What is Still Does The Job?

An image macro series from September 2015 that praises fictional characters for setting personal beliefs aside and finishing their job, used to mock Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis.

Where did Still Does The Job come from?

Graphic designer Shaun Osburn and his partner Michael tweeted the first version on September 9, 2015, using an image of Dana Scully from X-Files.

What does Still Does The Job mean?

It argues that a public servant should carry out the duties of the role regardless of private disagreement, framed as a jab at Davis's refusal to sign marriage licenses for same-sex couples.

How do you use Still Does The Job?

Pick a fictional character whose beliefs contradict their profession and caption the picture in Good Guy Greg format with a line like "doesn't believe in X. Still does his/her job".

Is Still Does The Job still popular?

It was a one-week topical hit during the Kim Davis news cycle in September 2015 and now sits in archives as a classic Obergefell-era image macro series.

Still Does The Job

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Published October 24, 2026

Still Does The Job is an image macro series started on September 9, 2015 by San Francisco graphic designer Shaun Osburn, who matched a photo of X-Files agent Dana Scully with a caption praising her work ethic despite personal disbelief. The joke targeted Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis, who had just finished five days in jail for refusing to sign same-sex marriage licenses. Within a day, Scully's version drew a reply from Gillian Anderson, a /r/funny front-page repost at 5,100 points, and copycat macros of other fictional characters on Imgur.

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Overview

Each post picks a fictional character whose beliefs clash with their day job, then adds a caption along the lines of "doesn't believe in X. Still does their/his/her job." Shaun Osburn's starter uses Dana Scully, the FBI agent who stays skeptical of aliens yet writes up every X-File case anyway1. Follow-ups use doctors, soldiers, cops and judges in the Good Guy Greg template, where a private opinion never beats the duty of the role5.

The format works as a one-panel jab at Kim Davis without naming her, by showing what a professional should do. LGBT outlets picked it up fast because the setup lands on principle, not insult, and most of the chosen characters are liked across political lines7.

Gallery

Origin & Background

Platform

Twitter (origin) / Reddit, Imgur (viral spread)

Creator

Shaun Osburn

Date

2015

Catalyst event, September 3, 2015: Rowan County, Kentucky clerk Kim Davis was held in contempt of court for refusing marriage licenses to same-sex couples after the Supreme Court's Obergefell v. Hodges ruling, and spent five nights at the Carter County Detention Center before being released on September 8 on condition that she not block her deputies5.

Earliest known meme, September 9, 2015: San Francisco graphic designer Shaun Osburn and his partner Michael tweeted a Dana Scully image macro reading that Scully doesn't believe in aliens but still does her job, tagging Gillian Anderson for a reaction1.

How It Spread

Within a day, Osburn's tweet collected more than 240 retweets and 480 favorites, plus a reply from Gillian Anderson's verified Twitter account that same week2. A re-upload to /r/funny titled "Scully is a True American" hit the subreddit's front page with roughly 5,100 points at 94% upvotes3. Copycat image macros featuring other fictional characters followed on Imgur the same afternoon5.

On September 10, Vocativ ran a story titled "This Is The Kim Davis Meme We've All Been Waiting For," calling the Scully version the response the news cycle had been missing4. Pink News published a compilation on September 116, Advocate ran its own roundup the same day under the headline "She'd Better Work"7, and Reason weighed in on September 13 with a column that combined the meme coverage with a critique of Davis's five-day jailing8.

Timeline

2015-09-03

Kim Davis is held in contempt of court and jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

2015-09-08

Davis is released from Carter County Detention Center after five days, on condition she not interfere with her deputies.

2015-09-09

Shaun Osburn tweets the Dana Scully image macro and tags Gillian Anderson, launching the series.

2015-09-09

The Scully image is re-uploaded to /r/funny as "Scully is a True American" and hits the subreddit front page.

2015-09-10

Gillian Anderson's verified account replies to Osburn, and Vocativ publishes the first mainstream write-up of the series.

2015-09-11

Pink News and Advocate run compilations of the best Kim Davis image macros.

2015-09-13

Reason publishes a column alongside the Kim Davis meme coverage.

How to Use This Meme

Grab a photo of a fictional character whose stated beliefs do not line up with their occupation, like an FBI agent who disbelieves in aliens or a doctor who distrusts medicine. Caption it with a two-line Good Guy Greg layout: top line names the belief ("Doesn't believe in X"), bottom line delivers the punchline ("Still does their job"). The target of the joke is implicit, so you typically do not name Kim Davis in the caption itself5.