A Brief History of “Gay Halloween”
This iconic meme gets to shine every October, poking fun at the LGBTQ+ community’s niche and obscure costumes that typically require 100+ hours of screen time to understand. But where did it begin? The home of all things horrible and iconic alike: Twitter. According to Know Your Meme, the first-ever mention in this specific format was in 2023 by Twitter user @beefyfridgers, who said, “hate going to gay halloween parties like what do you mean you’re lady gaga at the 2:53 mark of the judas music video.” And thus, the “I hate Gay Halloween it’s like what do you mean you’re x” meme template was born.
Over the course of three years, the “Gay Halloween” meme’s virality has exploded. Every October, I see references that get increasingly niche every year, as if everyone is trying to one-up each other. It’s all in good fun, though; this hilariously fun meme is a great outlet for creativity, dedication, and a chance to share your niche interest with the world!
If you’re running low on Gay Halloween ideas, here’s a list to help you out.
What Do You Mean You’re Hudson Williams Leaving the MET Afterparty?
Remember that “niche reference” thing I was talking about? Yeah, I had no clue what this was until I came across this reel by @jimmycu on Instagram. The video depicts someone walking down the street in black loafers, white stockings, white shorts, a white button-down long-sleeve, a pair of black sunglasses, and a backwards Kangol hat. Wondering what this getup is all about? It references the king himself, Hudson Williams, walking out of the MET after-party. If you’re looking for a quick, last-minute costume, this one is definitely doable. Not to mention, quite funny.
What Do You Mean You’re Autism and Tylenol?
If you’re stumped on how this is a couple’s costume, I thought the same. In this Instagram reel by @clockedoutdinks, a man wears a conductor’s costume while holding toy trains, and a woman wears red tights, a red skirt, a red wig, a shirt with the Tylenol logo, and to top it all off, devil horns and wings. Tylenol having the devilish attire references Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s claim in 2025 that Tylenol causes autism (false, by the way), making it “evil.” What I like about this one is that both costumes work as standalones, too, so you don’t have to be a duo to rock autism or Tylenol!
What Do You Mean You’re the C*nty Boom Mic Holder from “Saw”?
On Aug. 6, 2026, @buzzingforhorror posted a photo on Instagram with a man (Speed Ratliff) holding a boom mic on the set of the original Saw movie, captioned “Thinking about the c*nty boom mic operator from Saw (2004).” The joke comes from Ratliff’s iconic pose with the boom mic, in combination with his cropped t-shirt and a concentrated-looking facial expression. Buzzingforhorror’s original post blew up, resulting in over 700,000 likes. Naturally, girls and gays alike saw this post and immediately knew what their next Halloween costume was going to be. For instance, @g_colbert posted a reel captioned “I hate niche, gay Halloween cause what do you mean you’re the c*nty boom mic holder from Saw.”
The outfit itself is quite simple: black shoes with white ankle socks, black daisy dukes, a cropped white t-shirt, and a beige hat (bonus points if it says Saw on it), and black headphones. The only thing that may be hard to obtain on short notice is the actual boom mic, but if you’re committed enough, I found instructions on how to make your own!
What Do You Mean You’re James Charles Fake-Crying with Giant Scissors?
Not to give James Charles more attention than he deserves…but where would Gay Halloween be if we didn’t make fun of him? @Prezbritt_ posted this amazing costume on Instagram, referring to a recent clip of James Charles briefly breaking down into tears during the ribbon-cutting of a pop-up event for his makeup brand. As always, Charles immediately received backlash for seemingly “fake-crying” to gain sympathy and to garner attention. I can’t confirm or deny whether the allegations are true; I will say the way his face immediately scrunches up as his hand flies to cover his face is hilarious.
If you’d like to recreate this look, all this requires is a loose grey halter top with some giant, comically big (fake) scissors. Prezbritt_ made his own out of cardboard and silver paint. However, if you’re feeling really committed, you can follow these instructions to make more realistic-looking cardboard scissors.
Hopefully, this list inspired you to partake in Gay Halloween. It happens only once a year, after all! If none of these seemed to resonate with you, that’s okay; you can make your own niche Halloween costume, post it, and maybe you’ll see yourself in an article about Gay Halloween next year.