What Does “The Rabbit Got Me” Mean on TikTok?

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Trend expert Shayan Faraz explains the viral White Rabbit meme and TikTok trend

Co-authored by Annabelle Reyes Reviewed by Shayan Faraz

Last Updated: December 5, 2025 Fact Checked

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“The White Rabbit Got Me” Trend

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Trend Examples

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The White Rabbit Ticking Clock Meme

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More TikTok Trends

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If you’ve been scrolling on TikTok lately, you may have come across videos of people enjoying themselves with captions like “me before the rabbit got me,” or “one week before the rabbit got me.” But who exactly is this rabbit, and what does it mean when he gets you? If you’re looking for the answers to these questions, you’re in the right place! We’ve compiled a complete guide on this Alice in Wonderland-inspired trend, including what it means, where it came from, and what the white rabbit ticking clock meme is all about, with insights from trend expert Shayan Faraz. Keep reading for everything you need to know!

What is the White Rabbit trend?

Trend expert Shayan Faraz says the White Rabbit trend involves people posting videos of themselves in happier times, before the “rabbit” got them, and marks a turning point in their lives. It’s about how great life was before something unexpected happened. It's a reference to the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland.

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What is the White Rabbit trend on TikTok?

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People post videos of themselves in happy times, before “the rabbit” got them. The trend is about reminiscing on a time when you were still blissfully unaware that time was running out on something you cared about, like a romantic relationship. These posts include captions like, “Me before the white rabbit got me,” or “One week before the rabbit got me,” and they usually include the sound of a ticking clock in the background. This is a reference to the White Rabbit from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, who rushes by Alice as she’s dozing peacefully in a meadow, saying that he’s very late for something.^{[1]
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- Faraz explains, “When someone says 'the rabbit got me' it means they had a 'back to reality' moment. Creators will usually post a photo of the white rabbit meme accompanied with a caption and with the song ‘New Computers (Demo)’ in the background.”^{[2]
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- Faraz notes that the trend is “mainly metaphorical and tied to the original Alice in Wonderland story in a way to show a shift taking place: either in a person's life or generally in a given situation.”^{[3]
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- When the trend started to take off, TikTok user @katekessselman posted a viral video breaking it down further. She explains, “In Alice in Wonderland, before the White Rabbit showed up, Alice was in bliss. She was chilling under her tree,” but then “the White Rabbit showed up, and her life got flipped upside down. So the White Rabbit theory [...] is when the rabbit comes, your time for something specific is up.”
- “Usually for a lot of these trending videos, it’s saying that they’re gonna have heartbreak,” Kesselman goes on. “So, the rabbit is showing up, they’re gonna have heartbreak, they’re no longer in their relationship. But it can be whatever specific event is happening.”^{[4]
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- You may also see people using the phrase "all roads lead to Rome" in these posts or in the comments. Faraz says this phrase “[adds] a philosophical component to the meme by illustrating that at the end of the day, we will all reach the same destination or path that was intended for us.”^{[5]
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Meet the wikiHowe Expert

Shayan Faraz (also known as Chum) is a trend expert and content creator based in Ann Arbor, Michigan who examines cultural trends. He has over 35,000 followers and over 7 million likes on his TikTok page @chummertok.

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Examples of “The Rabbit Got Me” Trend

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“This trend is popular because it speaks to the universal human experience of going through a 'turning point' moment in life,” Faraz explains. “[It] embodies the feeling that something big is about to change. It's also very versatile and people can use it as a way to speak about serious topics and reflection or in sarcastic, more casual contexts.”^{[6]
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Expert Interview} Many people participating in the White Rabbit trend post about romantic relationships that have ended, but this idea of “time running out” can apply to almost any situation. Here are some examples of viral “the rabbit got me” posts for you to check out:
- Faraz says that in this Tiktok by @rizzgyqkkty, “the rabbit represents how it's only a matter of time before this relationship breaks up.”^{[7]
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- In this TikTok from @madsingoldsbyy, “[they] speak out about 'the day before the rabbit got me', implying that a major life event happened,” says Faraz.^{[8]
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- Faraz explains that in this TikTok by @jemmasdailychapters, the person is “speaking out about the white rabbit with regard to toxic relationships with the white rabbit representing 'the same thing' happening again.”^{[9]
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- In this TikTok from @cicifyx, Faraz explains that they’re “joking about how they will eat 'the rabbit' if it comes near their relationship (which is seemingly going well).”^{[10]
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- This post by @__adetayo__11 shows a woman excitedly walking through an airport with a suitcase, with the text “The day before the white rabbit got me” on the screen.
- In this post by @jazzminblanton, the user shares a video of herself standing next to a man and kissing him, with the words “Me before the stupid rabbit got me” across the screen, and a caption reading, “The clock was ticking.”
- This post by @butteredupbells shows a couple cooking together happily in a kitchen with the words, “Us before that d*** rabbit got to us.”
- In this post by @strawberrhiii, a woman blows out birthday candles with two women standing next to her. The words on the screen read, “Us before the white rabbit got to us all,” and the caption reads, “I thought they’d be by my side forever. Turns out forever only lasted another couple weeks.”
- This post by @alycia.bryannn shows a woman being presented with her white coat at a nursing school ceremony with the text “48 hours before that stupid rabbit got me.” The post’s caption reads, “Crazy how the best day of your life can change to the worst week of your life.”

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What is the White Rabbit ticking clock meme?

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The White Rabbit meme means that time is running out. Faraz says that “the white rabbit meme shows the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland pointing at a clock, implying and signaling that time is running out, to illustrate that something chaotic is about to happen or that 'time is almost up' and we are going to enter a new or the same phase in life.”^{[11]
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Expert Interview} For example, one funny version of the meme on X (formerly Twitter) includes the image with the caption “What Sunday feels like.” Another more serious version of the meme uses the caption, “When he starts being busy all the time,” suggesting that this is a sign the relationship will be ending soon.^{[12]
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- The original illustration was created by artist Luz Tapia and posted on DeviantArt back in 2012. It was then reposted on Pinterest in 2016, and it continued to spread on social media from there.^{[13]
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- Now that the “rabbit got me” trend is also spreading on TikTok, you may come across this image in the comment sections of posts participating in the trend, too!