About

Probably Needed a Hug Trend or Probably Needed a Hug But, also known as All I Needed Was a Hug But I Was Handed or All I Wanted Was a Hug, refers to a catchphrase and TikTok trend in which users share various situations when they needed comforting (particularly a hug) but instead did something else, typically to distract themselves from the problem at hand. Most of the posts within the trend notably use pop singer Adele’s song "Hometown Glory" as the background music. The trend is often used as a way to acknowledge personal struggles while highlighting different coping mechanisms and was popularized on platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram in March 2025, spreading over the following months.

Origin

As a precursor to the Probably Needed a Hug trend, a similar catchphrase using the setup "All I Needed Was a Hug But I Was Handed X" emerged around August 2024.

The earliest known example was posted by TikToker^[1] @anxietyquotesxx on August 14th, 2024, which described them being handed a pen when they needed a hug and now relying on that for comfort. The post received over 520 likes in one year.

Another example of the precursor trend was posted by TikTok^[2] user @kaaydumpster on March 13th, 2025, describing their use of cheerleading instead of being hugged and receiving over 121,000 likes and 220 comments in five months. This example also notably used the song "Hometown Glory" by Adele, which later became part of the trend.

An early viral example of the "Probably Needed a Hug" phrase being used in the later trend was then posted by TikToker^[3] @graceegrove on March 25th, 2025, explaining that they went on a sunrise run instead of getting a hug and garnering over 325,000 likes and 130 comments in roughly five months.

Spread

The Probably Needed a Hug catchphrase primarily dominated the trend heading into the spring and summer of 2025 as it continued spreading online.

For example, on April 4th, 2025, TikToker^[4] @kjbr0wn posted a version about being a teacher, receiving over 150,000 likes and 710 comments in four months.

On May 18th, TikTok^[5] user @tgn_productionss posted another example of the trend under the caption, "It’s okay not to be okay," garnering over 143,000 likes and 5,500 comments in three months.

On May 27th, 2025, college basketball player and rapper Flau'jae posted a version to her Instagram^[6] account (@flaujae) about writing a song, receiving over 12,800 likes in roughly two months.

Additional variations of the trend also appeared on YouTube^[7] and Reddit^[8] over the following months.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References