Alternative facts meme
✓ Brand-safe. While originating in a political context, the phrase is widely understood as a humorous jab at misinformation and can be used innocuously.
What does the Alternative facts meme mean?
This meme refers to statements presented as facts but which are demonstrably false, often used humorously to point out inaccuracies or exaggerations.
Where did Alternative facts come from?
"Alternative facts" was a phrase used by U.S. Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway during a Meet the Press interview on January 22, 2017, in which she defended White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer's false statement about the attendance numbers at Donald Trump's first inauguration as President of the United States. When pressed during the interview with Chuck Todd to explain why Spicer would "utter a provable falsehood", Conway stated that Spicer was giving "alternative facts".
Is the Alternative facts meme dead?
Less than it was. Alternative facts is fading: its rate of reads of its Wikipedia article has slowed by more than 15% compared with the period before. Its current rate is 0% of its peak, which came in the period ending Apr 1, 2017.
The Wikipedia article on Alternative facts was read 112 times in November 2026, and 1,759,436 times since July 2015. Its busiest measured month ended Apr 1, 2017 at 5,817 reads per day.
Stats
| Busiest month | January 2017 (284,040 reads) |
| Reads, last 12 months | 43,087 |
| Reads, 12 months before | 71,973 |
| Change year on year | -40% |
| All-time reads since July 2015 | 1,759,436 |
| Current rate vs peak | 0% of the peak in the period ending Apr 1, 2017 |
Alternative facts captions for businesses
| real estate | Our listings have 'alternative facts' / (They're actually just really good deals) |
| dentists | My patients floss every day / (Alternative facts) |
| restaurants | Our chef's secret ingredient / (Alternative facts, it's just butter) |
| fitness studios | I only ate one cookie / (Alternative facts, it was the whole box) |
| software startups | Our new feature ships next week / (Alternative facts, it's still in design) |
| coffee shops | I only need one coffee to start my day / (Alternative facts, it's my fifth cup) |
| hair salons | I'll just trim the ends / (Alternative facts, you're getting a whole new look) |
| accountants | My taxes are simple this year / (Alternative facts, call your accountant!) |
More questions
Can a business post the Alternative facts meme?
Usually, yes. While originating in a political context, the phrase is widely understood as a humorous jab at misinformation and can be used innocuously. memeidea's brand-safety calls are AI-assisted suggestions, so check how the format is being used this week before posting.
What is a good Alternative facts caption for a business?
For real estate: “Our listings have 'alternative facts' / (They're actually just really good deals)”. For dentists: “My patients floss every day / (Alternative facts)”. For restaurants: “Our chef's secret ingredient / (Alternative facts, it's just butter)”. More captions are in the table above.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Alternative facts: article and page-view counts (Wikimedia API)
- Know Your Meme: origin and spread
- memeidea method: how stages and momentum are measured