The 'couch guy' saga on TikTok has flooded the app with endless memes and parodies of the viral video
- A woman's video surprising her boyfriend, now known online as "couch guy," went viral.
- It sparked intense speculation about the nature of their relationship on TikTok.
- The video also led to a wave of memes and parodies copying and exaggerating its format.
A viral video showing a woman showing up at her boyfriend's college for a surprise visit has sparked a full wave of parodies, memes, and speculation on TikTok.
The origin of the "couch guy" saga - named for the boyfriend's position on the couch in the original video - the video has become TikTok's latest fixation, despite the fact that it's about a private couple who, until recently, didn't have a significant social media following.
On September 21, Lauren Zarras posted a video captioned "robbie had no idea." In it, she walks through a green door in an apartment or dorm room filled with several people, walking over to a man in a red shirt who's sitting on a couch with several other people. In the time since Zarras uploaded the original video to her account @laurenzarras, it's amassed over 4.4 million likes and 53.5 million views.
The video itself has become a meme, with people referring to the boyfriend as "couch guy" and intensely speculating about the nature of their relationship - namely, questioning whether he was cheating on her. It's also led to a wave of memes concentrated under the #couchguy hashtag, which has over 448 million views.
Parodies of the video typically follow a similar but exaggerated format accompanied by Ellie Goulding's "Still Falling For You," the song heard in the original. Someone walks into a room, accompanied by an on-screen caption identifying that they're surprising a boyfriend, a cat, or any other significant person in their life. That individual then appears in a dramatically compromised position with another person.
Both Zarras and her boyfriend, Robbie, have commented on the disproportionate level of attention that their video has received on TikTok in subsequent posts.
"Breaks my heart that people can watch a special moment and bring so much negativity," Zarras wrote in a comment on her original video. "Please think before you assume anything about my relationship."
An account that Zarras identified as belonging to her boyfriend Robbie also posted a video responding to the situation.
"Couch guy here. Ur welcome for getting u off berries & cream tiktok," he wrote in an on-screen caption referencing another meme that's been circulating on the app. "But remember: not everything is true crime. Don't be a parasocial creep. Go get some fresh air. Take care."
Zarras and Robbie did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.
Charlotte Colombo contributed reporting.