What show is the Jon Hamm dancing meme from?

Not Mad Men! It's from "Your Friends & Neighbors" on Apple TV (2024). Season 1, Episode 8. He plays a hedge fund manager named Coop who's also secretly a thief. The show is kind of mid but this scene is iconic.

What song is in the Jon Hamm meme?

"Turn the Lights Off" by Kato, a Danish DJ. Plot twist: that's not even the song from the actual show. The internet just decided this 2010 EDM track fit better, and honestly they were right.

Why is everyone obsessed with this meme?

It's the perfect "vibing through the chaos" energy. Jon Hamm isn't doing anything crazy - he's just standing there with his eyes closed, gently swaying, looking peaceful. It works for every situation where you're pretending everything is fine.

When did this meme blow up?

Russian TikTok found it first around October 2025. By November it was everywhere. One post with the caption "over 40, married, with kids and a career - what else do you want?" got millions of views and that was basically it.

Turn the Lights Off Meme Guide

If you've been on TikTok in the last few months, you've seen this guy. Eyes closed. Blue light. Vibing like he just paid off his mortgage and his ex texted "I made a mistake." It's Jon Hamm, and somehow this 10-second clip has become the universal symbol for "everything is fine, actually."

Wait, This Isn't Mad Men?

I'm gonna be honest - I spent way too long thinking this was some deleted scene from Mad Men. Don Draper having a moment at a 60s jazz club or something. Nope.

It's from Your Friends & Neighbors, an Apple TV show from 2024 that approximately seven people watched before this meme happened. Jon Hamm plays a divorced hedge fund guy named "Coop" who - and I'm not making this up - is also a neighborhood burglar. The show is... fine? But this one scene? Absolute gold.

Season 1, Episode 8. Coop goes to a club. He closes his eyes. He just... vibes. That's it. That's the scene that broke the internet.

The Song Isn't Even From the Show

Here's where it gets funnier. In the actual episode, some forgettable track called "Sentient System" is playing. But the internet said "nah" and slapped "Turn the Lights Off" by Kato over it instead.

Kato is a Danish DJ. The song came out in 2010. It was a hit in Scandinavia and Russia, and then nobody thought about it for 15 years. Now it's getting millions of streams because Jon Hamm looked really peaceful in a fake nightclub. The internet is so unserious.

How This Blew Up

Russian TikTok found it first (they always do). By October 2025, it was everywhere on RuNet with captions like "Чего тебе ещё надо?" (What else do you want?).

Then in November, it crossed over. The post that really sent it was from @britt_bbrown: "When you're over 40, married, with kids and a career. What else do you want?" Cut to Hamm doing his thing. Millions of views. And suddenly everyone's aunt is sending you this clip.

Another one that blew up was from @makoandkonasmom - "How can I describe this feeling" - which got over 2.7 million views. The comments are full of people saying things like "this is my entire personality now."

The format is perfect because it works for literally everything:

"My bank account after rent" → still vibing
"Me pretending I'm not dying inside at family dinner" → eyes closed, peaceful
"When she says 'we need to talk' but you already emotionally checked out" → coop mode activated

It's the "this is fine" dog but make it sexy and European.

Why Does This Work So Well?

Look, a lot of reaction memes are people making exaggerated faces or doing something obviously comedic. This one hits different because Hamm isn't performing. He's just... existing. Eyes closed. Slight head movement. Zero thoughts, just vibes.

There's something incredibly relatable about the energy of "my life might be falling apart but I'm going to close my eyes and sway gently for a moment." It's not denial, it's not celebration. It's just acceptance with a nice beat.

Also the blue lighting makes everyone look hot, which helps.

What It Looks Like

Here's an example of what you get when you swap yourself into the meme:

Example head swap of the Jon Hamm Turn the Lights Off meme — Static head swap of Jon Hamm Turn the Lights Off

The blue and red lighting actually makes this one of the better memes for face swapping - it's moody enough to hide small imperfections and dramatic enough to make anyone look like they're having a main character moment.

Fun fact

Jon Hamm is apparently aware of the meme and reportedly thinks it's funny. No official statement though, the man is just out there living his best life while the internet loses it over 10 seconds of him dancing.

Watch the Trend

Want to see what everyone's doing with this? Check out @makoandkonasmom's viral post (2.7M views) or browse the full trend on TikTok with over 2.8 million posts.

Fair warning: you will have "Turn the Lights Off" stuck in your head for approximately three weeks.

Face Swapping Into This One

Good news: this meme is stupidly easy to face swap. Hamm's face is front and center, the movement is minimal, and his eyes being closed actually makes the AI's job easier (no weird eye tracking issues).

The blue lighting might tint your result slightly, but honestly that just adds to the vibe. You'll look like you're having a spiritual experience at a European techno club, which is exactly the energy we're going for.

Use Head swap for the best results - it captures more of the head movement and makes it look like you actually belong in that scene. Face swap works too if you want it faster.

Turn the Lights Off

Try This Meme!