The real story behind Bad Luck Brian, plus the best captions
Bad Luck Brian is a real person: Kyle Edward Craven, born August 10, 1989, from Ohio. The photo behind the meme is his actual 2007 high school yearbook picture — Craven bought a plaid sweater vest from a thrift store for picture day, made an odd grin, and the shot came out so awkwardly that his principal pulled him from class and told him to go get it retaken for the yearbook. It never got retaken.
On January 23, 2012, Craven’s longtime friend Ian Davies posted the photo to Reddit’s r/AdviceAnimals with the caption "Takes driving test… gets first DUI." It went viral within hours and became one of the defining entries in the "Advice Animal" meme format — a photo paired with a setup-and-unfortunate-punchline caption. Craven later did a Reddit AMA, ran his own Bad Luck Brian social accounts and merchandise line, and even licensed the image for ad campaigns with brands including Volkswagen and McDonald’s.
The captions that made the meme
These are real, widely circulated Bad Luck Brian captions from the meme’s original run — not invented for this list.
- Takes driving test. Gets first DUI.
- Sells pants to thrift store for a buck. Forgets there was $20 in the pocket.
- Jumps from tall building. Doesn’t die instantly.
- Mother surprises him with a new pair of shoes. Crocs.
- Receives note from crush. Restraining order.
- Says YOLO. Dies.
- Lights birthday candle. Dynamite.
- Switches to Nationwide. They’re not on his side.
- Invited to the party with seniors. Citizens.
- Finally gets kissed on the neck. Vampire.
- Gets poked on Facebook. Falls on a cliff.
- Walks into subway. Hit by a train.
- Plans his own birthday party. Isn’t invited.
- Plays hide and seek with parents. Gets abandoned.
- Says LMAO. Ass falls off.
Why the format still works
Every caption follows the same structure: an ordinary, relatable setup in the first half, then a twist in the second half that’s wildly disproportionate to the setup — a parking ticket becomes a felony, a compliment becomes a horror movie. That gap between the mundane setup and the absurd punchline is the entire joke, and it’s why the format got endlessly remixed for years after the original photo went viral.
Craven himself has said in interviews that he’s largely made peace with being "Bad Luck Brian" forever — a strange kind of internet immortality that started with a bad yearbook photo and a friend with a Reddit account.