Comic scene of suited figure with laughing emoji face standing by tombstone in the rain with #ripbozo caption

Ripbozo

2015catchphraseclassic

Published August 6, 2026

RIP Bozo is a catchphrase used online to disrespect someone's death by branding them a 'bozo' or clown. It first appeared as an Instagram hashtag in 2015 and blew up in late 2020 through a viral video of NBA commentator James Worthy smoking a cigar with text reading 'REST IN PISS YOU WON'T BE MISSED.'

catchphrase memes snowclone memes dark humor memes slang memes death hoax tragedy memes

Overview

RIP Bozo, often stylized as RIPBOZO, is a phrase online communities use to disrespect a dead or defeated person by branding them a 'bozo,' slang for a clown or someone treated as insignificant 3. Urban Dictionary describes it as a way to celebrate 'when a person (usually an evil ghoul) dies,' often paired with the snowclone 'smoking on that ___ pack' for extra sting 4.

The format's flagship clip shows NBA player and commentator James Worthy puffing a cigar during a 2018 Sportsnet broadcast, overlaid with '#PACKWATCH' and 'RIPBOZO REST IN PISS YOU WON'T BE MISSED,' set to Chief Keef's 'Laughin' To The Bank' 2. The phrase works as a reaction, an insult, and a gloat depending on the target 3.

Origin & Background

Platform
Instagram (hashtag) / Twitter (viral spread)
Creator
@bigfend
Date
2015

The phrase surfaced on Instagram sometime before May 28, 2015, when the now-deleted user @bigfend posted a photo of himself in a black trenchcoat and sunglasses standing in a crowd, captioned with a boast about attending a hater's funeral and tagged #RipBozo 3. The word 'bozo' itself is older New York-flavored slang that stands in for 'dumbass' 4. A screenshot of the @bigfend post got fresh oxygen on November 13, 2019, when Instagram user @mcponalds reposted it as a 'hood classic,' setting up the next year's breakout 3.

How It Spread

Through 2020, RIP Bozo escaped the original screenshot and became a standalone insult, with Instagram accounts like @ynwnutsack racking up hundreds of thousands of views on hashtagged clips 3. The tone sharpened on September 6, 2020, when 17-year-old beauty influencer Ethan Peters, known as Ethanisupreme, died of a suspected overdose 1. Twitter users flooded a June tweet in which Peters had wished XXXTentacion 'fun in hell,' pairing 'RIP Bozo' with 'smoking on that Ethan pack' as payback 1.

The now-signature James Worthy video appeared on October 8, 2020, when Twitter user @EBK_Koff replied to a Fader post about Tory Lanez being charged in the Megan Thee Stallion shooting 2. YouTuber PlayboiSlxtt reposted it the next day, pushing the clip past 130,000 views within six months 3. It ricocheted through iFunny in April 2021, where users grafted it onto everything from a Minecraft gravestone edit to headlines about Prince Philip's death 3.

Basketball fans revived RIP Bozo on February 10, 2022, when 76ers star Joel Embiid tweeted the original @bigfend photo after the team traded Ben Simmons to the Brooklyn Nets 3. Later that month a Change.org petition asked Big Fendi to ring the bell at a 76ers vs. Nets game, drawing more than 6,000 signatures with Fendi himself signal-boosting the link 3.

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How to Use This Meme

RIP Bozo typically shows up as a reply, caption, or video edit posted right after news of a death, loss, or defeat, often stacked with a clown or laughing emoji and the 'smoking on that ___ pack' snowclone 4. The classic video template keeps the Worthy cigar clip and Chief Keef audio, swapping in on-screen text naming whoever the poster wants to bury 2.

Frequently Asked Questions