James Droz "What Happened?" (TikTok)

About

James Droz (@jamesdroz566) is a sports TikToker known for the What Happened? or What Happeneduhh? NFL meme in which after every football or basketball game, he asks the losing team his catchphrase, "What happened?" Jamesdroz566 is a "Special Needs TikToker" who grew a cult following throughout the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 NFL, NBA and NCAA seasons. His videos are often shared on Twitter and elsewhere as a way for sports fans to troll their opponents when they lost. He is considered by some to be an AIOPM, however, he's generally more accepted by the mainstream audience that has come to adore him.

Online History

"What Happeneduhh?" NFL Meme

Jamesdroz566's TikTok presence started on October 31st, 2021, when he posted a duet ^[1] of TikToker wehoopin's video that showed the Cincinnati Bengals had lost to the New York Jets. It received roughly 39,900 plays and 1,000 likes in one year (shown below, left). TikToker^[2] wehoopin's video was uploaded earlier in the day and received roughly 695,200 plays and 59,300 likes on its own. In the video, TikToker wehoopin screamed, "Bengals, what happened?" becoming the direct inspiration for Jamesdroz566's later usage of the phrase.

Jamesdroz566 continued to stitch and duet TikToker wehoopin's videos and even started to make his own videos in which he'd ask losing NFL teams, "What happened?" His first TIkTok^[3] of this nature was uploaded on December 16th, 2021, gaining roughly 24,100 plays and 900 likes in 11 months (shown below, right).

On January 2nd, 2022, Jamesdroz566 went viral for the first time after he uploaded a TikTok^[4] asking the Minnesota Vikings, "What happened?" Over the course of 10 months, the video received roughly 652,100 plays and 65,000 likes (shown below, left). On January 16th, 2022, Jamesdroz566 broke a million plays for the first time with a TikTok^[5] that asked the Pittsburgh Steelers, "What happened?" In 10 months, the TikTok earned roughly 1.7 million plays and 170,300 likes (shown below, right).

"What Happeneduhh?" NBA Meme

Jamesdroz566 switched his sports consumption to the NBA in mid-2022, uploading TikToks that asked losing NBA teams, "What happened?" For instance, on May 15th, 2022, Jamesdroz566 posted a TikTok^[6] that asked the question to the Phoenix Suns, gaining roughly 2.3 million plays and 312,700 likes in six months (shown below, left). On June 16th, 2022, the Boston Celtics were defeated by the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals and Jamesdroz566 uploaded a TikTok^[7] that made fun of them, gaining roughly 2.4 million plays and 315,600 likes in five months (shown below, right).

Jamesdroz566 USC "What Happened?" Video

On October 16th, 2022, Jamesdroz566 posted a TikTok^[9] that addressed the USC football team after a one-point loss to Utah, gaining roughly 4.1 million plays and 336,300 likes in 17 days (shown below, left). The video was regarded as one of his most flamboyant "What Happened?" reactions and earned usage as a sound from other creators. For instance, on October 16th, 2022, TikToker^[10] jacob.parent posted a video that revealed he was a USC student and he violently reacted to Jamesdroz566 making fun of his team, gaining roughly 136,200 likes in 17 days (shown below, right).

Online Presence

Jamesdroz566 on Sports Twitter

On February 1st, 2022, Jamesdroz566 was first namedropped on Twitter by user bostonplswin^[8] in a quote retweet regarding how TikToker wehoopin had been banned and Jamesdroz566 was to rightfully take his place.

Continuing into late 2022, the concept of one's team receiving a Jamesdroz566 video became a memetic concept on sports Twitter and sports TikTok. Jamesdroz566's USC video earned lots of cross-platform attention in particular on Twitter following its October 2022 upload. For instance, on October 29th, Twitter^[11] user gavinmchughh used the USC TikTok in a Twitter video combination, gaining roughly 16,400 views and 1,500 likes in four days (seen below).

this is amazing…😂😂 #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/KZTmNieAfU

— Gavin McHugh (@gavinmchughh) October 29, 2022

Jamesdroz566 Fan Edits and Content

On sports TikTok, Jamesdroz566-related content surfaced en masse predominantly in late 2022. For instance, on October 14th, 2022, TikToker^[12] chris.backupp11 posted a video that humorously imagined Chicago Bears player Justin Field thinking about Jamesdroz566 during a loss, gaining roughly 536,800 plays and 75,400 likes in 19 days (shown below, left). On October 26th, TikToker^[13] itsevancuh then posted a "Top 10" list of the sports teams one shouldn't be a fan of due to Jamesdroz566's influence. Over the course of one week, the TikTok received roughly 1 million plays and 167,900 likes (shown below, right).

Following

By November 2nd, 2022, Jamesdroz566 had amassed roughly 576,300 followers on TikTok.^[14]

Various Examples

Templates / Reaction Images

Search Interest

External References