And Then There's THIS Asshole

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About

"…And Then There's THIS Asshole" is a colloquial expression used to introduce a persona non grata, or an individual whose opinions are directly at odds with the speaker, in a deliberately condescending manner. On the web, the phrase has spawned a series of reaction images and animated GIFs in which various fictional characters are seen pointing their fingers to the side with the caption.

Origin

The popular usage of the expression can be attributed to a recurring interview segment from the American TV documentary series Penn & Teller's Bullshit, which premiered on Showtime in January 2003 and ran for eight seasons before its series finale in August 2010. In the series, co-host Penn Jillette frequently utters the phrase when introducing someone who holds an opposing viewpoint (shown below).

Spread

As early as on October 7th, 2012, the catchphrase was incorporated into an image macro featuring Penn and Teller, which made its debut in a personal blog post detailing an alleged scam surrounding the microstamping debate and firearm regulation laws^[1].

Between 2012 and 2013, several image macros illustrating social blunders or pet peeves in everyday life were shared on Imgur^[4]^[5] with the phrase "…and then there's this asshole" featured as the caption.