Where Did The 'Press X To Doubt' Meme Originate? The 'L.A. Noire' Inspired Meme Explained

A reaction image featuring a fedora-wearing character's incredulous expression has become a meme staple, often used to express one's disbelief toward something. The video game character's face is often accompanied by the phrase "press X to doubt."

As far as video game memes go, L.A. Noire's Press X to doubt meme has remained viral and lasted over a decade, which probably counts as centuries in terms of meme life cycles. Here's where the meme originated, and how it came to be used over the years.

What Is The 'Press X To Doubt' Meme?

"Press X To Doubt" is a reaction image meme from the video game L.A. Noire, which follows a detective named Cole Phelps as he solves various cases in 1947-era Los Angeles. Part of the gameplay in the film involves scenes where Phelps has to interrogate witnesses to crimes. The player can respond to statements issued by witnesses by choosing Truth, Lie, or Doubt.

An image where Phelps's disbelieving expression is combined with the Doubt button became a reaction image a few years after the release of the game, which was generally well-received and remains popular a decade later. One of the earliest instances of the Phelps's face combined with the Doubt button was posted to Funnyjunk back in December 2012.

How Did The Press X To Doubt Meme Spread?

The image of Cole Phelps's incredulous expression combined with a graphic that reads "Press X to doubt" remained a popular meme on social media sites in the mid-2010s, making appearances on Tumblr, Twitter and Reddit.

The popularity of L.A. Noire also led to the reaction image becoming more meta, with overly verbose variations of the meme being a popular redraw trend.

What Are Some Popular Examples Of The 'Press X To Doubt' Meme?

The most popular use of the "Press X to doubt" meme is as a reaction image, with a meme or image expressing a fact or opinion, and Phelps's face being used as a counterpoint.

For the full history of the "Press X to doubt" meme, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.