Anne Hathaway explains the real story behind her viral cupcake meme

Hathaway revealed the viral photo actually captured her reacting to paparazzi while she was seven months pregnant

Anne Hathaway has finally set the record straight on one of the internet's most enduring memes, revealing the famous "I ate all the cupcakes" photo actually captured her reacting to paparazzi while she was seven months pregnant.

Speaking with Ewan McGregor for Esquire, Hathaway recalled buying herself a cupcake as a reward before heading to the gym in January 2016. Although she had planned to eat it after her workout, she decided to enjoy it on the walk instead. Mid-bite, she realised a paparazzi was photographing her, prompting the sideways glance that would later become a viral meme.

"The face I gave is me being like, 'Ah, no more cupcakes!'" Hathaway explained, laughing that the internet had interpreted the expression as someone realising they had eaten every cupcake. "Mind you, I'm seven months pregnant," she added, noting that the meme completely overlooked the context behind the photograph.

The Oscar winner also reflected on another popular meme created from her appearance on RuPaul's Drag Race during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hathaway revealed the image, often captioned as an HR manager delivering bad news, was actually taken while she was experiencing a panic attack during a Zoom call. Despite forcing a smile, she said, "the smile goes nowhere near my eyes," making the meme surprisingly accurate.

Hathaway has embraced both viral moments with humour, even revisiting her now-famous cupcake-eating technique, which involves turning the cake into a frosting-filled sandwich to avoid getting icing on her nose. More than a decade after the original photo was taken, the actress says she's happy to laugh along with fans, even if the story behind the meme has finally been corrected.