Bad Luck Brian Meme Template
Bad Luck Brian shows a young man in a yearbook photo wearing a plaid shirt and braces with an earnest, hopeful smile, used to describe someone for whom everything goes wrong in the least fair way possible.
Caption this template- Category
- Classic Meme Templates
- Size
- 475 x 562 px
- Format
- Image
- Price
- Free, no sign up
Where the Bad Luck Brian meme comes from
The photo was taken in 2012 for a school yearbook and submitted to Reddit by user Ian Davies under the name Bad Luck Brian. It immediately became a classic image macro for misfortune at scale.
How to caption the Bad Luck Brian meme
Write a setup that sounds like it could go either way, then deliver the cruelest, most specific bad luck outcome. The image works because Brian looks so sincere and unprepared for what is coming. Open it in the meme generator, or read the top and bottom text guide for more.
Bad Luck Brian caption ideas
Need a starting point? Try one of these on the Bad Luck Brian template, then make it your own in the meme generator.
- Finally saves up for a vacation. Books it the week of a airline strike.
- Gets the job offer. It's rescinded the next morning due to a hiring freeze.
- Texts the crush 'good morning.' Sends it to the family group chat.
- Studies the wrong chapter all night. Aces the chapter he skipped.
- Wins the office raffle. Prize is a coupon that expired yesterday.
Best uses for the Bad Luck Brian template
Use the Bad Luck Brian template when the joke fits a classic format and the image can explain the feeling before the reader finishes the caption. It is strongest for evergreen formats, familiar setups, and fast recognizable jokes.
This blank is 475 x 562 px and is a still image, so place the most important words where they stay readable after a feed crop. The near-square frame is flexible for feeds, group chats, Reddit, and Discord.
The sample captions leave room for a setup and a punchline without turning into a paragraph. Before exporting, read the caption once without looking at the image; if it still needs a long explanation, switch to a simpler setup or a more obvious related template.
Caption patterns to try
| Pattern | Why it works |
|---|---|
| Finally saves up for a vacation. Books it the week of a airline strike. | This works because it gives the reader a specific situation instead of a vague label. |
| Gets the job offer. It's rescinded the next morning due to a hiring freeze. | This pattern keeps the setup concrete, which helps the template carry the reaction. |
| Texts the crush 'good morning.' Sends it to the family group chat. | This is a useful direction when you want the punchline to feel personal or self-aware. |
Common mistakes with this blank
- Writing a caption that explains the whole joke instead of letting the Bad Luck Brian image do part of the work.
- Placing text over the most expressive part of the image, especially faces, gestures, signs, or the main action.
- Using three different ideas in one meme. This template works better when it points at one clear situation.
- Exporting before checking the meme at phone size. If the smallest words blur together, shorten the caption first.
