Pop Culture

‘I’m actually gonna go with Jenna Ortega’: The hyper-niche quote that’s become a universal inside joke

‘Me finally putting my hand up in science (I was wrong).’

Photo of Charlotte Colombo

Charlotte Colombo

that one sound from tiktok - Jenna Ortega
That One Sound is a column from internet culture reporter Charlotte Colombo that explores the origin of popular sounds heard on TikTok.
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The best (and equally, the worst) thing about the internet is that literally anything can become a meme. Without the confines of context, there’s no predicting what ends up becoming iconic.

And in this case, it’s Jenna Ortega. But we’re not talking about those done-to-death Wednesday dances.

@famousbirthdays #BabyAriel & #CarterKench ♬ original sound – Famous Birthdays
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The sound

“Wait… what a minute!” creator Carter Kench says, sounding pleasantly surprised by his own voice. “I didn’t think that. I didn’t think I’d be able to get this but I’m actually gonna go with Jenna Ortega!”

The clip was posted on Feb. 21 by @emily_st11 with the caption: “Me finally putting my hand up in science (I was wrong).”

Since then, the soundbite has soared in popularity, being used over 10,000 times in TikToks, ranging from the relatable scenarios to others that are a little more niche. Other examples include:

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“When my best friend says “bitch, guess who I just saw but there’s like 13580 people it could be.”

“Me when I think I’m finally understanding math.”

“POV: My dad quizzing me on 70s rock at 6am on the way to kindergarten”.

Clearly, the fun of this trend lies in the ability of users to take this clipped, out-of-context segment and apply it a chronically relatable scenario, like being wrong in math class. By finding universal meaning through this relatively obscure turn of phrase, it feels like we’re all part of one giant inside joke.

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@emily_st11

Rt

♬ original sound – 𝐸𝓂𝒾𝓁𝓎

Where’s it from?

Posted by Famous Birthdays, Carter Kench and Baby Ariel appeared in the video trying to guess the person behind certain makeup looks.

For one cat-eye look, Carter seemed very confident that the person in question was Jenna Ortega, but sadly, he was wrong. It was actually Liza Koshy.

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The video was posted on Jan. 27, and in the months since, Carter’s misplaced confidence has become internet history.

@ltsmikaylacampinos cant keep up sometimes😭 #fyp ♬ original sound – 𝐸𝓂𝒾𝓁𝓎

Sound off

Now, we can’t help but answer “Jenna Ortega” in response to any kind of question. It’s the “Go piss girl” of question responses.

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Now you can watch our That One Sound from TikTok column on YouTube! Subscribe to our channel and keep an eye out for new episodes every Wednesday:

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