At this point, it’s well-known that Jack Harlow will flirt with any living thing that breathes — whether it’s with an interviewer during a chicken shop date or with Saweetie on the red carpet. And on May 2 at the 2022 Met Gala, Jack struck again, walking the red carpet in a chocolate suit (which I hate to say, was not on theme with Gilded Glamour) and hitting on nearly every female reporter in sight. Unspared from the rapper’s flirtatious advances was none other than Gen Z’s favorite style icon and coffee fanatic: Emma Chamberlain.
The “Love Ya… Bye” TikTok trend originated from this now-viral awkward interaction between Jack and Emma on the 2022 Met Gala red carpet, with TikTok creators sharing their cringiest (yet too relatable) moments. (And if you haven’t seen this trend or video yet, I’m sorry in advance — you’re surely going to get secondhand embarrassment.)
How did the “Love Ya… Bye” trend start?
Like most of Jack’s viral flirtatious interactions, the “Love Ya… Bye” trend was born right on the red carpet. Emma, who took to the 2022 Met Gala red carpet to interview celebrities like Shawn Mendes, Gigi Hadid, and Hailey Bieber for Vogue, wore a beautiful Louis Vuitton ensemble paired with a full tiara and gorgeous gold makeup look by makeup artist Kelsey Deenihan (and, unlike Jack, she was on theme).
Vogue uploaded the now-viral video to YouTube, which has now garnered over two million views. As Jack sauntered up to Emma for his one-on-one interview, he caught Emma reapplying her makeup and told her that her makeup artist “did a great job.” Emma proceeded to ask the 24-year-old Kentucky-based rapper what he was wearing, and he responded with a simple: “a suit.”
Emma then asked if Jack was “comfortable with this stuff now,” referring to being on the red carpet, and Jack confidently replied, “Oh, yeah, I’m a vet now.” Not buying his nonchalant attitude, Emma then asked him if he had any major freak-outs prior to the event, and Jack shot back, “Did you?” Emma admitted that she did, and then Jack agreed with what she said, despite saying a few seconds ago that he wasn’t nervous — Emma (like the queen she is), then called him out, saying, “Oh, so you’re just matching my answer.” (Are you internally cringing yet? Because I am.)
The end of the interview, though, is easily the most awkward part — and this is where the trend was born. Emma said to Jack, “Well, I’ll see you in there,” and he smiled and replied, “Can’t wait. Love ya. Bye.” As he walked away, Emma awkwardly said, “Love ya” — then, catching what she had said, she snorted and made a face before the camera cut out.
TikTokers are using the “Love Ya… Bye” sound to reminisce on their cringiest moments.
TikTok user @laurennally09 was the first to post to TikTok with a clip from the cringey video, saying, “THIS AUDIO HAS SO MUCH POTENTIAL.” The audio includes just the last few seconds of the interview, where Jack says, “Love ya. Bye,” and Emma responds, “Love ya,” along with her now-infamous snort.
From there, creators joined in on the trend to share their ickiest moments and interactions, flirtation-related or otherwise. User @erikaxpriscilla equated the cringe-worthy “Love ya” interaction between Emma and Jack to when the waiter says, “Enjoy your meal” and you say, “You too” (don’t lie, you’ve definitely done this before). Many creators are also using the audio to share their failed attempts at flirting, while others are using the trending sound to rehash their awkward encounters with creepy men at bars that they put up with just to get free drinks.
The trend has even made its way to BookTok and astrology TikTok, taking over the app just like how Jack Harlow takes over female celebrities’ Instagram DMs.
Here’s how to do the “Love Ya… Bye” trend.
Unlike some popular TikTok trends that require a lot of planning, the “Love Ya… Bye” trend is relatively easy to try and master — although, it depends how comfortable you are with airing your most embarrassing moments. My recommendation is to save the trending sound and scroll through to see what other creators have shared. Or, just try to think of an awkward encounter you’ve had, like user @hanbity did in a video using the sound that says, “Me at the club watching my [girlfriend] get us a free drink from a stranger.”
While many of the videos under the sound deal with flirting, don’t be afraid to think outside of the box and try something new. Whether you choose to tease your friends that never say “I love you” and then randomly say it or painfully reminisce on your crush seeing you perform in a musical as a troll, the “Love Ya… Bye” trend is truly for everyone.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go study more TikTok trends — love ya, bye!