The ‘I’m so hungry I could eat…’ TikTok trend is unlocking dad lore and emotional damage

A new TikTok trend is turning casual hunger into unexpected and often hilarious emotional reveals. The format starts with someone saying “I’m so hungry I could eat…” and then naming a completely random person from the listener’s past, often someone super obscure or secret. The bizarre phrasing throws the listener off, triggering reactions that range from stunned to emotionally whiplashed.

‘I’m so hungry I could eat…’

The trend “I’m so hungry I could eat…” occurred when an individual said “I’m so hungry I could eat a…” to someone they knew. They then finished the sentence with a random name that was personally relevant to the receiver of the statement. The more obscure or random the name was, the funnier and out-of-left-field the reaction would be.

For the person receiving the “I’m so hungry I could eat…” statement, the reaction was often confusion, suspicion, or paranoia. For the person who said the statement, the trend most often resulted in entertainment. But in some cases, it produced more unanswered questions.

In a video posted on April 24, 2025, by the TikTok account @mmmjoemele, the user told his dad, who was casually eating some food at his kitchen table, that, “I’m so hungry I could eat Gino Romano.”

@mmmjoemele

WHAT. 😭

♬ original sound – Joe Mele

Immediately, the father’s demeanor darkened. “Where did you hear that name?” He asked. “That’s not a name you throw around.” Before he abruptly gets up from the table, the father uttered a final warning: “You never said that name. We never had this conversation.”

The video garnered 2.3 million views and over 3,000 comments. It had viewers hilariously ruminating on the father’s reaction and backstory of “Gino Romano.”

“POV that was your dad’s bully,” read one comment. “I think Gino Romano knows something,” another comment theorized. Another comment simply read, “bro unlocked Dad lore.”

‘Why did you say that? Did she contact you?”

The trend includes hundreds of TikTok videos where users are “so hungry” they could eat children, their parents’ high school prom dates, dogs, younger siblings, deceased high school friends, women who creep in boyfriend’s DMs, 90’s drug dealers, boyfriend’s lovers, and more.

The particularly successful videos included a name that the receiver of the trend hadn’t heard or thought about in a very long time. Or, the use of a name that felt private or personal to them. Having the name said out loud often prompted vulnerability in the receiver, creating an entertaining and authentic reaction.

@damianappice

she was stunned 😂 shoutout jenny 💀💀🤬

♬ original sound – damian appice

“My friend who drowned in the Spokane river?”

This trend might also be an opportunity for participants to get closer to one another, learning things they hadn’t previously known about their loved ones’ past. In many cases, one must dig into someone’s history to find the appropriate—and potentially humorous—obscure name. The trend’s resulting interactions might provide potential for conversation, and follow up questions…just be prepared for the unexpected.

@samuelorson

I was just trying to be funny 😭😭😭

♬ original sound – Samuel Orson

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