Frank Heffley memes are brainrot or schizoposting memes and videos that center on the idea that Steve Zahn’s character in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies, Frank Heffley, has schizophrenia.
Meme basics:
- Meme Creator: @ledge0679/TikTok
- Meme Type: Brainrot, Schizoposting
- First Appearance: November 2023
- Origin Source: TikTok
- Peak Popularity: March 2025
Frank Heffley meme origin
The meme’s basis—that stressed out, goofy dad Frank Heffley is schizophrenic—began with a November 2023 edit from The Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie. The scene, shared by @ledge0679, shows Frank, Susan, and Manny Hefley sitting in the audience watching the talent show. Frank turns to his family and compliments a skater on stage when he realizes Susan and Manny are gone. At that point, his statement dissolves into gibberish before he bites his lip and stops talking.
“Me at the show with my family but I had to take my schizophrenia medication halfway through,” @ledge0679 captioned the video.
What is Frank Heffley like in the movies?
Frank Heffley’s personality in the movies is nowhere near as extreme as recent edits paint him to be. He’s not a perfect dad either, however. He means well and is loving at his core, but sometimes he can get nervous or upset about something that doesn’t make sense to the rest of his family.
Some of this is tied up in his self-consciousness. He’s very worried about what other people think, and particularly about what his boss thinks about his family. As a result, he can be unduly hard on his kids, even though it’s rooted in wanting to give them all a better life. Greg is torn between wanting to please his dad so he’ll leave him alone and genuinely wanting to please him because of the love they share.
Fans who were familiar with the book series agree that the film version of Frank is much more sympathetic and likable than the character comes across throughout the book series.
Recent popularity
On March 6, 2025, @spookiedookieson shared a creepy, black-and-white edit of scenes featuring Frank Heffley from Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The intended effect is to turn the otherwise beloved character sinister.
Soon, people were posting brainrot and schizo-style edits of different scenes that feature Frank Heffley.
As more creepy memes featuring Zahn’s take on Frank Heffley appeared on TikTok, they also spread to other social media networks.
As more users got in on the joke, they have also tried to further the lore, saying that Frank “dismembered his whole family, leaving the movies (and books) to only be a figment of his imagination,” as one Redditor wrote.
“Not a theory at all. He really dismembered his entire family after his schizophrenic diagnosis and later on transported his soul into the dad from Long Hual. The entirety of the Wimpy Kids movies, Frank was going crazy and insane and it’s obviously stated [on] several occasions. But it’s only a theory some can only speculate to actually be true,” another user wrote in agreement.
Frank Heffley meme examples
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