Keanu Reeves Has Finally Revealed the Story Behind Viral 'Sad Keanu' Meme

Keanu Reeves is widely respected for his random gracious gestures and charmingly humble personality. The 57-year-old recently stopped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and helped his fans with some insight into one of the most popular memes associated to him. The actor has often found his way into the cultural consciousness but the ‘Sad Keanu’ viral meme remained a mystery for his fans for a long time. To refresh your memory, an image of a rather somber-looking Keanu Reeves tucking into a sandwich while sitting on a park bench alone captivated many social media users across the world. The image of a morose-looking Reeves in New York City prompted fans all over the world to use it to exemplify unpleasant memories and dark experiences of their lives.

During his appearance on The Late Show, the John Wick star found himself face-to-face with the infamous meme, revealing he wasn’t actually sad. He was discussing his latest comic book titled BRZRKR with the show host who wondered if an illustration in it was inspired by the now-viral meme. Keanu Reeves, when presented with the photo-turned-meme, exclaimed in reaction, “I’m just eating a sandwich, man!"

Was Keanu Reeves sad when the photo was taken? The actor admitted he had something on his mind but was actually hungry. “I was thinking. I had some stuff going on. I was hungry," he replied. The next question asked was, “Why exactly is Keanu Reeves so memeable’?" Much to everyone’s surprise, he started singing a version of Lean on Me by Bill Withers. He updated the chorus as he crooned, “Meme on me / when you’re not strong / I’ll be your friend / I’ll help you carry on."

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Keanu Reeves will star as his own comic book character in BRZRKR. The Netflix adaptation of the graphic novel is also produced by the actor. The live-action feature film is based on the BOOM! Studios comic book series launched earlier this year. Netflix will additionally adapt BRZRKR into a follow-up anime spinoff series. Matt Kindt co-wrote BRZRKR with Keanu. Marvel artist Ron Garney is responsible for the illustrations. Letters by Clem Robins, colours by Bill Crabtree and character designs and covers by Rafael Grampa.

Keanu Reeves led The Matrix Resurrections will arrive in theaters on December 22 this year and will also stream on HBO Max.

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