Robin Williams smiling in a group photo with two women, one on each side

Robin Williams

2013notable personclassic

Published September 26, 2026

Robin Williams was an Oscar-winning American actor and comedian whose August 2014 death by suicide triggered one of the largest memorial waves in early social media history, with Google naming him the fastest-rising search term of the year. His online legacy includes a viral 2013 Kim Kardashian Met Gala comparison tweet and a flood of tribute posts, quote graphics and reaction images that kept his image circulating for years after.

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Overview

Robin Williams built an internet following that outlived him, mostly through two distinct moments. The first was a May 2013 tweet in which he compared Kim Kardashian's floral Met Gala gown to his own dress from the 1993 film Mrs. Doubtfire, captioned simply, 'I think I wore it better!'2 The second was the massive online reaction to his death on August 11, 2014, which pushed his name, his quotes and clips from his films into constant circulation across Twitter, Facebook and image-sharing sites5.

As an online figure, Williams sat at an unusual intersection. He was a Baby Boomer movie star with a stand-up back catalog that fit easily into short clips, and he was active on social media in a period when celebrities rarely engaged with joke formats directly. His Twitter account passed 1.3 million followers by August 2014, his Facebook page had over 6.5 million likes, and his Instagram was around 320,000 followers1. The Kim Kardashian tweet showed how quickly he could dominate a news cycle without a press release, drawing coverage from The Huffington Post and the Daily Mail the next day67.

After his death, the online footprint shifted from jokes to tributes. Fans and celebrities filled social feeds with quote graphics pulled from Dead Poets Society and Good Will Hunting, screencaps of Aladdin's Genie, and clips from stand-up specials like An Evening at the Met8. Google Trends later reported that searches for 'depression,' 'depression symptoms' and 'depression test' spiked around 3x in the days after his death, an unusual outcome for a celebrity passing1.

Origin & Background

Platform
Twitter (viral tweet) / Google Search (memorial wave)
Creator
Robin Williams
Date
2013

Robin McLaurin Williams began acting on television in 1977 with guest spots on The Richard Pryor Show and Eight Is Enough, and broke out playing the alien Mork on Mork & Mindy from 1978 to 1982, winning a 1979 Golden Globe for Best TV Actor in a Musical or Comedy1. His film career ran from Popeye in 1980 through comedies like Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Aladdin (1992) and Flubber (1997), and dramas including Good Will Hunting, which earned him the 1997 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor as Dr. Sean Maguire4.

His viral internet moment came on May 8, 2013, when he tweeted a side-by-side image of Kim Kardashian in her Givenchy floral Met Gala gown next to a still of him as Euphegenia Doubtfire, adding the caption 'I think I wore it better!'6 Within a year the tweet had picked up more than 320,000 retweets and 220,000 favorites1. On August 11, 2014, police found Williams dead at his home in Tiburon, California, at age 63; his publicist said he had been battling severe depression and had been in rehab as recently as July5. His wife Susan Schneider asked the public to focus not on his death but on 'the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions'5.

How It Spread

The Kim Kardashian side-by-side spread first on Twitter overnight, then landed on entertainment sites the following morning. The Huffington Post ran it on May 8, 2013, calling it 'the final word' on the Givenchy dress and quoting the tweet directly6. The Daily Mail followed with a longer piece the same day, including Kim's designer Riccardo Tisci defending the outfit as one of his best while Williams' Mrs. Doubtfire comparison kept circulating7.

The scale of activity around his death in August 2014 was much larger. Mashable compiled Twitter reactions from Kevin Spacey, Neil Patrick Harris, Marc Maron, Diddy, Margaret Cho, Minnie Driver, Jeremy Renner and Joel McHale within hours of the news9. ABC News gathered longer statements from Good Will Hunting co-stars Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, Bird Cage co-star Nathan Lane, and Whoopi Goldberg8. Huffington Post's obituary and its follow-up quote roundup were among the outlets driving traffic to Williams' back catalog of interviews and films510.

Search behavior itself became part of the story. Google Trends recognized 'Robin Williams' as the fastest-rising search term for any individual in 2014, and reported that searches for 'depression' tripled in the aftermath, followed by 'depression symptoms' and 'depression test'1. CNN covered the four Williams films still awaiting release, including Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, Merry Friggin' Christmas, Boulevard and Absolutely Anything, framing them as posthumous gifts to fans4.

Timeline

1978

Williams debuts as Mork on Mork & Mindy, his TV breakout role.

1997

Wins the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Good Will Hunting.

2013-05-08

Tweets the Kim Kardashian / Mrs. Doubtfire side-by-side with the caption 'I think I wore it better!' The Huffington Post and Daily Mail cover it the same day.

2014-08-11

Williams is found dead at his home in Tiburon, California, at age 63.

2014-08-12

Mashable and ABC News aggregate a wave of celebrity tributes from Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Neil Patrick Harris and others.

2014-12

Google Trends names 'Robin Williams' the fastest-rising search term for any individual in 2014, alongside a 3x spike in searches for 'depression.'

2014-12-19

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, one of four posthumously released Williams films, opens in theaters.

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How to Use This Meme

Robin Williams shows up online in a few recurring formats. Quote graphics pair a black-and-white portrait with lines from Dead Poets Society ('O Captain! My Captain!') or Good Will Hunting ('It's not your fault')4. Reaction GIFs pull from his stand-up sets and Aladdin's Genie for expressive shocked, excited or manic faces. Tribute posts, particularly on his death anniversary each August, usually stack film stills with a short caption about mental health or kindness. The Kim Kardashian tweet template, split image with an 'I wore it better' caption, still shows up occasionally when a celebrity outfit recalls a film costume6.

Frequently Asked Questions