Who Is the Guy Squinting Meme? the Surprising Real Story Behind the Web's Most Famous Face
By Marcus Vance
The clip originated on December 6, 2013, during an episode of "Unprofessional Fridays," a weekly two-hour casual gaming broadcast produced by Giant Bomb. Scanlon sat on the studio couch monitoring video feeds while editor-in-chief Jeff Gerstmann played the 2D sandbox game Starbound.
While clearing land with an in-game gardening implement, Gerstmann casually narrated his actions: "I've been doing some farming with my hoe."
Scanlon turned his head. His eyes narrowed, then blinked twice in rapid succession as his brain processed the double entendre. The interaction lasted less than two seconds. Scanlon said nothing, turned back to his monitor, and the broadcast moved on. For years, the footage sat buried inside Giant Bomb's multi-hour video archives, watched only by the site’s dedicated core audience.
The turning point arrived in early 2017. A Twitter user named @eskbl clipped the moment into a looping GIF to illustrate sudden realization. Within weeks, the animation crossed from niche gaming forums into mainstream culture. By the time Know Your Meme cataloged the entry under "Blinking White Guy," the snippet was logging hundreds of millions of impressions every week.
Marcus Vance is a cybersecurity auditor and technology writer dedicated to educating the public about online safety, data privacy regulations, enterprise security, and emerging cyber threats.
