Sharing your hurt feelings on social media can be cathartic for some – a way to release the bad and make room for the good with a few thousand of your closest friends. But what you put on the timeline can sometimes come back in the form of negative comments or even memes that make your pain the butt of other people’s jokes. If you don’t believe us, just ask Tyrese Gibson whose sincere cries for help have turned into the popular “My Shayla” and “This is all I got” sounds that have been used all over TikTok.
Check out this clip and see if you recognize his voice:
Or this one:
Now, TikTok user Destiny Lawson (aka @dessycvs9n9) is here to let people know the deeper meaning behind the memes, posting a clip of the “Sweet Lady” singer that is sending shock waves throughout the app. In her post, she explains that the origin of the viral sounds that have made users laugh actually originated from Gibson’s tearful online plea during a 2017 custody battle with ex-wife Norma Mitchell Gibson for their then-10-year-old daughter Shayla.
“The ‘my Shayla’ sound being from Tyrese BEGGING on ig live to see his daughter is actually so sad,” she wrote on the post showing the singer-actor’s original video.
The post has received over two million likes and thousands of comments from people who expressed their guilt for laughing at the “Fast & Furious” franchise actor’s expense.
“Who made this a meme? OMG I feel so sad now,” wrote someone in the comments.
But others, even after learning the origin story are still laughing at the fact that Gibson’s video has produced so many hilarious memes.
“I’m sorry, it makes me want to cry and laugh at the same time,” wrote another commenter.
In an interview with Newsweek, Destiny Lawson said she had no idea that so many people were unaware of the origins of the now-viral sound.
“I honestly thought that people knew the origin of the sound as Tyrese Gibson is a well-known figure,” she said. “I remember watching the live so long ago and found it funny how it become so popular years later!”
Lawson added that she’s happy her post helped shed light on the situation.
“I was really surprised at the reaction it got from the public,” she said, “but I’m happy people understand the actual story behind it and are so interested in where Tyrese and his daughter Shayla are now.”