Everyone knows the feeling of starting to relax and then being interrupted by something—or someone—annoying. This week’s sound has been popular on TikTok for a while, and it’s because it can be applied to so many situations.
And yes, the holidays are the perfect time for this sound.
The sound
The sound is of a woman saying, “And now I want to sit back and relax and enjoy my evening. When all of a sudden, I hear this agitating, grating voice.”
The account @christismyspiritanimal first posted it in May 2022, and it’s been used in more than 116,000 TikToks.
It’s pointed out the annoyances of cohabitating, the scourge of people who like overhead lights, and vexing fictional characters. It got popular again around Halloween this year, when it was once again used to illustrate the difference between men and women.
It was also used in an August 2022 TikTok of Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner apparently dining at a gas station restaurant. And it was applied to annoying TikTok sounds.
Where’s it from?
It’s the voice of Abby Lee Miller, from the reality series Dance Moms. Miller ran the Abby Lee Dance Company, and is one of the Lifetime show’s more controversial figures.
In the scene, Miller is talking about the end of a dance show, and how she’s ready to relax. The “annoying, grating voice” is that of nemesis Cathy Nesbitt-Stein. However, many commenters on the original TikTok pointed out the irony that Miller also has an annoying, grating voice.
”How did she get here?” Miller says in a longer clip. “I don’t see a broom in sight.”
Their dislike of each other was likely played up for the show; in August 2022, Miller used the sound, essentially recreating the scene with Nesbitt-Stein.
That was a month after JoJo Siwa, one of the stars of Dance Moms, posted the sound for the premiere of High School Musical: The Musical: The Seriesseason 3, and featured a jumpscare of Miller.
Miller is known for her strident coaching style, which some Dance Moms cast members called toxic and even abusive. A few days before the Miller TikTok, Siwa posted about the “stress rash” she allegedly developed as a result of her time on Dance Moms, which led to hair loss.
Sound off
Despite her behavior on the show, Miller became a meme from Dance Moms as well.
Specifically, a clip of her criticizing young girls’ performances as “Boring. Yawning. Sloppy. Lazy” became a reaction meme. And it was perfect for TikTok, of course.
A Dance Moms reunion, featuring some of the past dancers and moms, was recently announced for 2024.
