Why has Jon Hamm been dancing in ecstasy all over your Instagram and TikTok feeds lately? Well, it’s a story that starts with an Apple TV show from earlier this year and ends with Millennial nostalgia and some comedic video editing.
If you’ve been on a social video platform in the past few weeks, you’ve probably seen a version of the “Jon Hamm dancing in the club” meme, in which creators make jokes using a clip of Hamm from his Apple TV show “Your Friends and Neighbors,” in which his character is seen dancing in a crowded night club in a dreamlike state of euphoria.
Creators are using the clip to show their own moments of pure happiness, or to nostalgically celebrate Millennial club culture from the early 2010s. And they’re pretty darn funny.
Apple shared the original clip to social platforms like Instagram and YouTube nine months ago, but it’s only in the past few weeks that clever creators have used it to its full potential. Most of the videos are scored by “Turn the Lights Off,” Danish DJ Kato’s bopping EDM song from 2010, but the original show clip actually features the 2023 track “Sentient System” by Joseph William Morgan.
What’s ‘Your Friends and Neighbors,’ Jon Hamm’s Apple TV show that sparked the dancing meme?
If you have no idea why Hamm’s character might have some bruises while dancing in a club without a care in the world, we invite you to watch “Neighbors,” a notable TV debut of 2025. In the series, Hamm plays Andrew “Coop” Cooper, a recently divorced hedge fund manager and father of two who loses his job and decides the easiest way to support his expensive lifestyle is to rob his uber-rich friends and neighbors. He breaks into their mansions, steals Rolex watches and other lavish accessories; the unsuspecting wealthy folks have so many extravagances that they don’t even notice their fancy items are gone.
Speaking to USA TODAY back in April, Hamm was very conscious that ‘Your Friends’ would reflect the times we’re living in, but perhaps didn’t predict the exact way in which people would respond. “There are elements in this new show that speak directly to the times we’re living through, specifically this bizarre fascination with more, (and) how ‘more’ has become the watchword, instead of ‘enough.’ … We are in a weird moment in our collective culture with late-stage capitalism.”
There is a certain amount of weirdness to the meme, but quite a bit of relatability and catharsis, too. Here are some of our favorites.
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Hamm to see if he has any comment on the trend.
Contributing: Marco della Cava
