What Is The 'Well You Should Probably Eat' Meme? The Context Of The Viral Shailene Woodley Memes Explained

Actress Shailene Woodley is going viral on X / Twitter right now thanks to a resurfaced interview on the MTV Movie Awards red carpet over a decade ago.

The meme is based on a clip in which Woodley tells the interviewer, "Well you should probably eat," and the iconic snark coming off Woodley is now inspiring numerous reaction memes on X.

So, what exactly is the context of the meme, and why did Woodley tell the interviewer to eat? Here's what you need to know.

What Is The 'Well You Should Probably Eat' Meme?

The Shailene Woodley meme comes from a 2014 MTV Movie Awards interview with interviewer Jamie Lee for the Pete Holmes YouTube channel.

That April, Jamie Lee interviewed a host of celebrities on the red carpet, including Shailene Woodley, who had recently appeared in the film The Spectacular Now.

The interview was a bit awkward, with Woodley giving short, flat answers to Lee's questions, although it's unclear exactly why.

At one point, the interviewer asks Woodley if she's hungry, and she tells her that she's not. Lee says in surprise, "Really? I'm so hungry," and Woodley says in a way that comes off a little sassy, "Well, you should probably eat."

Lee ends the interview and says the two "didn't hit it off," adding a layer of awkwardness to the interaction.

How Is 'Well You Should Probably Eat' Used In Memes?

In the years after the interview was posted online, it was clipped several times and went viral as an iconic pop culture moment. A lot of people can relate to Woodley's unnecessary sass and simply find the clip funny, making it a strange and fascinating viral video.

Then, in 2025, a GIF of the clip started going viral as a reaction meme. As a meme, the quote is often edited to replace "eat" with another verb and used to react to people on X / Twitter who say that they need or feel something specific.

Some examples include a reaction to an X user saying he's sleepy, reading, "Well you should probably sleep," and a reaction to someone saying they need to work out, the caption reading, "Well you should probably go to the gym."

What Are Some More 'Well You Should Probably Eat' Memes?

'Well You Should Probably Eat' Meme Template / GIF

For the full history of the 'Well You Should Probably Eat' meme, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.