‘RIP Ted’ trends as Twitter tries to figure out if everyone from Ted Lasso to Ted Cruz has died

Ted Lasso? Ted Cruz? Ted from the movie Ted? All these names and more have floated in the wake of a trending ‘RIP Ted’ phrase on Twitter, though it took some time before people could put an actual face to the name. A flurry of Tweets surfaced amid the trending topic earlier today, with users flocking to the platform to check on the status of two main Teds: Lasso and Cruz. 

Naturally, well-wishes were sent to the fictional Apple TV Plus character while others lamented the fact that Ted Cruz is, in fact, still alive. “Kinda hoping “RIP Ted” meant Ted Cruz had been hit by a bus loaded with TNT and mousetraps,” one user wrote, while another said they’d seen the trending topic and “hoped something awful had happened to Ted Cruz.” 

Still name-dropping the divisive politician, users accompanied their Cruz posts with various angered GIFs, presumably recreating their disappointment when realising he is still alive. “He’s still here,” one person wrote, “Bummer.” 

On the other end of the spectrum, people hurried to their timelines to see whether it was Ted Lasso of the namesake comedy series who had passed away, before sharing their joy that the much-loved Jason Sudeikis character is still kicking. “Me seeing “RIP Ted” trending and seeing that Ted Lasso is OK,” one fan wrote alongside a GIF of a relieved Denzel Washington. “I don’t know who Ted Lasso is, but I hope that he is ok,” another user added.

Summing up the opposing sides eloquently, one user said the timeline is “just full of people hoping Ted Lasso is okay and wishing Ted Cruz wasn’t,” while another drew an important message from all the fanfare. “The lesson being, if you are given a choice of which Ted to be, be a Ted Lasso, not a Ted Cruz.” 

Other Teds floated throughout the trending topic included guitarist Ted Nugent, actors Ted Lange and Ted Danson, and the titular plush toy bear from Seth MacFarlane’s 2012 comedy film, Ted.

After much debate, it seems the trending topic was in reference to Ted Silary, the legendary sports reporter from Philadelphia. “His coverage of high school sports in the Philadelphia area was amazing,” one account Tweeted in tribute. “Before social media, high school athletes could not wait to read their “Ted Silary story’ in the Daily News.”