What's The '500 Cigarettes' Meme? 'The Orville' Scene About Smoking 500 Cigarettes Explained

There's a seemingly nonsensical meme going around called "500 Cigarettes." It shows a pile of 500 cigarettes (obviously), and it comes from the TV show The Orville.

To a smoker, 500 cigarettes might sound enticing. In the context of the meme, 500 darts sound equally appealing to the two alien characters enjoying them for the first time.

So, what is the 500 Cigarettes meme? Where did it come from and why is it viral? Let's explain.

What TV Show And Episode Did The '500 Cigarettes' Meme Come From?

500 Cigarettes is from the TV show The Orville. It's a comedy sci-fi show that's loosely based on Star Trek. It was created by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane who also stars in it.

The 500 Cigarettes scene comes from the episode "Lasting Impressions," the 11th episode of the second season.

In the scene, the characters Bortus and Klyden (who are married, by the way) materialize a cigarette using the ship's matter synthesizer during a segment about earthly addictions. The two love it so much that they summon, "500 cigarettes."

Where Did The '500 Cigarettes' Meme Come From?

A few YouTubers and TikTokers started using the 500 Cigarettes scene after its release in 2019. However, none of them went particularly viral and they weren't that creative either. People were just reposting the clip and not changing anything, except maybe adding a Subway Surfers clip in an Overstimulation Video.

In May of this year, a YouTuber named reducedtoclear posted a YouTube Poop with the scene. Compared to other YTPs, it's barely edited. It simply keeps circling back to the announcement of "500 cigarettes."

The video largely inspired the viral meme trend that rose to prominence this summer.

How's '500 Cigarettes' Being Used In Memes?

At first, the 500 Cigarettes meme was mostly a video trend that stayed within the YTP and YTPMV communities. The 500 Cigarettes clip was commonly inserted at random, like a bait-and-switch prank.

However, the meme has gained much of its traction via image macros on iFunny. On there, so-called iFunniers have given the meme a life of its own by inserting the image of 500 cigarettes into any exploitable meme template.

Joking about smoking 500 cigarettes is closely related to ironic self-destruction that's portrayed in memes about drunk driving or the more recent One Million Beers trend.

The humor lies in the absurdly high number, contrasted by the end result of the feat: pure bliss (at the expense of one's body).

For the full history of 500 Cigarettes, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.