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About
Squidward's Button or I Really Wish I Weren't Here Right Now refers to a reaction image and exploitable meme sourced from an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants depicting a closeup of the character Squidward Tentacles wearing a pink or purple button with the text "I Really Wish I Weren't Here Right Now!" The reaction image saw widespread use in the early 2010s, particularly on websites like Tumblr and Twitter / X.
The reaction image has been edited and repurposed over time, with creators altering the text of the original, lending to its longevity online. The still from the show is often used with newer trends and catchphrases, including the I Really Wish I Weren't Living Through a Major Historical Event Right Now variant, which appeared in the 2020s.
Origin
The image originates from Episode 10b of SpongeBob SquarePants season three, particularly the well-known "Krusty Krab Training Video," which aired on May 10th, 2002. The scene depicts Squidward Tentacles as he is chastised by the training video's narrator for his disinterest and poor work ethic, before highlighting a button Squidward is wearing, which reads, "I really wish I weren't here right now!"
Though the first instance of the image's use online is currently unknown, it has been indexed as far back as April 26th, 2008, being used in a now-inaccessible thread on Rapid Forum. The image continued to circulate online before reaching regular use on websites like Tumblr in 2010 and DeviantArt in 2013, though the posts are no longer active.
On July 20th, 2014, the picture was uploaded to 9GAG by user comidachina13 with the caption, "How I feel on 1st day of school," which received about 5,300 upvotes in 12 years.
Spread
The image of Squidward wearing the button became prevalent on the internet in the 2010s and 2020s, largely due to its relatability, applicability as a reaction image and familiarity and fondness for the source material.
Sometime in 2015, the image became prominent on online marketplaces such as Redbubble and Etsy, with sellers offering the image and catchphrase on clothing items and accessories, with some offering recreations of the actual button.
Tired of Living Through Major Historical Events Variant
On March 29th, 2020, Tumblr user darlingfreddie posted an edited version meme, in which the caption had been altered from "I really wish I wasn't here right now" to "I really wish I weren't living through a major historical event right now," a reference to a popular catchphrase coined during the COVID-19 pandemic that describes being exhausted by experiencing significant global events in one's lifetime.
The post gained over 114,000 likes and reblogs in two years and spawned the Tired of Living Through Major Historical Events meme that was widely reposted in the following years, typically during major international events or political turmoil.
On September 6th, 2021, Redditor Francis_Faffywaffles posted a reedited version of the meme to the /r/lotrmemes subreddit paired with a quote by Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien. The post gained over 11,200 upvotes in roughly four years and became the de facto version of this variation.
This iteration of the Squidward Button meme continued to spread into 2026, where it began to take on an ironic usage, with internet users attaching the image to news of events that seem mundane and insignificant, as though they were important and earth-shattering developments.
For example, in early 2026, TMZ reporting on Donna Kelce's Home Renovations and the World War Mog event each saw memes using the reaction image.
On March 8th, 2026, X / Twitter user envisionedluna used it in a tweet reply to TMZ's report, garnering over 1 million views, 61,000 likes and 2,200 retweets in three days.
Various Examples
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Tired of Living Through Major Historical Events
Tired of Living Through Major Historical Events, also known as I Really Wish I Weren't Living Through a Major Historical Event Right Now, refers to a popular expression coined during the COVID-19 pandemic that describes being exhausted by experiencing significant global events in one's lifetime. The catchphrase has been used in memes, reaction images and viral videos, gaining a notable prevalence again during the 2021-2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict.
English (US) ·