What is the viral 'Just got the call. Fired' memes? Origin and meaning decoded

Have you seen a lot of "Just got the call. Fired" memes online? Well, you’re not alone. These memes that have been going viral feature people humorously sharing fake, made-up stories about being fired from their DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) jobs for allegedly making everything around them gay or non-white.

The popular trend is a response to President Donald Trump's reported plans to eliminate all forms of DEI within the government, as he signed several executive orders within his first two days in office. However, these DEI-related orders have not yet been made official.

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Origin of the Meme

The earliest version of the meme was created by X (formerly Twitter) user @kathrwn on January 22, 2025. She shared a post joking about being "fired" from her DEI coordinator job at Area 51, claiming her main role was to "trans the aliens and inject them with fentanyl."

The post quickly went viral, racking up millions of views and thousands of reposts. It has since sparked a new meme trend, with several users joining in and adding to the fun by sharing their own "Just got the call. Fired" memes.

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The funniest "Just got the call. Fired" memes

It seems like countless people across the country have been "fired" from their DEI jobs. Let’s take a look at some of their most hilarious posts that are totally not fake or made up, even if they all happen to be for the same reasons!

Department of Parks and Recreation (via @thatguyuptown/X)

It seems that even TV shows haven’t been spared, as this user claims to have just been fired from his DEI coordinator job at the Parks and Recreation department. But wait, didn't the show stop airing in 2015? Imagine losing a job you already let go of 10 years ago!

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Bidding farewell to the frogs (via @eigenrobot/X)

Oh no! This man was working for the EPA and helping protect the environment. Who will stand up for all the frogs now that he was just let go of?

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Crop-ped out of the job (via @jzux/X)

If it weren’t for this user, we wouldn’t have even known that the Department of Agriculture had a DEI coordinator who was in charge of corns! Thank you for your services, Miss!

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The internet is a hilarious place, where one silly post can snowball into hundreds of thousands more. Oops! No, ignore that! It looks like countless people have been "fired" from their DEI coordinator jobs, and the newly appointed government might just have to create more jobs for them!