Chat Is This Real?: Meaning & Origin of the TikTok Trend

Download Article

See real-life examples of the ‘chat, is this real?’ meme trend

Co-authored by Amy Bobinger, BA Reviewed by Candace Gasper

Last Updated: September 21, 2025 Fact Checked

Download Article

What does “Chat is this real” mean?

|

Origins & Spread

|

Video

If you’re confused by seeing (or hearing) “Chat is this real?” everywhere, don’t worry—you’re not alone. Who is chat? Is it a reference to ChatGPT? What do we not think is real? Actually, the term comes from online streamers referencing their live audience…but there’s a bit more to the story than that. We’re breaking down exactly what the phrase means and where it comes from.

“Chat Is This Real?” Meme Meaning

“Chat is this real?” started with online streamers addressing their live audience, but it evolved into a popular catchphrase. It can be used to express amazement or disbelief (like “Is this really happening?”), or it can be a sarcastic reference to something obviously fake, like AI-generated content.

Section 1 of 2:

What does “Chat is this real” mean?

Download Article

It’s a catchphrase that’s similar to “Can you believe this?” The term comes from streamers referencing their live audience—aka, the chat. The term is often used as an expression of disbelief, like “Is this even real life?” (e.g., here, where it’s used as a caption on a post where ChatGPT allegedly turned a cat into Idris Elba). It can also be used to point out something that’s obviously fake, like AI-generated content (e.g., this Reddit post where “Moses” frees the Israelites from the Egyptians).^{[1]
X
Research source}
- Why is it trending? The phrase caught on—especially with younger Gen Zs and Gen Alphas—and now it’s commonly used in captions, comments sections, and even real-life situations.
- “Chat am I cooked?” is a similar phrase that means something like, “Am I in trouble?”
- Some people think the “Chat” in “chat is this real” refers to ChatGPT, but it actually doesn’t have anything to do with it.

Section 2 of 2:

Who started saying “Chat is this real”?

Download Article

The phrase was popularized by streamer iShowSpeed. The streamer, who started on Twitch, said it as a way of interacting with the viewers in his livestream, who could respond to him via chat. He often used the catchphrase as an ironic reaction to AI videos, like this one where an AI-generated image of Elon Musk offers iShowSpeed a Tesla if iShowSpeed reacts to the video.^{[2]
X
Research source}
- A clip from the above video went viral in March 2023. From there, the phrase spread, quickly becoming popular as a caption for pictures and videos. For instance, “chat is this real” was used as the caption on an X repost of this picture of a sleeping kitten originally captioned “died.”
- Today, it’s often used as a reference to an imaginary audience—like “Are you seeing this?”