Introduction

The Jerry Smith Looking Through Viewfinder and Vomiting meme is an exploitable image macro based on a scene from the animated series Rick and Morty.

Background

The meme gained traction in December 2019 and features Jerry Smith, who, while looking through binoculars, experiences a moment of disgust. In this format, creators insert an image representing something they disapprove of between the two frames of Jerry's reaction.

How It Began

The meme originated from the episode "Claw and Order" of Rick and Morty, which aired on December 8th, 2019. In this episode, Rick and Jerry investigate the mind of a talking cat using a special device. The vision they encounter is so horrifying that it prompts Jerry to vomit. That same day, a YouTuber named Reality Check shared a clip of this scene, which quickly garnered over 32,000 views within a week.

Meme Evolution

The day after the episode aired, a Reddit user known as a-canadian-redittor created a meme template utilizing the scene, featuring an empty space between Jerry's viewing and his vomiting. This post received over 2,000 points and 75 comments in just one week. Subsequently, various users began sharing their own versions of the meme on Reddit. On December 12th, another Redditor, dak_181, posted a different template in the /r/MemeEconomy subreddit, receiving more than 24,000 points and 285 comments within 24 hours. The following day, user shir0uemiya shared a variation that showcased Jerry reacting to a Baby Yoda meme, which also became popular, achieving over 7,300 points in less than a day.