The "What did I do?" meme originates from a 2019 prank video by comedian Funny Marco. In the video, when Funny Marco confronts people saying, "You were hella wrong for what you did," an Asian-American woman named Jade Nguyen responds with the phrase "What did I do?" in a distinctive Southern or Atlanta accent. Her reaction, including the phrases "What I do?" and "What is you talmbout?" caught attention for the accent and phrasing, causing Marco to break character and leading to viral recognition. This moment became iconic and sparked a meme featuring a blurred image of Jade Nguyen with the phrase "What I do" often paired with a purple heart emoji. The meme spread widely on social media, including TikTok and Twitter, especially in 2024, becoming a popular reaction image symbolizing confusion or denial in a humorous way.
Thus, the "What did I do?" meme refers to that viral moment and the ensuing image macros and videos inspired by the original clip.
