Who Killed Hannibal Meme Template

This two-panel template originates from Season 2, Episode 6 of Adult Swim’s surreal talk show parody The Eric Andre Show, which aired in November 2013.

During the opening monologue, host Eric Andre abruptly pulls a handgun out of his suit and repeatedly fires at his co-host, Hannibal Buress, who is sitting on an armchair across the studio set. Andre empties the clip, reloads, and shoots him several more times until Buress slumps motionless in his chair. Andre then steps up to the microphone, turns toward the studio camera with a solemn, confused expression, and asks: "Who killed Hannibal?"

The freeze-frame format exploded in popularity in early 2018 across Twitter/X and Reddit (specifically r/dankmemes and r/memes). It quickly cemented itself as one of the definitive three-way object-labeling formats for self-inflicted harm, institutional hypocrisy, and immediately deflecting guilt onto an innocent third party after causing complete destruction.

Hypocritical blame, unprovoked sabotage, feigned innocence, shifting the blame, and absurd cognitive dissonance.

• Top Panel (The Action): Eric Andre in a grey two-button suit and patterned tie, with an afro hairstyle, pointing a black handgun directly at Hannibal Buress, who is slumped backward into a beige armchair amidst lingering gun smoke.
• Bottom Panel (The Reaction): Andre stands facing directly forward behind a vintage stand microphone, his expression deadpan and bewildered, feigning complete ignorance as gun smoke hangs over Hannibal’s body in the background.
• The Set: A faux-retro late-night talk show studio featuring brown wood-paneled walls, orange geometric wall art, a globe on a stand, and blue carpet.
• The Broadcast Mark: A digital on-screen bug situated in the lower-right corner of both panels.

The sequence functions as a visual blueprint for bad-faith arguments and willful deflection of responsibility. In the upper panel, the aggressor actively carries out an extreme and unprovoked act of destruction. In the lower panel, having lowered the weapon, the shooter looks directly at the audience with an expression of mild concern, asking who could possibly have done such a terrible thing. In standard meme usage, Andre represents a person, company, or political entity, Hannibal represents the victim or destroyed institution, and the closing caption is modified from "Who killed Hannibal?" to "Why would [scapegoat] do this?"