Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Ten years ago today, May 28, 2016, a 17-year-old gorilla named Harambe was shot at the Cincinnati Zoo. One day after his birthday. He had no idea he was about to become the most famous gorilla in internet history.
Here's how a tragedy became a tribute, became "dicks out for Harambe," became 11,000 write-in votes for president, became a $99,000 Cheeto, became the inflection point fans still cite as the exact moment our timeline broke. Ten years on, he's the meme that won't die.
▶ FRANKIE FEY
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0:00 Intro
0:56 Why was the shot justified?
1:44 A gloomy year picks a martyr
2:50 What actually happened that day
3:48 Mourning becomes memes
5:00 Dicks Out For Harambe
5:58 Meme Heaven
6:54 The Zoo Director loses it
8:18 UMass declares it a microaggression
9:14 Harambe runs for president
10:00 The $99,000 Cheeto
10:36 The 2019 whistleblower revival
12:06 Elon Musk drops a song
12:50 A decade later, still here
13:30 The 2016 timeline split
15:20 Why he still matters
Sources & further reading:
- Know Your Meme: knowyourmeme.com/memes/harambe-the-gorilla
- Cincinnati Zoo: "Honoring Harambe": cincinnatizoo.org/honoring-harambe
- BBC: A particularly gloomy year for celebrity deaths: bbc.com/news/magazine-38329740
- Snopes Harambe tag: snopes.com/tag/harambe
- The Wall Street Harambe statue: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harambe_(statue)
- @WhiteHouse, May 27, 2026: https://x.com/whitehouse/status/2059779450275864710
#harambe #harambememe #knowyourmeme
Ten years ago today, May 28, 2016, a 17-year-old gorilla named Harambe was shot at the Cincinnati Zoo. One day after his birthday. He had no idea he was about to become the most famous gorilla in internet history.
Here's how a tragedy became a tribute, became "dicks out for Harambe," became 11,000 write-in votes for president, became a $99,000 Cheeto, became the inflection point fans still cite as the exact moment our timeline broke. Ten years on, he's the meme that won't die.
▶ FRANKIE FEY
YouTube: youtube.com/@FrankieFey
Instagram: instagram.com/frankie.fey
TikTok: tiktok.com/@frankie.fey
X / Twitter: https://x.com/frankiefey
More episodes with Frankie are on the way. Subscribe to our channel youtube.com/channel/UCbrPqq29C9Q_TQP7OFFRzcw?sub_confirmation=1
0:00 Intro
0:56 Why was the shot justified?
1:44 A gloomy year picks a martyr
2:50 What actually happened that day
3:48 Mourning becomes memes
5:00 Dicks Out For Harambe
5:58 Meme Heaven
6:54 The Zoo Director loses it
8:18 UMass declares it a microaggression
9:14 Harambe runs for president
10:00 The $99,000 Cheeto
10:36 The 2019 whistleblower revival
12:06 Elon Musk drops a song
12:50 A decade later, still here
13:30 The 2016 timeline split
15:20 Why he still matters
Sources & further reading:
- Know Your Meme: knowyourmeme.com/memes/harambe-the-gorilla
- Cincinnati Zoo: "Honoring Harambe": cincinnatizoo.org/honoring-harambe
- BBC: A particularly gloomy year for celebrity deaths: bbc.com/news/magazine-38329740
- Snopes Harambe tag: snopes.com/tag/harambe
- The Wall Street Harambe statue: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harambe_(statue)
- @WhiteHouse, May 27, 2026: https://x.com/whitehouse/status/2059779450275864710
#harambe #harambememe #knowyourmeme
