How “being chained up all the time or something” became the funniest bit on TikTok

A mysterious new phrase is trending on TikTok, alarming moms worried about their boys “being chained up all the time.” Who’s chaining them up, and why are people being so mean to the boys? Do we need to declare a national emergency for the boys and pour millions into studying the source of these chains?

Where did “being chained up all the time or something” come from?

Now that you’ve canceled the petition and calmed down, if you’re still curious about the source of the gag, we did manage to find one. Its origins rest with a YouTube video by Slushy Noobz from 2023 titled “Fortnite Fashion Show?”

It started as an everyday Fortnite stream that came to center on the game’s many customization options. The two hosts, Hamzah and Martin, ended up playing with what sounded like a very young gamer who had some interesting thoughts to share on the plight of boys.

Late in the video, the kid starts to show off his sprays to the hosts, giving an explanation for each. His opener shows a caped figure in silhouette and wreathed in flames who appears anchored to the ground with two lengths of rope or chain.

“My first one is a thing that boys have to go through, being chained up all the time or something,” he said.

“What?” asked Martin.

“This is valid,” Hamzah confirmed.

No one ever provided an explanation for what this meant, and they went back to playing Fortnite.

The video gained over 387,000 views on YouTube, with many commenters laughing at this moment. Most seemed to forget about it soon after. Then, in March 2024, Slushy Noobz fan account @slushyloverz posted a clip of that moment on TikTok.

@slushyloverz i have trouble being chained up all the time too🙁#fyp #foryou #foryoupage #thatmartinkid #slushynoobz #hamzahthefantastic #fornite ♬ original sound – martin biased

The clip kept popping up on the platform every now and again, usually grabbing no more than a few thousand views.

The boy chains achieve meme status

On July 4, 2025, TikToker @imcommingperiod made a brief skit video of himself dancing happily, followed by miming being chained to the floor with the caption “having to be chained up all the time or something.” This one got over five million views and launched a summer meme.

@imcommingperiod
giving chained
♬ original sound – Clipse ✟

By the middle of September, the unusually long TikTok hashtag #chainedupallthetimeorsomething had collected 187 videos.

After the Independence Day video went viral, the meme reached the ladies. Multiple women made videos pretending to grieve with a caption along the lines of “when I complain about my cramps but forget that boys have to go through being chained up all the time or something.”

@supersecretjelly #chainedupallthetimeorsomething #fyp #viral #foryou #boi ♬ original sound – martin biased

TikToker @supersecretjelly gained 1.2 million views with her version from July 18.

Others simply made reaction videos to the sound from the original Slushy Noobz video. Women filmed themselves silently screaming and crying as the kid gets to the key line.

@kirsten.marie64 It’s so unfair 😢 #fyp #chainedupallthetimeorsomething #justiceforboys #mensrights #awareness #funny #imjoking #itsajoke @MENTAL MOTIVATION ♬ original sound – martin biased

Comments on these videos filled up with highly confused folks of all genders.

On one video, @frede8551 asked, “can someone please understand I’m genuinely confused as a guy.”

“It’s just funny,” the OP unhelpfully replied.

“I have two boys, 6 and 8, when should I expect this to occur?” wrote @skyler_white_2. “Mamma wants to be prepared.”