35+ Times People Had Fun Making Fun of Themselves

Humor comes in many forms that range from physical humor to wacky voices to impressions to jokes. One of our favorite kinds of humor is that which comes from people making fun of themselves, also known as self-deprecating humor. Rather than trying to hide their imperfections, this kind of humor brings it out and makes light of it so everyone can laugh. It’s disarming, relatable, and just plain funny. 

Although it’s possible to keep self-deprecating humor to a close circle of friends, another great way to spread the laughs is to share it on social media. That way others can relate to your humorous post and add a funny comment of their own. In the list below, a wide range of people take part in the fun of making fun of themselves. We couldn’t stop cracking up and we hope you can relate and add a funny comment of your own.

One Friend, Please

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) wanted to know how many close friends people can deal with. Turns out it’s five. Five close friends – the kind who help you through the hard times with unconditional support. That might seem small for some, but a tall order for others.  

For S Johnson, one good friend would be nice! That kind of brutal honesty is what makes self-deprecating humor so funny and relatable. In making fun of their own situation, others can laugh while relating to it at the same time. 

 Single Choices

Why are you single? It’s one of the most tiresome questions single people get. Some of them choose to answer it in detail by explaining their past relationships and where they are at this moment in their life. Others choose to make a joke and lighten the mood. 

The commenter above clearly went the second route by answering that it was by choice, “Not my choice… but still.” This answer manages to tell the truth and make a joke at the same time. It definitely lightens the mood a bit!

Unusual Banking Activities

One experience that nearly all of us share is that of dealing with banks. It’s a big source of stress for many people, so when someone turns a worrisome banking situation into something funny, it breaks that tension a bit and puts a smile on our faces. 

The setup is what makes the joke work. Unusual activity means identity theft and other stresses, but for this poster, it was a simple direct deposit – something that was rare for his bank account! 

A Perfect Fit

When celebrities make a self-deprecating joke, it generates a lot of buzz. We don’t often see people who live in the public eye taking themselves down a notch, so when they do it can be very refreshing – and funny!

The two above – Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio – are big Hollywood stars who still manage to laugh at themselves! Although they might look forever young, many viewers see them as aging stars, which makes them perfect for the role they had to play!

An Emotional Halloween

Emotional stability is something many of us aim for but fail to attain. Rather than dwelling in the failure, why not poke fun at it a bit? As the saying goes, fake it till you make it! Well, Halloween is the perfect holiday for faking it. 

This joke takes you by surprise. When people think of Halloween costumes, they think of pretending to be ghosts and ghouls – things they aren’t in real life. For this poster, being emotionally stable was as different to his personality as being a ghost or ghoul!

Trash That

If you’re an introvert, class presentations are not your idea of fun. A sense of dread, not accomplishment, is what fills you when you stand in front of the class with all those eyes looking at you. It might make you feel like the picture below. 

Saying introverts feel like trash is a bit overstated, but many can feel like the attention is unwanted or unearned, so they’d rather go without it – just like the trash can. The caption perfectly sums up the commenters’ feelings! 

Way to Go, Abe!

This next “celebrity” is plucked from history, not the movies. In the minds of many, Abraham Lincoln is a stern man with strong principles, but without much of a sense of humor. However, the quip below shows us how wrong that is! 

This was taken from a debate between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. Douglas was trying to question Lincoln’s character, saying he was “two-faced” and couldn’t be trusted. Lincoln took it more literally to show that, contrary to myth, he had a good sense of self-deprecating humor and was relatable. 

 I Can See Clearly Now

Although humor is a huge part of social media, people still like to ask serious questions. However, not everyone likes to answer them seriously. These kinds of comments are comedy gold for us and help make the internet a funnier place. 

Other commenters probably took this question seriously and offered their opinion. This commenter, however, showed that he was unconcerned with makeup. What concerned him was glasses – if his wife could see clearly, what might she see? Sounds like he doesn’t think much of himself, but that he can laugh about it!

Self-Esteem Purse

When Lizzo arrived at the American Music Awards, she caused quite a stir with her unique purse. This tiny purse was photographed like crazy and spread all over the internet. Although not terribly useful in real life, the purse got used for plenty of jokes on the internet.

Our favorite ones were the self-deprecating ones like that above. Self-esteem jokes are always refreshing because it’s something many people struggle with and would like to get over or get control of. Making fun of it is one way to do that. 

Time For New Apple Products

When we think of Apple products, we think of iPhones, MacBooks, and Apple Watches. Luxury products come with a luxury price tag that can be out of budget for many people. But there are plenty of other kinds of apple products to choose from.

This is another example of a serious question being taken un-seriously – and we seriously love it! Most people probably talked about the latest Apple release, but that was out of budget for the poster above, so he posed with apple juice! Can you relate?

What Spirit Plant Are You?

Many people think about what kind of spirit animal they are – snake? bird? jellyfish? – but not many think about their spirit plant. Why not? We’re not sure, but luckily a Redditor brought up the question and the answers began to pile in. 

Many others answered with common plants or whatever came first to mind, but the specificity of this answer is what has us reeling with laughter. Besides being specific, it’s very relatable – how many of us have all that we need but are unable to thrive? 

Buffering … Wait, What?

Social media can be filled with arguments and controversy, but there are also lots of wholesome moments, inspirational quotes, and jokes. For example, Mightykeef below decided to inspire other users, but one of the users took it as prime time for a joke.

It was a well-meaning joke which didn’t poke fun at the initial question, but rather it poked fun at the poster himself. In other words, a great example of a self-deprecating joke that makes the poster the butt of the joke and allows everyone to laugh along! 

 Looking Nerdy

The filter craze has been going steady for the past few years now and has led to a variety of filters applied to photos – funny, crazy, or just plain weird. Some people love them, others hate them, but most have at least used a few to see what they can do.

Although some filters can make photos look inauthentic, other times they can just be fun and bring along the laughs. The poster here went for the funny filter and ended up making fun of themselves along the way. Ditch the beauty filters and put on the funny ones! 

Stuck To The Ceiling

Part of the fun of practical jokes is that they don’t have to make much sense – which is precisely what we have below. Why did this daughter stick her dad’s stuff to the ceiling? We aren’t sure, but that’s not the only thing that has us cracking up. 

We’re cracking up over her self-deprecating reply to all those who left comments on her post. Would her dad look for her if she was stuck to the ceiling? Nope – which is a great way to make herself the butt of the joke.

The National Geographic of the Party Scene

In the graphic below, Disney+ wanted to advertise all the content they provide. While the first four make sense – superheroes, sci-fi realms, and cartoons – the last one seems a bit out of place. How do nature documentaries tie in with all of that?

Jess Dweck above found that this was a perfect way to describe herself at parties. Like National Geographic, she might be great in her own ways, but she doesn’t fit in content-wise with the rest of the group. How many of us can relate? 

 Student Paper Humility

If you stay in school long enough, there are going to be some assignments you have no idea about. Some school topics just go over your head. Now there are a few options here: you can fake your way through it or admit your ignorance. This student chose the latter. 

Great example of #humility! Rather than trying to pretend that the student knew all about the subject, they admitted upfront that they were limited by the fact that they didn’t know what it was about. It’s honest, takes courage, and is also really funny! 

No Need To Keep Up Appearances

It’s a common idea that lots of people who look confident and cool on the outside when they’re with others, feel pretty inadequate on the inside when they’re alone. Fair enough, but the tweet below re-works that insight in a whole other way!

Rather than having all this inadequacy but looking cool, Mark Magark skipped the looking cool part and just kept the feelings of inadequacy. Not only is this clever wordplay, but it’s also a great way for him to laugh at himself and let others join along. 

I Was Doing That For Free

This next Reddit post is an example of someone asking a serious question and getting witty and self-deprecating replies. What would your answer be? How many months of solitude could you take if you were paid $500,000 for each month? 

For this clever poster, the answer came in the form of a side-remark – the poster was already spending months alone without getting paid! The loneliness was lightened a bit by poking fun at how common it was. Many of us can relate. 

 Fathers Taking Their Own Advice

Dads give great advice, right? Sometimes, however, their advice backfires a bit in funny ways. Take the example below, this poster’s father gave the sage advice of getting over the bad parts of the day by doing them first thing in the morning. Great advice! However … 

Whoops! Calling at 6 am to wish a happy birthday is suspiciously early in the day. Did dad want to get it out of the way? We think it was a momentary lapse of good advice and dad meant to call later on in the day. 

Nobody’s Calling

Technology has been a game-changer when it comes to communication with people no matter where they are. Although we take it for granted now, the fact that you can communicate with anyone instantaneously is wild! But just because you can doesn’t mean you will. 

This poster can marvel at how far technology has taken us while also taking a jab at themselves for not getting a lot of phone calls. Although many people don’t like to admit that they’re lonely, this person took the burden upon themselves and made us laugh in the process. 

Hair Like A King

Maintaining long hair can be a difficult process. For some people it works flawlessly, for others, it’s a pain. Many people look to online tutorials only to find that the tips don’t work for them. Although it can be infuriating, it’s also a great moment to laugh a bit.

The girl above clearly knows the benefit of laughing it off. Instead of being angry at other girls who seem to have perfect hair no matter what they do, Mich decided to make fun of her inability to live up to her expectations. 

A Bold Assumption

Alongside people making fun of themselves, they also love to put captions on famous characters from TV or movies to add a little humor to the mix. These memes help fans relive the “what if he said that” moment. Some are right on the dot in their accuracy. 

The above scene was taken from Avatar: The Last Airbender and then tweaked for humor. A simple question meant to suggest that Zuko, the male character above, was a bit crazy ends up being a way of making fun of himself! 

Balancing Out The IQ

The subreddit r/Showerthoughts is an amusing mix of random ideas that might come to you during a morning shower. The one below has to do with IQ and which continent has the highest average IQ. What’s your guess? 

The original poster might be onto something considering that many scientists live in Antarctica, but the funny reply below wasn’t concerned about that. Instead, they offered to balance out the IQ by a short visit there! There’s something refreshing about people who know how to laugh at themselves. 

Seth Rogen’s Annoying Laugh

Just like the Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio post above, this next one is about celebrities making fun of themselves. Since so many celebrities are on Twitter, it’s a great platform for them to chime in on anyone’s question. Seth Rogen did just that. 

The short quick answer was a perfect response from the man himself. Seth Rogan has a unique laugh that some people find endearing and others annoying. Rather than assuming everyone likes it, Rogan acknowledges that many find it annoying – and he’s ok with that! 

 All Failing Together

Although you might feel yourself to be a disappointment, there are so many people on earth that, chances are, someone is more disappointing than you. It provides a weird comfort and the internet has a great way of bringing that out. 

This Twitter user chose the classic move of taking yourself out first and then making a joke about others. First, Elusion Visualz admitted that they were a failure, but then made a joke about a group they disagree with. 

 Red Flag

Don’t meet up with strangers is a lesson that many of us were taught as kids. There are just too many risks. It’s a useful piece of advice to carry into adulthood, especially when apps make it so easy to meet other people. 

However, one Reddit user decided to have some fun with the reason why they wouldn’t go to a stranger’s house. Usually, it’s because the stranger could be weird and dangerous, but for this poster, he’s the dangerous and weird one. Self-deprecating humor at its finest!

A McChicken In The Next Life

People look at their favorite food with big eyes, a hungry stomach, and a loving heart. Some people do this for chocolate desserts, while others save it for McChicken sandwiches at McDonalds. Twitterer McErin used this to talk about her hopes and dreams for future relationships. 

Rather than wallow in her less-than-ideal dating life, she took time out to make a joke. The McChicken provides a perfect metaphor for the man she’s looking for. Who knows, maybe she’ll meet him in-line at a local McDonalds – in the next life of course!

 Yearbook Quote

Yearbook quotes are a great way to leave a lasting impression. It can be difficult to come up with just the right one, so many people go for cliches or something that looks good. But Luu Hai Minh, the student below, took a different approach. 

A wise quote with a twang of self-deprecation. “Intelligence is a weapon but I’m unarmed.” This student really knows how to take himself lightly – which can be seen as a sign of intelligence! Keep up the cheerful smile. 

If You Like Me I’ll Question Your Judgment

Social media platforms provide a great forum for people to learn about others by asking questions and seeing what answers they get. Some answers are serious, some are insightful, and some are just funny. 

Relationship and romance questions are usually the juiciest because people differ so widely in what they’re looking for. Instead of a serious answer, Meet Luthra came back with a funny quip – he doesn’t like poor judgment, and anyone liking him has poor judgment! 

Good At A Hobby

People have all sorts of hobbies from sports to painting to scrapbooking to playing an instrument. These activities relax us and make us feel good. Although they aren’t professional, people hope to be pretty decent at their hobby. Most people at least. 

Reddit user u/danielstover wanted to know how people figured out when someone was new to a hobby. One response, in particular, made us chuckle, namely, the self-deprecating one! This user knows that they aren’t that good at the hobby, so anyone who thought that they were good was clearly a newbie. 

Short Like Me

People come in all different shapes and sizes, some taller than others. But that doesn’t mean that being short is a, well, shortcoming. Especially not if you have a great sense of humor, like the poster below.

Although this person is uncomfortable with being short, they chose to make a joke out of it rather than wallow in it. It made for one of those rare moments: a self-burn! We appreciate the honesty and the meme-ing of yourself. 

Despite How It Appears

In the age of social media, trends shift all the time and media companies all compete for user attention. This makes some of them share (either wittingly or unwittingly) information that is false but attention-grabbing, in order to gain more likes and comments. 

Contrary to appearances, horror director John Carpenter is still alive – and on Twitter! He took a moment to remind them while poking fun at his older, pale look. Even though it was inaccurate, it did end up spreading the word on John Carpenter movies. 

What Would Steve Irwin Do?

Steve Irwin was a legend! The renowned Aussie TV host had a love of animals that came through all his TV and real-life appearances. Despite his death, Steve Irwin can still brighten up your day a bit by reading the tweet below. 

We love this post for two main reasons. First is that it was posted in a “Memes to Discuss in Therapy” group. The second is for the funny response below. This responder managed to both make fun of their own appearance while bringing a bit of Steve Irwin into our lives!

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

This next post is about someone disappointing their parents – an experience that many of us can relate to. This kind of thinking is so popular on social media, which is both kind of sad but also kind of funny – see below!

This person managed to tie in the famous shampoo to a children’s song and then to how his parents are disappointed in him. He has a great point with the “Knees and Toes” bit, but we don’t think he’s a big disappointment because he didn’t disappoint us with the humor at the end! 

Twitter Food Critics

People love to share photos of their latest culinary creations. They post and then wait for likes, comments, or, in some cases, criticisms. Sometimes the food looks so good that people want to order it, other times they want to be food critics.

People liked the sandwich above but kept saying the fries were undercooked, so Jon Bois came up with a clever comeback. He acknowledged the undercook fries while thanking others for criticizing them. Even if his cooking can improve, his comedy is 5-stars! 

Messing With The Patriarchy

Social media can be a wellspring of good advice and laughs. The Twitter user below is shelling out dating advice for those who want to mess up male group dynamics. Useful advice for sure, and the reply below adds a little humorous touch to it. 

Going for the third in charge might make the Alpha and Beta males feel confused, but how much more so by going for the “bottom of the barrel?” This manages to be both serious and funny because John offers extra advice while making fun of himself. 

Girls Are Magical Trees

Like other examples above, here’s another where someone asks a serious question on social media and gets a funny reply. These are some of our favorites because they are so unexpected. Although the question was serious, the person replying had something else in mind. 

It’s such a funny answer because it pokes fun at the question itself by showing how it already has too high of a standard. Mixing in a scene from Lord of the Rings further brings home the point that girls are like magical trees to some guys! 

Rich Like Me

Dating apps can provide a lot of funny content for the internet. Although some people take themselves very seriously, others like to joke about everything from pop culture to other people to themselves. Chase is one of those who focus on the last one. 

After he got a match and someone wanted to know how accurate his profile was, he let it out. If “rich” means more than $5 in the bank, then yes he’s rich. If it means more than $10 … not so much. 

Taking Out the Trash

Text messaging allows tons of opportunities to send off a quick snappy answer with a GIF reply. It can help bring out the inner comedian in us all. The text below starts off with a simple question and then quickly turns into comedy gold. 

Rather than taking trash to mean all the paper, plastics, and food scraps, this person took it to mean themselves! But instead of that being a negative thing, they added a cute sticker to make it seem like a compliment! Turn that frown upside down as they say.