TikTok’s ‘Crucified Minion’ Meme Explained

Minion memes have been an internet staple for over a decade, but TikTok has recently been flooded with bizarre videos featuring a crucified Minion, along with heartfelt speeches about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

TikTok users began responding to the videos by creating their own satirical versions of the crucified Minions and filling the comments sections with quotes from the videos.

What is the “Crucified Minion” meme on TikTok?

The image of a Minion dying for our sins is nothing new, as these little yellow goofballs have been inserted into all sorts of weird Facebook memes and ironic posts over the years (the Internet always loves to mix the sacred and the absurd).

However, the recent explosion of crucified Minion memes appears to have been sparked by Christian influencers seeking the attention of social media users.

Most of the videos feature TikTok users reusing the exact same script, adding to the sinister nature of the trend.

Christian TikTokers introduce their videos by claiming that the image of the crucified Minion was created by an animator who “was just messing around one day” (it’s vaguely implied that the image manifested itself, to some extent).

They go on to remind the viewer that “a Minion didn’t die for you. A Minion didn’t pay the price for sin that you and I deserve. But Jesus did.”

Christian TikTokers conclude that “Jesus loves you,” before urging believers to subscribe and share their content.

The spread of the bizarre and repetitive videos led commentators to wonder whether the “dead internet theory” was to blame, speculating that the trend was being perpetrated by bots, which could be creating, sharing and commenting on the videos.

Others took the opportunity to make jokes and create memes.

Where do “crucified Minion” memes come from?

The original script and idea appears to have come from TikTok pastor @pastorjoshpan, who posted the first video of a Minion being crucified in May, inspiring a wave of imitators.

One of the most common images used in the Minion crucified videos appears to be AI-generated, but it was actually created by digital artist Américo Cruz, who posted a 3D rendering of a Minion nailed to a cross on Facebook in 2021.

Before AI-generated abominations like “Shrimp Jesus” took over the site, Facebook used to be something of a Minion meme hub, and those often bizarre memes inspired satirical posts from younger, savvy internet users.

The crucified Minion memes follow a similar pattern, as the initial wave of serious posts was followed by a surge of satirical videos and comments mocking the trend.

Many TikTokers created videos attempting to explain the crucified Minion meme, and some TikTokers even made videos mocking those explanatory videos, their comment sections filled with phrases from the original videos, such as “a Minion did not die for you.”

The whole phenomenon is extremely confusing and at first glance it seems as if the Internet is being eaten alive by generative AI and chatbots.

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It’s all organic, just a big inside joke, sparked by an unusual strategy by Christian influencers who assumed that posts of the crucified Minion would increase engagement.

Judging by the response on TikTok, they were right.

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