The phrase began as a punchline on meme apps, where posts would start on any topic and swerve into the same line. It jumped to television in November 2019 when a former Navy SEAL, Mike Ritland, closed a Fox News segment with it, and to Hollywood when Ricky Gervais told it at the Golden Globes. It was printed on merchandise and held up on signs at protests. [1][2][3][4]
It spread because it was a joke and a suspicion at once. You could say it without claiming to know anything, and nearly everyone in the room would nod.
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