The always has been meme is an internet meme showing two astronauts looking at Earth. One astronaut discovers something surprising and asks, “Wait, it’s all [something]?” The second astronaut, usually standing behind with a gun, replies, “Always has been.” The joke works by treating an absurd, unexpected, or uncomfortable realization as if it were an obvious truth that had existed all along.
You may also know it as the “Wait, it’s all Ohio?” meme, the astronaut gun meme, or simply the astronaut “Always Has Been” meme.
Although the realistic astronaut image became widely recognizable around 2020, the idea developed over several years. Its history includes an earlier 2016 flat-Earth drawing, a recognizable 2018 version, and the Ohio-themed edits that helped push the format into mainstream meme culture.
What Does the Always Has Been Meme Mean?
At its simplest, the meme represents a moment of realization.
The first astronaut believes they have discovered something shocking. The second astronaut already knows the truth and responds with the deadpan line:
“Always has been.”
That contrast is the joke.
For example:
Astronaut 1: “Wait, working from home is mostly answering messages?”
Astronaut 2: “Always has been.”
The first line sets up a supposedly new discovery. The second line tells us that the situation was never actually new.
That makes the format especially useful for jokes about things people suddenly notice even though they have been obvious for years.
I find that the meme works best when the reader can recognize the “truth” immediately. If someone needs three paragraphs of context before understanding the punchline, the format loses much of its power.
Where Did the Always Has Been Meme Come From?
The history is more interesting than the familiar astronaut photograph suggests.
The modern version did not appear fully formed in a single viral post.
According to Know Your Meme’s documented history, an important precursor appeared on Reddit on December 11, 2016. It was a simple MS Paint drawing showing two astronauts discovering that Earth was flat. One reacts to the discovery while the other points a gun at them.
A more recognizable version appeared on 4chan on August 7, 2018. Instead of the polished Earth-and-astronaut image most people recognize today, the joke used America as the unexpected revelation.
The Ohio variation arrived later and helped turn the format into something much bigger.
Always Has Been Meme Timeline
| Period | What happened | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| December 2016 | A Reddit MS Paint image showed astronauts discovering a flat Earth | Early visual precursor |
| August 2018 | A 4chan post used an early recognizable version of the format | Established the basic joke structure |
| October 2019 | “Wait, it’s all Ohio?” gained attention through Ohio-themed edits | Helped popularize the catchphrase |
| 2020 | More realistic astronaut-and-Earth versions spread widely | Created the template most people now recognize |
| Later years | Users adapted the format to work, school, politics, fandoms, gaming and everyday life | Turned it into a reusable reaction format |
This gradual evolution is worth knowing because the meme is sometimes described as if somebody simply created the famous astronaut image in 2020. Its roots are older.
Why Does the Meme Say “Wait, It’s All Ohio?”
Ohio was not part of every early version.
The phrase became closely connected to a broader internet joke known as “Ohio vs. the World.” During 2019, edits depicting the entire planet as Ohio became one of the most successful variations of the astronaut format.
Know Your Meme records an Ohio edit posted to iFunny on October 17, 2019, which later circulated across platforms including Twitter, Reddit, Tumblr and Instagram.
The familiar exchange became:
“Wait, it’s all Ohio?”
“Always has been.”
There is no serious claim that Earth is secretly Ohio. The humor comes from presenting a ridiculous conspiracy as a terrifying fact everybody except the first astronaut apparently knew.
Over time, people began replacing “Ohio” with almost anything.
That adaptability is what turned a specific joke into a reusable meme template.
Why Is the Second Astronaut Holding a Gun?
The gun is part of the visual punchline.
The first astronaut has discovered information they apparently were not supposed to know. The second astronaut already knows the secret and appears ready to silence them.
It turns a simple realization into an exaggerated conspiracy scene.
The humor is intentionally absurd: discovering that your office runs on spreadsheets clearly does not require an astronaut assassination, but portraying the discovery as a classified cosmic secret makes an ordinary observation funnier.
This is also why versions without the gun can feel different. The words may still work, but the original visual adds betrayal, danger and conspiracy to the joke.
The Three-Part Logic Behind a Good Always Has Been Meme
While researching the format, I noticed that many explanations focus on the picture but overlook the actual mechanics of the joke.
I use a simple three-part model:
1. The assumption
The audience begins with a normal belief.
Example: Social media is about connecting with friends.
2. The realization
The first astronaut discovers an exaggerated alternative.
“Wait, it’s all advertising?”
3. The confirmation
The second astronaut treats the discovery as old news.
“Always has been.”
That final response is important. Without it, you simply have an observation. With it, the observation becomes a joke about something that was supposedly true all along.
This also explains why random captions often fail. The two statements need a logical relationship.
What Makes the Meme So Reusable?
Some meme formats depend heavily on knowing a particular movie, celebrity, game or news event.
The always has been meme is different.
Its underlying idea is universal: someone discovers that reality is not what they thought it was.
That structure can be applied to:
- workplace habits
- school and studying
- technology
- gaming
- social media
- relationships
- sports
- politics and public life
- fandoms
- internet culture
- everyday frustrations
The visual itself provides most of the context. Readers already understand that astronaut one is surprised and astronaut two knows more than they do.
That means a creator only needs to change a few words.
Funny Always Has Been Meme Examples
Here are several examples that show how flexible the format can be.
Work
“Wait, the meeting could have been an email?”
“Always has been.”
School
“Wait, the test is mostly from one paragraph in the textbook?”
“Always has been.”
Content Creation
“Wait, half of writing is editing?”
“Always has been.”
Social Media
“Wait, everybody only posts the best part of their day?”
“Always has been.”
Technology
“Wait, restarting it actually fixes the problem?”
“Always has been.”
Online Shopping
“Wait, the discount was calculated from an inflated original price?”
“Always has been.”
Fitness
“Wait, consistency matters more than one perfect workout?”
“Always has been.”
Gaming
“Wait, collecting resources is the actual game?”
“Always has been.”
The strongest versions usually contain a recognizable observation rather than a completely random statement.
How to Make an Always Has Been Meme That Actually Works
You do not need complicated design software.
Start with the standard astronaut meme template and decide what realization your first astronaut will make.
Then work backward.
Ask yourself: What is something my audience believes they recently discovered but would jokingly agree has been true for a long time?
Keep the setup short.
“Wait, it’s all meetings?”
is stronger than:
“Wait, are you saying that most corporate jobs require employees to attend a surprisingly large number of meetings?”
Memes are visual communication. Short text lets the reader understand the joke before the image loses their attention.
The second astronaut’s response normally remains “Always has been.” Changing that line can work, but doing so removes one of the format’s strongest recognition signals.
Always Has Been Meme Template and Generators
One commonly indexed blank version of the template on Imgflip is a 960 × 540 PNG image. Imgflip also provides an Always Has Been meme generator where users can add custom text and other elements.
Kapwing provides another editable version and supports image, GIF and video meme creation through its browser-based editor. Its current meme maker supports templates, text editing and exports in formats including JPEG, MP4 and GIF.
Imgflip vs. Kapwing for the Always Has Been Meme
| Feature | Imgflip | Kapwing |
|---|---|---|
| Ready-made Always Has Been template | Yes | Yes |
| Simple caption editing | Yes | Yes |
| Image meme creation | Yes | Yes |
| GIF/video editing | Separate GIF tools available | Built into broader editor |
| Best suited for | Quick traditional memes | More customized or multimedia edits |
| Standard template access | Very straightforward | More design-oriented editing |
For a fast image meme, I would choose the simplest editor that already contains the template.
For a more customized version, animation, video format or social-media resize, a broader editing tool gives you more room to work.
“Always Has Been” vs. “Always Have Been”
The recognized catchphrase is “Always has been.”
That wording agrees with a singular subject:
“It has always been.”
People sometimes search for “always have been meme,” but that is usually a variation or grammatical mix-up rather than the standard name of the format. Imgflip’s own template metadata lists “always have been” among alternate search terms, showing that both phrases are used when people try to find the image.
If you are naming the meme, writing an article about it or searching for the original template, “Always Has Been” is the safer phrase.
Why the Meme Still Makes Sense Years Later
Internet jokes usually age quickly because their context disappears.
This one has a structural advantage: the joke does not rely on a single event.
A new audience can understand it without knowing what was trending when the template first became popular.
It has also evolved beyond the original “Wait, it’s all Ohio?” wording. Current meme-template databases contain variations with altered planets, additional astronauts, no gun, different characters and entirely different punchlines. Imgflip’s search results, for example, currently surface multiple derivatives alongside the standard template.
That is a sign of a mature meme format: people no longer need to reproduce the original exactly for the reference to be recognizable.
When Should You Use the Always Has Been Meme?
I would use this format when the humor depends on revealing something obvious, ironic or secretly universal.
It works particularly well when your audience can think:
“That is ridiculous, but also kind of true.”
I would avoid it when the topic needs a long explanation or when the gun imagery would be inappropriate for the audience or context. A classroom, brand or workplace account may prefer a modified version without the weapon while keeping the same realization-and-response structure.
The best meme is not simply the one with the funniest sentence. It is the one whose format matches the joke.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Always Has Been meme mean?
It represents someone discovering a surprising “truth” only to learn that another person already knew it and claims it has always been that way.
Where did the Always Has Been meme come from?
Its history includes a 2016 Reddit MS Paint precursor, a recognizable 2018 4chan version, Ohio-themed edits in 2019 and the realistic astronaut format that spread widely in 2020.
Why is Ohio in the Always Has Been meme?
Ohio became a popular variation through the “Ohio vs. the World” meme trend, where creators jokingly portrayed the entire planet as Ohio.
Why does the astronaut have a gun?
The gun exaggerates the discovery into a conspiracy: the first astronaut has learned a supposed secret, while the second appears ready to prevent that secret from spreading.
Where can I get the Always Has Been meme template?
Meme-template sites such as Imgflip currently offer the familiar 960 × 540 blank PNG and an online generator for adding your own captions.
Final Thoughts
The always has been meme lasted because its joke is bigger than astronauts, Ohio or one viral image. It captures a specific feeling: realizing something that seems shocking and immediately being told that everyone else already knew.
Its history also runs deeper than the polished 2020 template. The format evolved from earlier drawings and variations before the Ohio version and realistic astronauts made it instantly recognizable.
If you want to make your own, start with one familiar truth your audience will recognize, exaggerate it into a dramatic discovery, and keep the final answer simple: “Always has been.”
Then give the meme to someone who immediately understands the joke. If they get it without needing an explanation, your caption is doing its job.
Ava Bennett is a social media strategy writer with 7+ years of experience covering social platforms, content trends, audience engagement, and digital communication strategies. She creates practical insights to help readers understand the evolving social media landscape.
