing a "book about faggots" opened to the OP page, drawing over 103,000 views and 4,000 upvotes within eight months4.

Timeline

2003-12-31

Urban Dictionary user Joe files the earliest formal entry for "OP" as an abbreviation for "original poster."

2007-05-29

Earliest archived instance of "OP is a faggot" posted on 4chan's /b/ board.

2008-11-11

Something Awful member Myself opens a parallel thread carrying the joke to that forum.

2009-02-28

Urban Dictionary user mongo4chan submits an entry for "OPFAG" referencing the 4chan use.

2010-05-29

YouTuber jesse2282 uploads a Downfall parody in which Hitler reacts to an OP being called a faggot.

2011-10-22

YouTuber LSDlucid uploads "Hitler reacts to OP being a fag on 4chan," another Downfall parody.

2012-03-04

Redditor KleurenPrinter posts "When God created OP" to /r/4chan, showing a bearded creator figure spilling too much rainbow into a bowl labeled OP.

2012-05-28

FunnyJunk user stinkytech uploads a 60s Spider-Man edit with a "book about faggots" opened to the OP page, drawing 103,000+ views.

How to Use This Meme

Users typically post the phrase as a thread reply when a thread reads as bait, an obvious lie, or a question the board finds stupid. Image macro versions include the Spider-Man book edit and the rainbow "God created OP" comic. Downfall subtitle edits swap Hitler's German for outrage at OP.

Frequently Asked Questions