One minute you’re minding your business, the next your name is trending for all the wrong reasons. Welcome to 2026, where Karen has been replaced, and Jessica is being handed the meme crown with absolutely no warning.
Global (15 January 2026) – Please don’t get angry with us Jessicas… we don’t make the news, we report on it.
For years, the internet had one name for that person… the loud complainer, the “let me speak to the manager” energy, the one who turns a small inconvenience into a headline-worthy meltdown. And we called her Karen. It became cultural shorthand, a meme that somehow escaped the internet and walked straight into everyday vocabulary, until “Okay Karen” became a phrase that could end an argument with two words and a raised eyebrow.
But then… the internet did what it always does.
It got bored.
And now Gen Z is apparently updating the stereotype with a new character for a new era, because if Karen was the name tied to an older generation, what do we call the millennial version of the same energy? TikTok started asking the question in mid-2025, names were thrown around like confetti (Ashley, Tiffany, Jennifer), but Jessica kept popping up again and again until it became the unofficial winner, helped along by the fact that Jessica was one of the most popular baby girl names of the 80s and 90s, meaning the internet had plenty of “Jessicas” to attach the stereotype to.
The behaviour being mocked isn’t really new; it’s still entitlement, demanding vibes, and outrage dialled up to 100, but the format is a little different. A Karen might have a public meltdown in the aisle at Woolies, while a Jessica is more likely to post a long rant online, blast a business on Instagram Stories, send a strongly worded email, or turn a mild inconvenience into a viral saga that pulls strangers into the drama like it’s a full-time sport.
But why is this on Good Things Guy? Like, where is the good news here?
Well, we wanted to let all the Karens know that you can finally take a very well-deserved break.
After years of being the internet’s favourite punchline, it looks like the meme spotlight has finally shifted, and somewhere out there, a woman named Karen is probably reading this with the kind of peace she hasn’t felt since 2016.
Related Story
Of course… that also means we owe a sincere apology to every Jessica on the planet, because if the internet really commits to this, you may be the ones enduring the jokes, the memes, and the “Not today, Jessica” comments for the next decade. But please know, it’s not personal, it’s just how online culture works. Also, Jessica, we are live.
Will Jessica actually replace Karen long-term? Who knows. The internet moves fast, trends vanish overnight and today’s obsession can be forgotten by next week.
But for now, yes… Jessica is having a moment. Karen is finally off-duty, getting a moment to breathe, while the internet has collectively decided it’s time to bully a completely innocent name again. To all the Jessicas reading this: we’re sorry. Please don’t email us a complaint. Unless it’s strongly worded, in which case, we’ll know the trend really has legs.
by 