Even though the epic fantasy show Game of Thrones is over now, we still fondly remember the characters who lived and died over the eight seasons of this fantasy epic. We have all taken the blow when key, beloved characters unexpectedly dropped off – but some major players were so universally hated that we all cheered instead. One of those hated characters was Joffrey Baratheon, one-time king, chopper of Ned’s head, and all-around horrible human being.
Because of his status as a pariah of the Thrones universe, fans have been making hilarious memes of the boy king for years. Here are some of the funniest we’ve found from across the internet.
10 OMG
For a show that relishes so much in its gore, violence and harsh language, there’s something so funny about a meme like this: it takes an image of Joffrey about to choke at his wedding (which should be a dark, shocking scene) and adds in a wholesome caption that completely changes the mood.
Besides the juxtaposition, there’s the relatability factor; after all, let’s be completely honest with ourselves here: who hasn’t seen a pair of shoes or some other piece of clothing that makes them stop and gasp like a choking boy king?
9 Everyone hates Mondays
Anyone who has ever existed in society knows what it’s like to go to school or work all week, looking forward to the weekend; then when the weekend comes, it’s full blast – only for that dreaded Monday morning to roll around again. Mondays signal the end of sleeping in, the end of friends, parties, and vacations. Basically, we can all pretty much agree that Monday mornings kind of suck.
That’s why it’s so perfect to compare something as irritating and dreaded as Monday morning to the character that embodies those traits the most: King Joffrey. Say goodbye to your low blood pressure while he’s on-screen!
8 Spooky resemblance
Joffrey Baratheon is a character that most viewers can agree is pretty evil. Not only does he have a Draco Malfoy-esque smugness, but he makes everyone’s lives a nightmare throughout his seasons of the show – particularly Sansa’s. Because of this, some fans have noticed the similarities between Joffrey and the character Nellie Oleson from the 1974 TV series Little House on the Prairie.
Of course, Nellie wasn’t a ruler like Joffrey, but she was easily as spoiled and manipulative – plus, the physical resemblance between these two nasty blonds is uncanny!
7 What happened?!
Despite how generally dislikable – no, hateable – King Joffrey was, the actor who portrayed him – Jack Gleeson – has been widely praised for his skillful portrayal. After all, it takes an actor with great skill to make such a large audience despise his character. It’s especially impressive considering how young Gleeson was when he started on the show.
Surprisingly, his role on Game of Thrones was not his first; Batman Begins was one of his earliest appearances, and this meme perfectly summarises the stark contrast between that role – as an innocent young boy saved by Batman – and the tyrant King Joffrey.
6 The Family Tree
Although Joffrey was known as a Baratheon – supposedly the son of Cersei Lannister and Robert Baratheon – he was actually illegitimate to the throne; that’s because he is actually the offspring of Cersei’s relationship with her twin brother, Jaime. Of course, this was considered a huge secret within the show, to the point where Joffrey himself didn’t know the truth.
However, fans are told this very early on – and the fact that he is such a widely disliked character makes Joffrey’s lineage even more of a joking point online, as this meme masterfully illustrates.
5 Oh, childhood
At the beginning of the series, naive young Sansa Stark was enamored with the spoiled blond ‘Baratheon’ from the moment he entered Winterfell. For a while, she continued to pine after him, and they even hung out a little as relative equals. That all changed very quickly, as Joffrey killed Sansa’s father, Ned Stark, and tortured her emotionally for seasons on end.
This relatable meme pokes fun at the visceral regret that Sansa expressed in ever wanting to be with Joffrey after all his atrocities, and compares it to that one crush we all have in our lives who turned out to be…well, less than perfect.
4 Lies, lies, lies
As with number six, Joffrey’s creation is the source of constant jokes and memes at his expense – and rightly so, considering how he abuses those around him. That’s where this great meme comes in, pulling dialogue from the show and dissecting the layers of lies within this simple line.
It’s okay, Westeros and the people of King’s Landing – whatever helps you sleep at night.
3 ‘Well, I didn’t vote for you!’
Who doesn’t love Monty Python? The classic comedy troupe from England is known for its laugh-out-loud routines, skits, and even feature films. One of their most famous is Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which is often quoted by fans.
Of course, there are bound to be some cross-overs between this and Game of Thrones, in spite of their huge tonal difference. There’s no better example than this meme – which cleverly matches a quote from Thrones and Grail to hilarious results.
2 Not that kind of crown
This meme is a rarity, as one of the few that doesn’t outright make fun of Joffrey. Rather than hitting on the regular joking points of his birth, his cruelty, or his spoiled attitude, we instead get another wholesome punchline that decides to target anyone who’s been to the dentist for a crown. Of course, if Joffrey went to the dentist, he would be expecting a very different kind of crown – and that’s what makes this so chuckle-worthy.
1 The king is dead!
Joffrey is one of those characters in Game of Thrones that we absolutely loved to hate. We were frustrated and enraged as he kept getting his way, living on in luxury as the king of Westeros while fan favorites suffered and died. And yet, we kept coming back for more, because we knew that, eventually, Joffrey had to go.
That’s why it was oh so satisfying when Joffrey finally met his maker in season four of the series. This meme, partly quoting the final film in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, sums the feeling up perfectly.
