What’s Is ‘Crucified Minion’ Meme?

If you’ve spent any time on TikTok lately, you might have stumbled across videos featuring a Minion nailed to a cross, accompanied by serious talks about Jesus Christ’s crucifixion. While it might sound strange, this odd trend has quickly gained traction, with TikTok users creating their own versions of these videos and flooding comment sections with lines from the original content.

The idea of a Minion dying for our sins isn’t entirely new—these yellow goofballs have long been a staple in internet memes that mix the sacred with the ridiculous. However, the sudden popularity of this specific trend seems to have started with influencers who are using the crucified Minion as a way to catch the attention of users scrolling through TikTok.

How Did It All Start?

The first known instance of this meme can be traced back to TikTok pastor @pastorjoshpan, who posted a video in May featuring the crucified Minion along with a message about Jesus Christ. The video quickly went viral, inspiring countless imitators to create similar content.

“So there was this animator and he was messing around one day when he suddenly created a Minion who died on the cross. And you can see, he even put a nail through the three-fingered hand and even put a crown of thorns on the Minion’s head,” Josh Pan said in his TikTok.

“But look, let me tell you something. A Minion didn’t die for you. A Minion didn’t pay the price of sin for you and me that we deserve. But Jesus did. Why? Because Jesus loves you. And if you think a Minion died for you, then keep on scrolling. But if you know that Jesus died for your sins, type ‘wonderful saviour’ and smash that subscribe button.”

Since then, more TikTok videos have appeared, many following the same general script as Pan’s, while others are compilations or reactions. While some TikTokers seem upset over what could be seen as sacrilegious or excessively trivializing, many are earnest in their videos, arguing that the Crucified Minion is a way to spread the gospel of Christianity and teach people about the Bible in a digestible way by using recognizable and beloved characters.

TikTok Reacts!

As with many internet trends, the ‘Crucified Minion’ meme has sparked a wave of responses, from sincere imitations to outright mockery. Some TikTok users have even created videos explaining the meme to those who might be confused by its sudden popularity, while others have made fun of these explainer videos, filling comment sections with quotes like “a Minion didn’t die for you.”

Meanwhile, the spread of the strange, repetitive videos prompted commentators to wonder if the “Dead Internet Theory” was to blame, speculating that the trend was being perpetrated by bots, who could be creating, sharing and commenting on the videos.