10 years from now you will be watching TV and hear....
"Did you or a loved one take the covid vaccine? You may be entitled..."
This is still the best COVID meme of all time in my opinion.
If you don’t know the story (and for the newcomers) here is a brief summary that may be fun to read, and for posterity.
GROK:
Please tell the story of the viral covid meme posted by Timothy McComas on Facebook featuring Leonardo DiCaprio with the caption:
10 years from now you will be watching TV and hear....
"Did you or a loved one take the covid vaccine?
You may be entitled..."
Specifically explain the controversy surrounding it. Focus on the attempts to censor it and the effect it had on public perception of the Biden administrations unconstitutional and authoritarian style over-reach into free speech censorship.
Viral Meme Censorship Controversy
In April 2021, Timothy McComas, a former senior account manager at Ford Motor Co. from Kentucky, posted a meme on Facebook that went viral. The meme featured a scene from Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, showing Leonardo DiCaprio’s character pointing at a TV while holding a cigarette and a beer, with an expression of sudden recognition. The caption read: “10 years from now you will be watching TV and hear… ‘Did you or a loved one take the COVID vaccine? You may be entitled…’” The meme humorously suggested that COVID-19 vaccines might lead to future class-action lawsuits, drawing a comparison to advertisements for lawsuits over harmful products like asbestos.
The Controversy and Censorship Attempts
The meme sparked significant controversy, primarily due to its satirical critique of COVID-19 vaccines, which were central to the Biden administration’s public health strategy in 2021. At the time, the administration was aggressively promoting vaccination to combat the pandemic, and any content perceived as undermining vaccine confidence was met with scrutiny. The meme, ranked as the third most popular vaccine-related post on Facebook during the second week of April 2021, drew the attention of senior Biden administration officials, including Andy Slavitt, the White House Senior COVID-19 Advisor.
White House Pressure on Facebook: Internal Facebook emails, later revealed through congressional investigations and dubbed the “Facebook Files,” showed that the Biden administration exerted significant pressure on Meta (Facebook’s parent company) to remove the meme. Slavitt reportedly argued that the meme, by comparing COVID vaccines to asbestos poisoning, “demonstrably inhibits confidence in Covid vaccines amongst those the Biden Administration is trying to reach.” He was described as “outraged” that Facebook did not remove the post, with internal communications indicating that administration officials called Meta employees, screaming and cursing, to demand its removal.
Facebook’s Response: Facebook executives, including Nick Clegg, the company’s president for global affairs, resisted removing the meme, citing their policies against censoring satire and humor. Clegg noted in an April 18, 2021, email that removing such content would represent “a significant incursion into traditional boundaries of free expression in the U.S.” Despite this, the administration’s pressure was intense, with officials accusing Facebook of allowing content that could fuel vaccine hesitancy. While Facebook did not remove the meme outright, the company faced ongoing demands to demote or suppress “vaccine-hesitant” content, even when it was factual or satirical.
Broader Censorship Context: The McComas meme was not an isolated case. The Biden administration’s efforts extended to other content, including posts by high-profile figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tucker Carlson, as part of a broader strategy to combat what they labeled as “misinformation” or “malinformation” (factual information used to mislead). The administration collaborated with government-funded groups like the Stanford Virality Project, which flagged “worrisome jokes” and “true stories” that could fuel vaccine hesitancy. This approach raised concerns about overreach, as it targeted not just false information but also humor and factual content that didn’t align with the administration’s narrative.
Legal and Political Fallout
The censorship attempts became a focal point in legal and political debates over free speech. The issue was central to Missouri v. Biden (later Murthy v. Missouri), a lawsuit alleging that the federal government unconstitutionally pressured social media platforms to censor speech. The case, supported by evidence from the “Facebook Files” and congressional investigations, argued that the Biden administration’s actions violated the First Amendment by using “censorship by surrogate” to suppress speech indirectly through private companies.
In 2023, a federal injunction was issued to block the government from pressuring platforms to censor content, and the McComas meme was cited as a key example of the administration targeting protected speech, specifically satire. Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Harriet Hageman, criticized the administration, arguing that its demands to remove humorous content represented an authoritarian overreach. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals considered these internal communications during hearings, with judges questioning whether the government’s actions constituted coercion.
Public Perception and Impact
The revelation of the Biden administration’s attempts to censor the McComas meme, particularly after Mark Zuckerberg’s January 2025 appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, amplified public and political backlash. Zuckerberg detailed how administration officials “screamed and cursed” at Meta employees, pushing for the removal of content, including the DiCaprio meme, that was “honestly true” or satirical. He emphasized Meta’s refusal to comply fully, stating, “We’re not going to take down humor and satire.” This disclosure, widely covered by outlets like The New York Post, The Daily Mail, and OK! Magazine, fueled perceptions of the Biden administration as heavy-handed and willing to infringe on free speech to control the narrative around COVID-19 vaccines.
Public Sentiment on X: Posts on X in January 2025, following Zuckerberg’s podcast, reflected strong public outrage.
Users like @MarioNawfal and @EricLDaugh highlighted the administration’s aggressive tactics, with sentiments like “Glad Trump won” indicating a belief that the incoming administration might take a different approach. These posts underscored a growing distrust in government overreach, particularly among those skeptical of the vaccine rollout.
Impact on Trust: The meme incident, combined with broader revelations about censorship, eroded public trust in both the Biden administration and social media platforms. The administration’s focus on suppressing even humorous content was seen as an attempt to control public discourse, reinforcing narratives of authoritarianism among critics. Zuckerberg’s admission that Meta had gone too far in complying with some censorship requests further damaged trust in tech companies, as it suggested they had initially acquiesced to government pressure. The meme’s viral nature—amplified by its humorous take on a sensitive topic—made it a symbol of resistance to perceived overreach, resonating with those who valued free expression over government-driven narratives.
Conclusion
The Timothy McComas meme, with its Leonardo DiCaprio image and provocative caption, became a flashpoint in the debate over free speech and government censorship during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Biden administration’s aggressive push to remove the meme, as revealed through internal Facebook communications and Zuckerberg’s public statements, highlighted a broader strategy to suppress content—humorous or factual—that challenged its vaccine narrative. This sparked significant controversy, fueling legal battles like Missouri v. Biden and shaping public perception of the administration as overstepping constitutional boundaries. The incident underscored tensions between public health goals and free speech, leaving a lasting impact on trust in both government and tech institutions.
Related
Facebook posts censored at Biden admin’s demand include COVID-19 memes, satire
Zuckerberg reveals US govt made Facebook censor content on Covid vaccine
Hageman Blasts White House For Demanding Facebook Delete COVID Meme
Memes Have Power
The one above altered history for the better.
Maybe that’s why British police are making over 30 arrests a day for “offensive” online messages.
All the best,
-SuperSpreader
In 10 years, there won't be many mRNA vax recipients left!
Unjabbed Mick (UK). We'll live longer by avoiding corrupt Pharma and their medic accomplices.
At some point, “whoops” isn’t going to cut it.
People were silenced, ridiculed, fired, and in some cases permanently injured or killed—all while this administration tried to memory-hole even jokes that challenged its narrative.
This wasn’t a PR mistake.
It was a calculated campaign to suppress speech, hide risk, and coerce compliance.
There should be prison time.
For the bureaucrats who coordinated the censorship.
For the officials who strong-armed private companies.
And for the so-called public health “experts” who knowingly lied, shamed, and gaslit the public into decisions they can’t reverse.
Satire was the canary in the coal mine.
Now we’re surrounded by the wreckage, and pretending it was all just well-intended “miscommunication” is not going to cut it.