Those Who Know

/thohz hoo noh/

noun phrase · caption

A meme label for supposed insiders who get a hidden reference, often used ironically to make ordinary or absurd material sound like forbidden lore.

#internet slang
#brainrot
#sigma edits
#image captions
#insider references

Meaning

Those Who Know is a caption or image label that divides viewers into people who supposedly understand a hidden reference and everyone else. It can sincerely point to a niche joke, unsettling source, or bit of lore, but current meme use is often fake-grandiose: the caption treats something trivial, nonsensical, or excessively layered as if only a powerful inner circle could grasp it. The skull emoji in Those Who Know 💀 heightens the mock-ominous tone.[1][3]

1. An insider-reference label: the pictured character or viewer is presented as understanding the joke, danger, backstory, or allusion behind an image.
2. An ironic parody of sigma-phonk and brainrot edits, where the claimed secret knowledge is deliberately overblown, shallow, or absurd.

Three-panel meme with Medusa above Mr. Incredible covering his eyes labeled “Those who know,” beside a gray Mr. Incredible labeled “Those who don't know.” — This shows the core joke: a reference such as Medusa is presented as ominous insider knowledge, with the “knowing” character reacting more dramatically than the outsider. Source

Examples

“That sandwich edit has three effects and says Those Who Know 💀.”

“Those who know: the printer only jams before deadlines.”

“He labeled a photo of plain toast Those Who Know like it revealed ancient lore.”

Origin and spread

The documented meme format grew from the Traumatized Mr. Incredible, or Mr. Incredible Becoming Uncanny, template. Know Your Meme reports a September 5, 2021 version contrasting “People who don't know” with “People who know.” It also describes a September 19, 2021 Medusa joke using the more specific “Those who know” and “Those who don't know” wording; an archived X page preserves that post’s date and its reply thread. Later uses placed the label on ominous “sigma” characters and edit imagery. By 2024, the label was also used ironically to satirize the overstuffed sigma-edit style itself. The available record does not establish who first used the ordinary English phrase.[1]

How to use it

Read the phrase as a performance of insider status, not proof that there is genuine secret knowledge. In a straightforward fandom post, it may invite recognition of a real reference. In a heavily edited or brainrot-style caption, it often mocks the attempt to make a minor detail feel dark, exclusive, or profound. The phrase alone does not say what kind of reference is involved; the image or video supplies that context.

Four-panel meme showing an anime character and a wooden table above normal and shadowed Mr. Incredible faces labeled “People who don't know” and “People who know.” — This illustrates the earlier split-panel version of the format: an unexplained image is paired with a calm outsider and a dark, disturbed-looking insider reaction. Source

The original contrast matters

The early format did not merely say Those Who Know by itself. It contrasted a calm “don't know” reaction with a disturbed “know” reaction, making the hidden reference appear consequential. Standalone captions keep that implied divide even when no outsider is shown.[1]

An early reply read it as ominous

In the archived reply thread beneath the September 19 post, one viewer replied “I don't want to know.” That is a concrete example of the contrast being taken as a warning or unsettling reference, rather than simply as a claim of expertise.[2]

Not quite the same as IYKYK

Like “if you know,” the phrase invites recognition. But Those Who Know more specifically assigns elevated knowledge to a group or character, and its modern edit use can spoof that supposedly elite status.[3][1]

Questions people ask

Does Those Who Know mean the reference is actually disturbing?

No. The reference may be dark or shocking, but the caption is also widely used to manufacture fake mystery around something mundane or absurd. Check the surrounding image or video rather than assuming the words themselves identify a serious subject.[3][1]

Why is there often a skull emoji after Those Who Know?

Those Who Know 💀 is a common caption variant. In the edit style described by Know Your Meme, it reinforces a creepy, chaotic, or exaggeratedly intense presentation—and in ironic posts it helps signal that the drama is part of the joke.[3][1]

Was the phrase invented for this meme?

That has not been established. The available evidence documents the meme’s 2021 image-label contrast, while the words themselves are a normal English phrase with older non-meme uses. The documented record does not identify a single inventor.[1][2]