If you’ve spent more than five minutes on Stan Twitter or scrolled through TikTok anytime in the last few years, you’ve definitely seen it. The clip. You know the one—Madison Beer, looking effortlessly polished, leaning in to tell a group of fans about Ariana Grande’s "thank u, next" music video.
"I was supposed to be in the video," she says.
The internet, being the internet, didn't exactly take her word for it. In fact, they tore her apart. For a long time, "I was supposed to be in the video" wasn't just a quote; it was a lethal meme used to paint Madison as the ultimate "pick-me" girl or a habitual liar. But as the dust has settled and more industry friends have spoken up, the truth is a lot more nuanced than a ten-second viral snippet suggests.
The Viral Moment That Sparked a Million Memes
Context is everything, but the internet loves to strip it away. When Madison Beer mentioned her almost-cameo in Ariana Grande’s record-breaking 2018 music video, she was talking to fans in what seemed like a casual, private moment. She explained that she couldn't make the shoot due to scheduling conflicts.
Almost immediately, the backlash was visceral. Why? Because Madison has spent a large chunk of her career fighting off "liar" allegations. Whether it was about her lips (she eventually admitted to fillers but initially denied them) or her "natural" hair color, a vocal part of the public was primed to disbelieve anything she said.
People started mocking her. They made videos saying they were "supposed to be" in the moon landing, or "supposed to be" the fifth member of Blackpink. It became a shorthand for someone trying too hard to be relevant by proximity to bigger stars.
The irony? She actually was supposed to be in the video.
Receipts, Larry, and the Ariana Connection
For years, Madison took the heat. She didn't post screenshots. She didn't beg for belief. But then, influencers who actually know the circle started talking.
Larry (Larray) and Quenlin Blackwell eventually addressed the drama. Larry, who is close with both camps, mentioned on a stream that he had actually seen the voice notes from Ariana Grande to Madison Beer. In those messages, Ariana was literally asking her to come down to the set for the "thank u, next" shoot.
"I hate saying this because then everyone on Twitter is like 'You're lying, I hate you, I was supposed to be in the video,'" Madison joked in a later livestream, finally able to laugh at the absurdity of the situation.
She wasn't making it up. The "thank u, next" video was a celebration of Ariana's friends and early 2000s nostalgia. Given that Madison and Ariana shared management (Scooter Braun) at the time and moved in the same social circles, a cameo made total sense.
Why We Love to Hate Madison Beer (and Why It’s Weird)
Honestly, the madison beer i was supposed to be in the video meme says more about us than it does about her. Madison has become a sort of Rorschach test for the internet. Because she’s conventionally beautiful and started her career very young after being discovered by Justin Bieber, there's this weird, baked-in resentment some people feel.
Every time she speaks, people look for a reason to find her "cringe."
She’s spoken candidly about having Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and how the constant "liar" narrative affected her mental health. When you’re living in a world where millions of people are calling you a pathological liar for a true statement about a music video, it’s gonna mess with your head.
The Evolution of the Meme
- Phase 1: The Leak. The original fan video hits Twitter.
- Phase 2: The Mockery. The "I was supposed to be..." template goes viral.
- Phase 3: The Backlash. Madison gets harassed on every platform.
- Phase 4: The Vindication. Friends and industry peers confirm she was telling the truth.
- Phase 5: The Meta-Joke. Madison now uses the line herself to poke fun at her own "cancelled" era.
Reclaiming the Narrative
Madison is no longer the teenager trying to prove herself to strangers. Her 2023 album Silence Between Songs and her subsequent tours have shifted the focus back to her vocals—which, let’s be real, are incredible.
She’s leaned into the joke. During her "The Spinnin Tour," and in various TikToks, she’s acknowledged the meme. By making the joke herself, she took the power away from the trolls. It’s a classic PR move, but it also feels genuine. When you’ve been the internet’s punching bag for half a decade, you either develop a thick skin or you fold. She chose the former.
What to Learn from the "Supposed to Be" Drama
There’s a lesson here about the "Believe Women" movement not always extending to women the internet finds "annoying."
- Receipts aren't always necessary: Just because a celeb doesn't post a screenshot of a text doesn't mean they're lying. Sometimes, they just have boundaries.
- The "Pick-Me" label is overused: Often, it's just used to silence women who are sharing their actual experiences.
- Context matters: A 5-second clip is never the whole story.
If you’re looking to support Madison, the best thing you can do is actually listen to the music. Stop looking for the "gotcha" moments in her old livestreams. Check out her Life Support album if you want to see how she processed the trauma of public scrutiny. It’s raw, it’s synth-heavy, and it’s a lot better than a recycled meme from 2018.
Check out her latest tour footage on YouTube to see how she’s turned that "cringe" energy into a massive, loyal fan base that doesn't care if she was in the video or not—they're just glad she's still making music.