The "They Had Us in the First Half, Not Gonna Lie" Meme, Explained

Learn how to show off your wit and sarcasm with this viral meme

Co-authored by Glenn Carreau Reviewed by Candace Gasper

Last Updated: January 17, 2026 Fact Checked

“They Had Us in the First Half” Meaning

|

Where did it come from?

|

When to Use the Meme

|

More Memes

Have you come across an image captioned “They had us in the first half, not gonna lie” on social media but aren’t sure what to make of it? We can help. “They had us in the first half” is a reaction image from a high school football player describing his team’s surprising comeback and victory. As a meme, “they had us in the first half” describes any situation with a twist or unexpected ending. In this article, we’ll explain everything you need to know about this clever meme and how to use it for yourself!

“They Had Us in the First Half” Overview

“They had us in the first half, not gonna lie” is a reaction image meme used to show surprise at the outcome of a story or situation. Use it when your expectations are turned upside down or a situation has some kind of dramatic twist. It can apply to stories that seem dark but have an innocent ending, or vice versa.

Section 1 of 4:

“They Had Us in the First Half” Meme Meaning

The meme is a reaction image about surprising endings or outcomes. It features a high school football player in an interview after playing a game where his team started poorly and pulled off a huge comeback in the second half. As a meme, “They had us in the first half” now refers to any situation with a twist, where you expect one thing to happen and something else happens instead.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- The complete phrase in both the original interview and meme is, “They had us in the first half, not gonna lie.”
- “They had us in the first half” is often associated with stories or headlines that sound good in the first half before becoming unpleasant in the second half (although it can be used the other way around, too).

Section 2 of 4:

Where did “They Had Us in the First Half” come from?

1
The meme originated from an interview in September 2014. On September 21st, TWC News Austin posted an interview with Apollos Hester, a running back for the East View Patriots high school football team. It was a post-game interview after Hester’s team won 42-41 against their opponent, Vandegrift. “They had us in the first half” was a quote from Hester as he described his team’s win:^{[2]
X
Research source}
- “Yeah, they had us the first half, I'm not gonna lie, they had us. We weren't defeated, but they had us. But it took guts, it took an attitude--that's all it takes. That's all it takes to be successful is an attitude...”
2
The interview video quickly went viral across social media. After the video gained over 10 million views on YouTube, it also got media coverage from the Chicago Tribune and Deadpin. From there, it took almost no time for Hester’s quote to become a meme, with some of the earliest examples posted on Twitter (now X) in October 2014. Over the next decade, the meme was continually used on Twitter and Reddit.^{[3]
X
Research source}
- On October 10th, 2014, Twitter user @CauseWereGuys tweeted an image of the meme and captioned it, “When your test goes from essay questions to multiple choice.”
- Although the original quote is about sports, the meme can be about any story with a dramatic twist. For example, Reddit users sometimes use the quote as the title on posts that take a turn near the end.
- Other examples of the meme include:
  - A photo with the caption “Sailors after encountering mermaids” and “They had us in the first half, not gonna lie” below, making a joke about how sailors would react to seeing mermaids.
  - A photo with the caption "French General Charles De Gaulle discussing World War II (1947, colorized)" and "They had us in the first half, not gonna lie" below it.

Section 3 of 4:

How to Use the “They Had Us in the First Half” Meme

1
React to headlines, posts, and stories online with unexpected endings. Whether you see a historical factoid, a Reddit post with a misleading headline, or a news article about an event with a twist partway through, “They had us in the first half” is the perfect reaction image. You can respond to stories with troubling headlines and positive twists, or stories that look innocent but have a dark ending.^{[4]
X
Research source}
- For example, Twitter user @MattLaneWrites made a post saying, “I graduated from law school 6 years ago with $250,000 of student loan debt. But after years of hard work and tens of thousands of dollars of payments, I can officially say that I now owe $315,000. Hooray!”
- In response to that post, Reddit user YT_Jamie020FNBR posted a screenshot of the tweet with the “They had us in the first half, not gonna lie” reaction image.
2
Tell stories with a dramatic twist (and use the meme as a punchline). When you’re telling a story about something that happened to you and there’s a crazy twist at the end, you could use the meme to joke about the ending. You could add the reaction image (or GIF) if you're texting or posting about the story online—or, if you're talking to someone, you could say, “They had us in the first half” as a joke.
- For example, if you had a super hard day at work and thought you were going to get in trouble, only to be told you did great at the end of the day, you end the story with, “They had us in the first half, not gonna lie.”
- For a real-life example, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle said, “They had us in the first half, not gonna lie,” when being interviewed by Michael Strahan after winning an NFC championship game in January 2024.

Section 4 of 4:

More Popular Memes

Familiarize yourself with some of the internet’s most viral memes. Plenty of other memes have taken off and become mainstream on social media over the years—and there’s no time like the present to learn more about them. After all, the more you know, the more jokes you’ll be able to appreciate while scrolling on social media!
- Bombastic Side-Eye: A sideways look expressing disgust.
- Rickrolling: A classic prank using Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up.”
- Skilometer: A meme about American vs. European units of measurement.
- He Just Like Me Fr: A meme about relating to something strongly.
- Only in Ohio: A meme making fun of Ohio.