The Chill Guy meme crypto controversy involves an image of an anthropomorphized dog wearing casual clothing and an unbothered smirk. This character, created by a Twitter artist and granted meme status by fans, became so popular in 2024 that an unknown individual made a crypto coin out of it.
The creator of the guy, known as Phillip Banks, objected to this development to the point that he threatened legal takedowns against anyone using the image for profit.
The beloved Chill Guy is a brown dog-man in a gray sweater, blue jeans, and red sneakers. He stands in a casual pose with his hands in his pockets and sports a small smirk, eyes partially closed in an expression that conveys relaxation—like everything is chill.
Upon posting his "new character," Banks explained that "his whole deal is he's a chill guy who lowkey doesn't give a f*ck."
Twitter fell in love with the meme over the following year. Users started putting him into different settings in order to express the ways in which they were chill individuals who enjoy their hobbies and interests. Others dressed him up as popular characters or turned him into a Chill Girl.
Twitter user and artist @PhillipBankss first introduced the Chill Guy meme to the world on Oct. 4, 2023. On the same day, he posted a video similar to the tweet on his Instagram page to the sound of Outkast's "So Fresh, So Clean."
Interest in the guy was low for several months, but he eventually made it to TikTok. Here, users turned him into a "when she" type of meme with still videos to relaxing music. One viral entry reads, "When she yells at you for forgetting what she told you earlier today, but you are just a chill guy enjoying you day."
On Nov. 15, 2024, an anonymous crypto peddler launched a new coin based on the Chill Guy meme, calling it CHILLGUY and using Banks' artwork without permission. As meme-based crypto coins often do, it exploded in popularity in a matter of days, peaking at a market cap of $500 million on Nov. 20.
This caught the attention of brands, who quickly began to appropriate the meme for their social media posts. Even El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele posted an image of the Chill Guy in a grassy field for some reason and without comment.
Banks, however, does not seem to be a fan of crypto, according to an Instagram reel message posted the day after the coin peaked.
"I do not, and will never, endorse or condone any crypto-related projects involving my work," he wrote. "I will never give permission to use my art for anything crypto-related. I have absolutely no interest in anything crypto-related."
In a tweet on Nov. 21, he announced that he had obtained a copyright for Chill Guy and promised he would be "issuing takedowns on for-profit related things over the next few days."
He said he didn't mind the brand accounts using him for jokes, but would target "unauthorized merchandise and sh*tcoins."
As the threats caused the value of the CHILLGUY coin to tank by 50 percent, the crypto bros started begging Banks to reconsider, pointing out that he could make money himself with the coin. Some went as far as collecting cryptocurrency donations for the artist, according to their tweets.
Banks has yet to respond to the offer.
Some were not so generous in their attempts to convince Banks to allow the crypto venture to continue and met him with hostility instead. After he announced the copyright, he revealed that someone had posted his personal information over it, tweeting that "when I drew that cartoon dog in October of last year I didn't expect it to lead to me getting DOXXED."
Banks restricted his account for a time after this, but came back to the public on Nov. 22. in order to express gratitude to those who are supporting him.
@sportsline Just a chill guy trying to win some bets ???? #reallychillguy #nflbetting #sportsbetting #bettingmemes ♬ original sound - sportsline
@c0reclips #chillguy #justachillguy #meme #CapCut ♬ original sound - Ruth Tejeda✨
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