You And Everyone You Know Are Dead And Your Kids Die Too

2016Catchphrase / exploitable videosemi-active

Also known as: Shep Smith Hurricane Warning · "Your Kids Die Too"

You And Everyone You Know Are Dead, and Your Kids Die Too is a 2016 catchphrase from Fox News anchor Shepard Smith's blunt Hurricane Matthew warning that became a green-screen exploitable meme template in 2022.

"You and Everyone You Know Are Dead, and Your Kids Die Too" is a catchphrase from Fox News anchor Shepard Smith's Hurricane Matthew coverage on October 6, 20161. Smith's blunt warning to Florida residents about the approaching Category 4 storm went viral almost immediately, drawing both praise for his directness and accusations of fear-mongering3. The clip gained a second life in October 2022 when users on Funnyjunk created a green-screen exploitable version, turning Smith's deadly serious weather report into a template for absurd video edits4.

catchphrase memesexploitable templatesaccidental fame memesgreen screen memesdark humor memes

Overview

The meme comes from a live Fox News broadcast where Shepard Smith was walking viewers through the projected path of Hurricane Matthew as it bore down on Florida's Atlantic coast. Standing in front of a weather map showing cities like Melbourne, Daytona Beach, and Jacksonville, Smith dropped what might be the most brutally honest weather forecast in cable news history: "This moves 20 miles to the west, and you and everyone you know are dead. All of you. Because you can't survive it. It's not possible. Unless you're very, very lucky. And your kids die, too"2.

The delivery is what makes it. Smith isn't shouting. He's not panicking. He's just stating it like a fact, the way you'd tell someone the store closes at nine. That tonal mismatch between the apocalyptic content and the matter-of-fact delivery is exactly why the clip works as both a genuine public safety moment and comedy gold1.

On October 6, 2016, Hurricane Matthew was tracking toward Florida's eastern coastline. The storm had already killed at least 339 people in Haiti3. Smith was anchoring Fox News's round-the-clock hurricane coverage when he pulled up the storm's projected path and decided to explain, in the most direct terms possible, why people needed to evacuate2.

The key segment aired during the afternoon. Smith pointed to the weather map and laid it out: cities along the coast would be uninhabitable if the hurricane shifted just slightly westward1. The YouTube channel Carl Weathers uploaded the clip that same day, and it eventually racked up over 2.4 million views in six years4.

But that wasn't Smith's only memorable moment during the coverage. When his longtime friend Dolores Berhalter called in from Palm Beach Gardens to say she was staying put, Smith shot back with equal bluntness: "They were very, very hopeful [before Hurricane Andrew], until they were dead" and "Hope is not a strategy, Dolores!"3. In another segment, he explained his personal stake in the evacuation effort with characteristic honesty: "If too many of you perish, they'll send me down there and I need to go to this wedding, OK? Thanks"1.

Origin & Background

Platform
Fox News (broadcast), YouTube / Twitter (viral spread)
Key People
Shepard Smith, Carl Weathers, Bugkiller
Date
2016

On October 6, 2016, Hurricane Matthew was tracking toward Florida's eastern coastline. The storm had already killed at least 339 people in Haiti. Smith was anchoring Fox News's round-the-clock hurricane coverage when he pulled up the storm's projected path and decided to explain, in the most direct terms possible, why people needed to evacuate.

The key segment aired during the afternoon. Smith pointed to the weather map and laid it out: cities along the coast would be uninhabitable if the hurricane shifted just slightly westward. The YouTube channel Carl Weathers uploaded the clip that same day, and it eventually racked up over 2.4 million views in six years.

But that wasn't Smith's only memorable moment during the coverage. When his longtime friend Dolores Berhalter called in from Palm Beach Gardens to say she was staying put, Smith shot back with equal bluntness: "They were very, very hopeful [before Hurricane Andrew], until they were dead" and "Hope is not a strategy, Dolores!". In another segment, he explained his personal stake in the evacuation effort with characteristic honesty: "If too many of you perish, they'll send me down there and I need to go to this wedding, OK? Thanks".

How It Spread

The clip spread across Twitter within hours of airing on October 6, 2016. Users shared the segment with reactions ranging from "welp at least he's honest" to "Best comedy channel out there". News outlets including TheWrap, HuffPost, and BroBible covered the clip, helping push it to a wider audience beyond Fox News's usual viewership.

The response split into two camps. Many viewers praised Smith for cutting through the usual hedging of weather coverage and being genuinely direct about the danger. Others, including some on social media, accused him of fear-mongering. The timing added extra context: right-wing commentator Matt Drudge was simultaneously tweeting that the hurricane warnings were a political ploy by the left to push climate change narratives during the 2016 election.

The clip sat in YouTube's collective memory for years before getting a format upgrade. On October 21, 2022, Funnyjunk user Bugkiller uploaded a green-screen version of the scene, replacing the original weather map behind Smith with a blank canvas for editors. The exploitable format picked up quickly. That same day, Funnyjunk user fartsmcdougle created the first edit, dropping in footage of a man doing kung-fu nunchaku tricks on a deck, with Smith's warning implying the nunchaku display was the unsurvivable threat. The green-screen post earned over 600 upvotes in two days as more users jumped on the format.

Media

How to Use This Meme

The meme works in two main formats:

Catchphrase format: Drop the quote (or a shortened version like "your kids die too") as a reply to anything that looks vaguely threatening, dangerous, or just mildly inconvenient. The humor comes from the massive overreaction. Someone posts about a spider in their bathroom? "You and everyone you know are dead."

Green-screen exploitable: Using the 2022 template, editors replace the weather map behind Smith with footage of something ridiculous, mundane, or absurdly dangerous. Smith then appears to be gravely warning viewers about whatever's on screen. The format typically works best when the replacement footage is either:

1

Something completely harmless (a toddler with a nerf gun)

2

Something genuinely chaotic but silly (the nunchaku guy)

3

A pop culture reference or video game clip

Cultural Impact

Smith's Hurricane Matthew coverage became one of the most-discussed moments of the 2016 hurricane season. HuffPost described it as "the most chilling warning" about the storm. TheWrap called it a "doomsday prediction". The clip stood out in part because it ran directly counter to the politicization of hurricane coverage happening at the same time, with figures like Matt Drudge suggesting the storm's severity was being exaggerated for political reasons.

The 2022 green-screen revival showed the clip's staying power. Six years after the original broadcast, the format found a new audience on platforms like Funnyjunk, where users built an active editing community around the template.

Fun Facts

Smith specifically noted he had no control over the hurricane's path: the entire warning hinged on a hypothetical 20-mile westward shift.

The "Dolores" phone call happened live on air with Smith's actual longtime friend, not a random caller.

Smith referenced Hurricane Andrew (1992) as a cautionary tale during the same broadcast, noting that hopeful residents of South Miami-Dade "were very, very hopeful, until they were dead".

Hurricane Matthew was described by the U.S. National Weather Service as "unlike any hurricane in the modern era," the most powerful to threaten northeast Florida in 118 years.

The Carl Weathers YouTube channel upload became the definitive version of the clip, hitting 2.4 million views before the green-screen revival even began.

Derivatives & Variations

Green-screen exploitable edits

— The primary derivative format, created by Funnyjunk user Bugkiller in October 2022, replacing the weather map with custom footage[4].

Nunchaku man edit

— The first known exploitable edit by fartsmcdougle, pairing the warning with footage of a man practicing kung-fu nunchaku, implying the martial arts display was the deadly threat[4].

"Hope is not a strategy, Dolores"

— Smith's exasperated response to his friend refusing to evacuate became a secondary quotable moment from the same broadcast[3].

Wedding segment

— Smith's admission that he'd be sent to cover deaths if too many people died, interfering with his family wedding plans, circulated as its own standalone clip[1].

Frequently Asked Questions

You And Everyone You Know Are Dead And Your Kids Die Too

2016Catchphrase / exploitable videosemi-active

Also known as: Shep Smith Hurricane Warning · "Your Kids Die Too"

You And Everyone You Know Are Dead, and Your Kids Die Too is a 2016 catchphrase from Fox News anchor Shepard Smith's blunt Hurricane Matthew warning that became a green-screen exploitable meme template in 2022.

"You and Everyone You Know Are Dead, and Your Kids Die Too" is a catchphrase from Fox News anchor Shepard Smith's Hurricane Matthew coverage on October 6, 2016. Smith's blunt warning to Florida residents about the approaching Category 4 storm went viral almost immediately, drawing both praise for his directness and accusations of fear-mongering. The clip gained a second life in October 2022 when users on Funnyjunk created a green-screen exploitable version, turning Smith's deadly serious weather report into a template for absurd video edits.

catchphrase memes exploitable templates accidental fame memes green screen memes dark humor memes

Overview

The meme comes from a live Fox News broadcast where Shepard Smith was walking viewers through the projected path of Hurricane Matthew as it bore down on Florida's Atlantic coast. Standing in front of a weather map showing cities like Melbourne, Daytona Beach, and Jacksonville, Smith dropped what might be the most brutally honest weather forecast in cable news history: "This moves 20 miles to the west, and you and everyone you know are dead. All of you. Because you can't survive it. It's not possible. Unless you're very, very lucky. And your kids die, too".

The delivery is what makes it. Smith isn't shouting. He's not panicking. He's just stating it like a fact, the way you'd tell someone the store closes at nine. That tonal mismatch between the apocalyptic content and the matter-of-fact delivery is exactly why the clip works as both a genuine public safety moment and comedy gold.

On October 6, 2016, Hurricane Matthew was tracking toward Florida's eastern coastline. The storm had already killed at least 339 people in Haiti. Smith was anchoring Fox News's round-the-clock hurricane coverage when he pulled up the storm's projected path and decided to explain, in the most direct terms possible, why people needed to evacuate.

The key segment aired during the afternoon. Smith pointed to the weather map and laid it out: cities along the coast would be uninhabitable if the hurricane shifted just slightly westward. The YouTube channel Carl Weathers uploaded the clip that same day, and it eventually racked up over 2.4 million views in six years.

But that wasn't Smith's only memorable moment during the coverage. When his longtime friend Dolores Berhalter called in from Palm Beach Gardens to say she was staying put, Smith shot back with equal bluntness: "They were very, very hopeful [before Hurricane Andrew], until they were dead" and "Hope is not a strategy, Dolores!". In another segment, he explained his personal stake in the evacuation effort with characteristic honesty: "If too many of you perish, they'll send me down there and I need to go to this wedding, OK? Thanks".

Origin & Background

Platform
Fox News (broadcast), YouTube / Twitter (viral spread)
Key People
Shepard Smith, Carl Weathers, Bugkiller
Date
2016

On October 6, 2016, Hurricane Matthew was tracking toward Florida's eastern coastline. The storm had already killed at least 339 people in Haiti. Smith was anchoring Fox News's round-the-clock hurricane coverage when he pulled up the storm's projected path and decided to explain, in the most direct terms possible, why people needed to evacuate.

The key segment aired during the afternoon. Smith pointed to the weather map and laid it out: cities along the coast would be uninhabitable if the hurricane shifted just slightly westward. The YouTube channel Carl Weathers uploaded the clip that same day, and it eventually racked up over 2.4 million views in six years.

But that wasn't Smith's only memorable moment during the coverage. When his longtime friend Dolores Berhalter called in from Palm Beach Gardens to say she was staying put, Smith shot back with equal bluntness: "They were very, very hopeful [before Hurricane Andrew], until they were dead" and "Hope is not a strategy, Dolores!". In another segment, he explained his personal stake in the evacuation effort with characteristic honesty: "If too many of you perish, they'll send me down there and I need to go to this wedding, OK? Thanks".

How It Spread

The clip spread across Twitter within hours of airing on October 6, 2016. Users shared the segment with reactions ranging from "welp at least he's honest" to "Best comedy channel out there". News outlets including TheWrap, HuffPost, and BroBible covered the clip, helping push it to a wider audience beyond Fox News's usual viewership.

The response split into two camps. Many viewers praised Smith for cutting through the usual hedging of weather coverage and being genuinely direct about the danger. Others, including some on social media, accused him of fear-mongering. The timing added extra context: right-wing commentator Matt Drudge was simultaneously tweeting that the hurricane warnings were a political ploy by the left to push climate change narratives during the 2016 election.

The clip sat in YouTube's collective memory for years before getting a format upgrade. On October 21, 2022, Funnyjunk user Bugkiller uploaded a green-screen version of the scene, replacing the original weather map behind Smith with a blank canvas for editors. The exploitable format picked up quickly. That same day, Funnyjunk user fartsmcdougle created the first edit, dropping in footage of a man doing kung-fu nunchaku tricks on a deck, with Smith's warning implying the nunchaku display was the unsurvivable threat. The green-screen post earned over 600 upvotes in two days as more users jumped on the format.

Media

How to Use This Meme

The meme works in two main formats:

Catchphrase format: Drop the quote (or a shortened version like "your kids die too") as a reply to anything that looks vaguely threatening, dangerous, or just mildly inconvenient. The humor comes from the massive overreaction. Someone posts about a spider in their bathroom? "You and everyone you know are dead."

Green-screen exploitable: Using the 2022 template, editors replace the weather map behind Smith with footage of something ridiculous, mundane, or absurdly dangerous. Smith then appears to be gravely warning viewers about whatever's on screen. The format typically works best when the replacement footage is either:

1

Something completely harmless (a toddler with a nerf gun)

2

Something genuinely chaotic but silly (the nunchaku guy)

3

A pop culture reference or video game clip

Cultural Impact

Smith's Hurricane Matthew coverage became one of the most-discussed moments of the 2016 hurricane season. HuffPost described it as "the most chilling warning" about the storm. TheWrap called it a "doomsday prediction". The clip stood out in part because it ran directly counter to the politicization of hurricane coverage happening at the same time, with figures like Matt Drudge suggesting the storm's severity was being exaggerated for political reasons.

The 2022 green-screen revival showed the clip's staying power. Six years after the original broadcast, the format found a new audience on platforms like Funnyjunk, where users built an active editing community around the template.

Fun Facts

Smith specifically noted he had no control over the hurricane's path: the entire warning hinged on a hypothetical 20-mile westward shift.

The "Dolores" phone call happened live on air with Smith's actual longtime friend, not a random caller.

Smith referenced Hurricane Andrew (1992) as a cautionary tale during the same broadcast, noting that hopeful residents of South Miami-Dade "were very, very hopeful, until they were dead".

Hurricane Matthew was described by the U.S. National Weather Service as "unlike any hurricane in the modern era," the most powerful to threaten northeast Florida in 118 years.

The Carl Weathers YouTube channel upload became the definitive version of the clip, hitting 2.4 million views before the green-screen revival even began.

Derivatives & Variations

Green-screen exploitable edits

— The primary derivative format, created by Funnyjunk user Bugkiller in October 2022, replacing the weather map with custom footage[4].

Nunchaku man edit

— The first known exploitable edit by fartsmcdougle, pairing the warning with footage of a man practicing kung-fu nunchaku, implying the martial arts display was the deadly threat[4].

"Hope is not a strategy, Dolores"

— Smith's exasperated response to his friend refusing to evacuate became a secondary quotable moment from the same broadcast[3].

Wedding segment

— Smith's admission that he'd be sent to cover deaths if too many people died, interfering with his family wedding plans, circulated as its own standalone clip[1].

Frequently Asked Questions