You’ve seen it. It’s unavoidable if you spend more than five minutes a day on Twitter (X), Reddit, or TikTok. A cat is staring intensely at a physics textbook. A dog is wearing glasses, looking down at a copy of The Great Gatsby. A lizard is perched on a Kindle. And every single time, the top comment or the caption is exactly the same four words: his ass is not reading.
It’s funny because it’s true. Obviously. The animal lacks the cognitive capacity for literacy. But the meme has evolved into something much weirder and more pervasive than just pointing out that pets can't read. It’s a specific brand of internet cynicism that has turned into a universal shorthand for performative behavior, whether it's an animal, a politician, or a celebrity.
The Origins of His Ass Is Not Reading
Internet history is messy. Tracking down the "first" instance of a meme is like trying to find the first person who ever said "cool." However, digital archivists over at Know Your Meme generally trace the spirit of the joke back to late 2020 and early 2021. It blossomed within "weird internet" circles where the humor is often dry, slightly aggressive, and centered on the absurdity of a situation.
The earliest viral version involved a picture of a cat "reading" a book, where the user simply stated the obvious in the crudest way possible. It was a pushback against the "wholesome" era of the internet. Remember "doggo lingo"? People used to post pictures of pets doing human things and write captions like "He doin' a big learn!" or "Scholar boye!"
His ass is not reading killed that.
It’s the antithesis of the "aww" factor. It’s a linguistic slap in the face that reminds everyone of the cold, hard reality: that cat has no idea what a verb is. It’s grounded. It’s blunt. And in an era where everything online feels overly curated and fake, that bluntness is refreshing.
Why the Grammar Matters (Kinda)
The sentence structure itself is a key part of the comedy. Using "his ass" as a pronominal reflexive—basically replacing "he" with "his ass"—is a common feature in African American Vernacular English (AAVE). In this context, it adds an emphasis of disbelief or mockery.
Think about the difference.
"He isn't reading." (Boring. Sounds like a teacher's report.)
"His ass is not reading." (Aggressive. Definitive. Funny.)
The "is not" is also crucial. It’s rarely "isn't." The full "is not" adds a level of formal insistence to a sentence that is fundamentally informal. It’s a linguistic mismatch. That's where the punch comes from.
The Evolution: From Cats to Celebrities
Memes don't stay in their lane. If they did, they’d die in a week. This phrase successfully jumped the gap from animals to people. It became a weaponized way to call out "performative literacy" or any situation where someone is clearly faking interest in something to look smart.
We see this every time a celebrity is photographed holding a "deep" book while walking to their car. When a paparazzi shot of a starlet holding a copy of Nietzsche or a dense 800-page history of the Peloponnesian War hits the timeline, the "his ass is not reading" (or her ass, or their ass) brigade arrives instantly.
Is it cynical? Yeah.
Is it usually right? Probably.
It taps into a collective exhaustion with the way public figures curate their intellectual image. We’ve all been there—carrying a book around just because the cover looks cool or because we want people on the subway to think we’re sophisticated. The meme is a mirror. It calls out the poser in all of us.
💡 You might also like: Freedom Writers Cast: Why You Don't See Them Anymore (and Where They Actually Went)
The Gaming Variation
The gaming community, particularly the Dragon Ball and Yu-Gi-Oh! fandoms, have adopted this as a self-deprecating badge of honor. There is a long-standing joke that "Dragon Ball fans don't watch the show" and "Yu-Gi-Oh! fans don't read the cards."
When a player makes a move that clearly contradicts the rules written right in front of them, the chat explodes. It’s a way of acknowledging that even as humans with the ability to read, we often choose not to. We just want to click the buttons and see the cool animations.
The Visual Language of the Meme
There’s a specific "look" to a his ass is not reading post. Usually, the animal is in a state of deep, fraudulent focus.
- The Angle: High-angle shots looking down at the pet.
- The Prop: Often a book that is hilariously over-complicated for the subject, like a cat "reading" a manual on nuclear fission.
- The Eyes: The eyes are almost never actually on the text. They are staring at the margin, or the floor, or into the middle distance, contemplating nothingness.
This visual disconnect is the "tell." It’s the evidence that convict’s the subject of their intellectual crimes.
Psychological Appeal: Why Do We Keep Posting It?
Honestly, the internet is exhausting. We are constantly being sold things, lied to, or presented with "curated" versions of reality. This meme is a small, silly rebellion against that. It’s an objective truth in a world of subjective nonsense.
It also feels like a "low-stakes" roast. You aren't actually hurting the cat's feelings. The cat doesn't care. It’s a way to be "mean" in a way that is totally harmless. It allows us to vent a little bit of that human urge to point out when someone (or something) is full of it.
The Downside: When Memes Get Tired
Like any phrase that gets typed ten thousand times a day, there is a risk of "meme fatigue." When you see it under every single picture of a pet, the humor starts to leak out. It becomes a reflex rather than a joke.
We’ve seen this happen with "Let that sink in" or "I was today years old." Once a phrase becomes a standard response for engagement-hungry accounts, it loses its soul. But "his ass is not reading" has stayed remarkably resilient because it's so versatile. It’s not just a caption; it’s a critique.
How to Use It Without Being Cringe
If you’re going to use it, timing is everything.
Don't use it for a dog that's just sitting near a book. That’s lazy.
Use it for the dog that has the book open, is wearing a monocle, and has a pipe in its mouth. The subject has to be actively trying to fool you. The humor is in the audacity of the lie.
Also, consider the subversions. Some of the best iterations of the meme lately are the ones that flip the script. A picture of a crow (which are actually incredibly smart) staring at a puzzle, with the caption: "Wait... his ass might actually be reading."
What We Can Learn From the Literacy Joke
At its heart, this meme is about authenticity. We live in a world of filters and "personal brands." When we see a lizard "reading" a book, we see the ultimate example of a fake brand. It’s a reminder to stop taking ourselves so seriously.
Maybe we should spend less time trying to look like the kind of people who read dense Russian literature and more time actually being as unbothered as the cat who is currently using War and Peace as a pillow.
Actionable Takeaways for the Internet-Savvy
- Understand the context: Before dropping the line, ensure the "performative" element is there. The more "serious" the subject looks, the funnier the call-out.
- Watch for AAVE origins: Acknowledge that much of modern meme slang comes from Black culture. Using it correctly means understanding the rhythm and emphasis of the original phrasing.
- Diversify your humor: Don't let it be your only response. The internet moves fast; what's funny today is a "boomer joke" tomorrow.
- Check the "tells": If you’re calling out a celebrity or an influencer, look for the details. Is the book upside down? Is it a pristine copy with an unbroken spine? That's your "smoking gun."
The next time you see a golden retriever staring at a spreadsheet, you know what to do. Just remember: he knows he’s a fraud. He’s just waiting for you to notice.