An episode of Billy on the Street from 2013 has inspired a meme, and both Billy Eichner and the star of the first iteration of the meme — Chris Evans of The Avengers and Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer fame — approve of it.
The joke started earlier this month when Twitter user Lissy dubbed a clip from Captain America: Civil War‘s airport fight scene with audio from the Billy on the Street “Lesbian Lightning Round” (video here) in which Eichner and five gay women run around Manhattan yelling “Let’s go, lesbians!” and querying people with celebrity questions. The audio fits surprisingly well:
it’s midnight and i’m tired so i made this pic.twitter.com/Joh59j4qxk
— lissy (@homeisarealsong) July 8, 2018
After Eichner found the video and tweeted it at Chris Evans, the Avengers actor revealed a part of his process:
https://twitter.com/ChrisEvans/status/1016447380110135296
With Evans’ approval and Eichner’s joking protestation, other Twitter users were encouraged to make their own versions, like this motivational Rocky scene:
https://twitter.com/Joelenbach/status/1017272399920693249
The jokes continued throughout the week with re-dubbed clips from Forrest Gump, The Matrix Reloaded, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, The Lion King, Ant-Man, Mamma Mia!, and Avengers: Infinity War.
One more lmfaooo pic.twitter.com/uIneIz3YjJ
— Elena :) (@ElenaParks24) July 12, 2018
https://twitter.com/freetimeectomy/status/1017603479706234883
Does it still count if it’s @prattprattpratt in one of his non-Marvel roles? pic.twitter.com/HLiL173HZB
— tara jean (@ponysaurus) July 12, 2018
Wait I want in… pic.twitter.com/tsAgmeDdWh
— Nicole Martinez Gaskin (@kneecoleM) July 12, 2018
https://twitter.com/AmmonMiller/status/1017262940850802688
https://twitter.com/biIIanderson/status/1017529359060566017
https://twitter.com/ggrimesrhee/status/1016815209149751296
Eichner even suggested another use for the audio: Sex and the City‘s Cynthia Nixon‘s bid for the governorship of New York.
Someone tell @CynthiaNixon she is free to use LET’S GO LESBIANS, LET’S GO as her campaign slogan
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) July 13, 2018
This meme may even earn Eichner some accolades and perhaps become an enduring legacy.
The Television Academy just called – I’ve been nominated for Best Voiceover in A Meme :(
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) July 12, 2018
This will not be my legacy!!!
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) July 12, 2018
Too late.