Things To Say
Published September 10, 2026
Things To Say is a series of ironic hustle culture image macros that list intentionally bad advice for what to say to specific people, from a partner's father to a job interviewer. The format launched on TikTok in mid-August 2026 and became one of the platform's dominant joke templates of late summer.
Overview
The Things To Say format pairs a headshot or reference image, often a celebrity or a movie character, with a bulleted list of increasingly absurd one-liners the viewer is supposedly meant to deliver in that situation3. The humor lands because the suggestions are the opposite of good advice, delivered with the straight-faced cadence of a self-help TikTok.
Variations lean on universally awkward encounters: meeting a partner's parents, sitting for a job interview, seeing a doctor, closing a sales call2. The list format keeps posts skimmable while the mismatch between the confident presentation and the obviously ruinous suggestions carries the punchline.
Origin & Background
On August 17, 2026, TikTok user @cawkringinvestor1 posted the earliest widely shared entry in the format, titled 'Things to say after cracking' and framed as post-sex banter suggestions. According to Know Your Meme, the video collected over 1.7 million views in the following month, establishing both the layout and the ironic-advice tone that later posts copied3.
How It Spread
How to Use This Meme
Creators typically pick a target situation, a job interview, a first date, dinner with in-laws, attach a matching headshot or archetype image, and post a list of deadpan lines that would obviously sabotage the interaction2.
Frequently Asked Questions
References (7)
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