Dalai Lama "Suck My Tongue" Video

About

The Dalai Lama "Suck My Tongue" Video refers to a controversial viral video in which the Dalai Lama stuck his tongue out for a little boy to kiss. When the video leaked on Twitter, viral discourse ensued about how the video was perceivably creepy and awkward. The Dalai Lama then released a statement on the matter, proclaiming that the boy asked for a hug and that he often likes to tease people. The event led to many memes regarding his Holiness and China, as well as considerable backlash and controversy with calls for his resignation.

Origin

On April 9th, 2023, Twitter^[1] user @VickyDavilaH tweeted a TV broadcast clip showing the Dalai Lama on stage. A young boy took to the mic and asked His Holiness if he could hug him. He then walked onto the stage where the Dalai Lama asked for a kiss on the cheek, then lips and then reportedly asked the boy to suck his tongue. VickyDavilaH expressed concern over the video in her tweet, saying, "This video is scandalous," and called His Holiness, "An old degenerate." The video subsequently went viral and gained roughly 580,900 views and 7,100 likes in two days (shown below).

Spread

The viral video was soon reposted by Twitter^[2] user @NatlyDenise_ on April 9th, 2023, whose version of the clip gained roughly 1.1 million views in two days. The virality of both videos caused immediate online reactions, such as a tweet sent by Twitter^[3] user @ScottyGoesAgain on April 9th, who added to the condemnation and gained roughly 18,400 likes in two days (shown below, left). More humorous reactions also surfaced, such as a tweet sent by Twitter^[4] user @buffetbreaker on April 10th that said, "I didn’t know the Dalai Lama was catholic I thought he was Buddhist," gaining roughly 5,400 likes in one day (shown below, right).

Dalai Lama's "Notes App" Apology

On April 10th, 2023, the official Twitter^[5] account of the Dali Lama tweeted a long-form apology that was its own image attachment. His Holiness' statement ultimately apologized for the action and likened the "suck my tongue" incident to him teasing the boy. The tweet gained roughly 10,300 likes in one day, as well as over 14,200 quote tweets (shown below).

A video clip has been circulating that shows a recent meeting when a young boy asked His Holiness the Dalai Lama if he could give him a hug. His Holiness wishes to apologize to the boy and his family, as well as his many friends across the world, for the hurt his words may have caused.
His Holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras. He regrets the incident.

Online Reaction

After the Dalai Lama's tweet, more reactions to the event and his apology surfaced on social media. For instance, on April 10th, 2023, Twitter^[6] user @MarxtinM humorously complained about his Twitter addiction being uncurable because "the actual Dalai Lama has posted a notes app apology for licking a child's face." His tweet earned roughly 2,100 likes in one day (shown below, left). Also on April 10th, Redditor TheSmithySmith posted a Homelander Laughing meme to /r/memes ^[7] that joked about the CCP's reaction to the Dalai Lama drama, earning roughly 7,400 upvotes in less than a day (shown below, right).

Other memes and posts surfaced on Instagram ^[8] and Facebook ^[9] going into mid-April 2023.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References