GagBase Logo Explore

Rick Astley Smug Closeup Rickroll Meme

This is a low-resolution closeup still frame of British singer Rick Astley, taken from his iconic 1987 'Never Gonna Give You Up' music video, the core source of the globally famous Rickroll internet prank. Astley is positioned behind a vintage silver mesh microphone, wearing a dark suit over a white collared shirt, with his head tilted slightly down. He wears a subtle, smug closed-mouth smirk, conveying a teasing, knowing tone. The hazy, purple-tinged background features out-of-focus horizontal window blinds. This frame is commonly used as a reaction meme to signal an upcoming rickroll, or to express smug amusement, teasing, or the feeling of knowing something the audience does not.
Make

Overview

This is a low-resolution closeup still frame of British singer Rick Astley, taken from his iconic 1987 'Never Gonna Give You Up' music video, the core source of the globally famous Rickroll internet prank. Astley is positioned behind a vintage silver mesh microphone, wearing a dark suit over a white collared shirt, with his head tilted slightly down. He wears a subtle, smug closed-mouth smirk, conveying a teasing, knowing tone. The hazy, purple-tinged background features out-of-focus horizontal window blinds. This frame is commonly used as a reaction meme to signal an upcoming rickroll, or to express smug amusement, teasing, or the feeling of knowing something the audience does not.

Origin notes

The original source of this frame is the 1987 official music video for Rick Astley's hit single 'Never Gonna Give You Up'. Starting around 2007, the video became the center of the Rickroll prank trend, where internet users are tricked into clicking links that redirect to this music video instead of the promised content. This specific still is widely shared as a standalone meme across social media platforms. Per the provided additional information, this version of the image was sourced from an RSS feed originating from the X (formerly Twitter) account @meme.jpg.

Similar memes

The image is an extreme close-up shot of the character Negan from the TV series *The Walking Dead*, with a grim, pained, distressed expression. This meme functions as a relatable reaction for existing *The Walking Dead* fans when a new viewer states they like the character Glenn: long-time fans know Glenn is brutally killed by Negan later in the series, so the expression captures the awkward, upset feeling of knowing a tragic, spoilery fate awaits the character the new viewer enjoys, paired with the extra layer of irony that the character in the reaction image is the one responsible for Glenn's death.

Reaction to new TWD fan saying they like Glenn

The image is an extreme close…

This image is a screenshot of popular gaming YouTuber Markiplier seated indoors wearing a plain purple short-sleeved t-shirt. He is looking upward with his mouth fully agape in a shocked or surprised expression, creating a convincing visual illusion that a black studio microphone has fallen directly inside his mouth. The background features an exposed brick wall, a small white square side table holding a potted leafy plant, and part of a grey couch to the right. The humor of the meme comes from the perfectly timed shot that makes his open mouth and the microphone appear to be aligned as if the mic is inside his mouth.

Mic Falls Into Markiplier's Mouth (2015)

This image is a screenshot of…

This is a low-quality, heavily distorted close-up image of former US President Donald Trump. His facial features are warped into an uncanny, exaggerated shape with a hugely stretched open mouth and oddly placed small eyes, creating a comically creepy uncanny valley effect. This is a nonsensical angry shitpost meme, with the original post title being the vulgar phrase provided, and 'G Strait' is a nonsense/typographic reference in the shitpost.

OPEN THE FK G STRAIT U BASTARD

This is a low-quality, heavil…

A meme image featuring a real man lying in bed on a white pillow, captured mid-reaction with a groggy, startled, and half-awake expression. His head is turned to the side, as if responding to an unexpected noise. The humor stems from the contrast between his peaceful early-morning state and the implied urgency of the scenario described in the title: being abruptly awakened at 6 am by loud knocking from Delta Force (an elite military unit), creating a comedic exaggeration of an unexpected early-morning interruption.

When it's 6 am and Delta Force starts banging your door

A meme image featuring a real…

This is a blurry close-up photograph of a tabby cat caught mid-sneeze. The cat's face is heavily distorted by the force of the sneeze, with its eyes bulging wide and mouth slightly agape, creating an extremely dramatic, overexaggerated humorous expression. The background shows out-of-focus bedding, putting full visual emphasis on the cat's absurd, over-the-top reaction to the sneeze.

One Sneeze To End Them All

This is a blurry close-up pho…

This meme uses a standard setup + reaction image format. The leading text describes an absurd, illogical scenario: a person bitten by a venomous snake is informed they have 15 minutes left to live, so they intentionally let the snake bite them a second time, under the faulty reasoning that this will double their remaining survival time to 30 minutes. The accompanying image is the implied reaction of the snake: a low-resolution screenshot of a clay-animated male character with wide, alarmed eyes, raised eyebrows, and a deep downturned frown that conveys total disbelief, confusion, and bewilderment at the person's nonsensical choice.

Snake Reacts To Man Getting Bitten Twice To Extend Survival Time

This meme uses a standard set…