# The Unemployed Friend at 2pm On a Monday Posted to Twitter in September 2022, 'the unemployed friend at 2pm on a Monday' pairs a Lord of the Rings image of Gandalf wandering the woods with a caption imagining a jobless pal's weekday adventures. The original tweet by @alexsmokesmid inspired copycats on TikTok, Instagram and Tumblr within days, and by October 4th the format had moved to a Tom Cruise edit that collected 218,000 likes in one day. ## Origin Twitter user @alexsmokesmid posted the first known version on September 21st, 2022, laying 'the unemployed friend at 2pm on a Monday' over a piece of Gandalf fan art from The Lord of the Rings[1]. Within two weeks the tweet had logged over 1,600 likes and 220 retweets[6]. Two days later, on September 23rd, @alexsmokesmid followed up with a second edit, 'the unemployed friend at 1:40 pm staring at the apex legends lobby,' over different Gandalf artwork, which went on to collect more than 2,500 likes[3]. - **Platform:** Twitter (origin) / TikTok and Instagram (viral spread) - **Creator:** @alexsmokesmid - **Date:** 2022 ## Overview The joke works by matching a picture of a lone character doing something aimless or grand, Gandalf trekking through the woods or a cowboy riding across open country, with a caption that pins the behavior to a specific weekday hour. That time stamp carries the comedy, since the viewer is usually at a desk at 2pm on a Monday while the unemployed friend is off having a tiny epic[1][5]. Earlier posts leaned on fantasy and video-game imagery, where a solitary figure in a sweeping scene sold the fantasy of a weekday with nowhere to be[1][5]. Later posts added live-action, with @charleyonhere's October tweet of Tom Cruise sitting on top of the Burj Khalifa reading as the aspirational endpoint of a free Monday afternoon[10]. Variations swap the hour ('1:40 pm staring at the apex legends lobby') or the character, but the setup stays the same[3]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is The Unemployed Friend at 2pm On a Monday? A caption-format meme that imagines what a jobless friend is doing during a weekday work hour, usually paired with Gandalf fan art or similar lone-adventurer imagery[1]. ### Where did The Unemployed Friend at 2pm On a Monday come from? Twitter user @alexsmokesmid posted the first known version on September 21st, 2022, laying the phrase over a Lord of the Rings Gandalf illustration[1][6]. ### What does The Unemployed Friend at 2pm On a Monday mean? It contrasts the viewer's weekday work routine with the imagined freedom of a friend who can wander off into some tiny epic in the middle of a Monday afternoon[1]. ### How do you use The Unemployed Friend at 2pm On a Monday? Post an image of a solo character doing something scenic or absurd, then caption it 'the unemployed friend at [weekday time] on a [weekday],' adjusting the time to fit the picture[3][5]. ### Is The Unemployed Friend at 2pm On a Monday still popular? Peak traction landed between September and early October 2022, with @charleyonhere's October 4th Tom Cruise edit logging 218,000 likes in a day; the format has not seen a comparable moment since[10][6]. ## References 1. [https://twitter.com/alexsmokesmid/status/1572672855611179008]() 2. [https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci04g71Ph9O/]() 3. [https://twitter.com/alexsmokesmid/status/1573412056090710016]() 4. [https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci74IGfrM8s/]() 5. [https://www.tiktok.com/@benjaminsburn/video/7148084923667188998]() 6. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-unemployed-friend-at-2pm-on-a-monday]() 7. [https://www.instagram.com/p/CjDsf8sJUmx/]() 8. [https://evildilf2.tumblr.com/post/696649273330335744]() 9. [https://www.tiktok.com/@danicooldragon00/video/7148927431989087494]() 10. [https://twitter.com/charleyonhere/status/1577393251249754160]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/the-unemployed-friend-at-2pm-on-a-monday Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library