Jake Thomas Reveals What Really Happened Behind His Viral ‘Cracking Up’ Meme (Exclusive)

Jake Thomas is opening up about what really happened during the interview that turned him into a viral meme.

The former Disney Channel star, best known for playing Matt McGuire on Lizzie McGuire, tells PEOPLE exclusively that he was doing an interview at the Osmosis Jones premiere on Aug. 7, 2001, at The Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood when the words “cracking up” slipped out of his mouth.

“I did not remember doing that interview,” Thomas tells PEOPLE over Zoom. “I don’t know exactly what happened or what possessed me during that interview to say ‘cracking up.’ I’m not sure exactly how many times I say I’m looking forward to cracking up, but it feels like at least 10 times. I was like 11, and I was really looking forward to cracking up.”

“I think that’s something we can all agree on these days — when we go to the movies, we’re just looking forward to cracking up at some point,” he adds.

Not long after the premiere, the clip went viral and has since followed Thomas around. In September 2021, he posted a greenscreen video of himself reacting to the meme on TikTok, where it racked up 10 million views.

“Well, I think I’m looking forward to cracking up,” Thomas is captured telling the reporter in the clip after being asked what he was most excited about in the film.

“I hope I can totally crack up. I haven’t totally cracked up in a long time,” he continued, adding in his reaction in the video that he did in fact crack up.

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Looking back on that moment, Thomas, now 35, says the words have come to follow him, but he’s not mad about it. He says he’s often recognized in public for the meme, and it’s a top comment on most of his social media posts.

“I love it. I think it’s hilarious,” he says.

“You know what — the meme, it doesn’t matter who you are, how famous you are, how much money you have. Memes are a product of the culture, and you can’t buy that with anything. So it’s very special.”

“I’m not sure if I’ve revisited the phrase ‘cracking up’ in my adulthood, but at this point, I’m not sure I can say it naturally without drawing looks referencing the meme,” he continued, “But yeah, honestly, I feel so privileged to be a meme in this day and age. What more could you ask for, really? And to be two of them — that’s a blessing.”