Couch Guy

Couch Guy refers to a viral TikTok video posted by college student Lauren Zarras on September 21, 2021. In the video, set to Ellie Goulding's "Still Falling for You", Zarras is shown surprising Robbie McCoy—her boyfriend—with a visit at the University of Virginia. Viewers widely observed the furtive nature of McCoy's response to Zarras's arrival as well as the three women sitting on a couch with him, and the video went viral with accusations of McCoy's infidelity. By 7 October, the #couchguy hashtag had accumulated over 700 million views on TikTok and the video had spawned a wave of parodies from fellow TikTokkers. By 16 October, the video had over 62 million views on TikTok and the #couchguy hashtag had over a billion.
Overall, the video garnered mixed reactions, with many commenters criticizing the behavior of McCoy and the women in the video and some experts viewing it as an example of the toxicity of Internet sleuthing. Comedian Trevor Noah joked that the video has been the "subject of the most intense forensic investigation since the Kennedy assassination". McCoy and Zarras denied the accusations of commenters and continued their relationship.
 
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