If you’ve been on TikTok today for not even five minutes, then there’s a good chance you’ve come across a video with the hashtag #couchguy.
WATCH BELOW: What people actually think of these BookTok faves
Now, if you’ve been living under a rock, or maybe you’ve taken a social media break, or if for any other reason you don’t know what on earth a ‘couch guy’ is, or rather who he is, then allow us to explain.
You see, it all started after this girl went to surprise her boyfriend at college, and decided to film it, because why not right? It’s a cute moment, and capturing his shock and excitement is something to watch back and laugh about.
Except, he wasn’t really excited to see her, or at least, that’s how it looks. Not to mention, he’s sitting on the couch, hence why he was later called ‘couch guy’, with three other girls.
And okay, we hear what you’re saying, so what? Can’t a guy sit next to other girls who aren’t his girlfriend? Well, there’s more.
Enter TikTok.
The good old internet detectives over on TikTok have absolutely picked this video totally apart (which you can watch above) and there’s some rather interesting things that they’ve noticed.
Let’s start with the reaction. Now, we don’t know about you, but if you’re surprising somebody, especially if it’s your partner, you would want some excitement right?
That was not the case for TikTok user @laurenzarras, who uploaded the original video that sparked this whole thing, where her bf Robbie, AKA couch guy, was a little bit shocked to see her, but not in a good way.
Basically, he kind of stared at her for a few seconds until he eventually broke out into a smile and slowly got up from the couch to give her a hug, subtly dodging her kiss while he was at it, and many have called it a bit of an awkward moment.
Again, not too bad yet, everyone reacts differently when surprised so why is everyone so up in arms over this?
Well, here’s when things get interesting because viewers have gone on to say that if you look a little more closely, you can see the girl he was sitting next to slyly pass what appears to be his phone back to him before he stands up.
This immediately raises red flags and a lot of questions, like why did she have his phone? And why did she have to hide giving it back to him?
This is where people start to suspect that something might be going on between couch guy and the girl sitting next to him – because the internet loves to jump to conclusions.
What’s more, after everyone replayed the video about a hundred times, they started to notice little things like the girl shuffling away from couch guy when the girlfriend walks in, and some even say that she had her hand on his back.
The endless theories and speculation have completely taken over TikTok, to the point where #couchguy has over 400 million views, and thousands of parody videos have been made, like the one below.
The attention has gotten so out of hand that Lauren, the girlfriend, has even had to defend her relationship, where she wrote in the comments under the video:
“Breaks my heart that people can watch a special moment and bring so much negativity. Please think before you assume anything about my relationship.”
She also addressed any concerns about the whole phone saga, and said: “As for the phone comment, his phone was in his lap. Thanks for the concerns though! And no I’m not in denial.”
Couch guy himself has also posted his own response video, and said: “Couch guy here. Ur welcome for getting u off berries & cream TikTok, but remember: Not everything is true crime. Don’t be a parasocial creep. Go get some fresh air. Take care.”
So there it is folks, the whole couch guy drama explained, and make of it what you will.
Want more fashion, beauty, health and pop culture news from Girlfriend?
Follow us on Instagram @girlfriendmag & turn ON our post notifications in the top right-hand corner of our IG profile so you never miss a post
Sign up to our weekly newsletter
Remember to add our homepage to your favourites https://www.girlfriend.com.au/