In a compelling scene set amid a lavish party, Leonardo DiCaprio‘s portrayal of Jay Gatsby raising a glass of champagne in Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” swiftly became a cultural phenomenon. Released in the second trailer on December 20, 2012, this brief but iconic moment stirred audiences and, surprisingly, launched a meme that continues to hold its presence over a decade later. As the 100th anniversary of the novel’s publication is observed on April 10, this viral image of Leonardo DiCaprio’s Gatsby remains more recognizable to many than the classic tale itself.
DiCaprio’s charismatic toast caught the public’s imagination soon after the trailer’s release. Just three days after the movie’s May 10, 2013, debut, the moment transformed into a meme. According to Know Your Meme, a Tumblr user initially paired the scene with the Fergie song, “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got),” making “Leo Toasting” a viral hit. By June, BuzzFeed highlighted it in an article, ranking the Gatsby toast as one of the top times Leonardo DiCaprio raised his glass.
The meme’s adaptability was further fueled when Meme Generator allowed users to customize the iconic image with their own text, ensuring its widespread popularity. Ten years after the film’s release, the Leonardo DiCaprio toast GIF is as strong as ever. An unexpected testament to its influence came from the translator of the 2023 French edition of “The Great Gatsby,” who attributed some of the novel’s continued appeal to the pervasive charm of “Leo Toasting.” As Jacques Mailhos noted in the Economic Times, the internet helped transform Jay Gatsby into a meme that transcended the original story’s charm and mystery.
Despite the 2013 film’s notable success, earning $353 million globally and winning Oscars for both production and costume design, many internet users recognize it less than the viral image it created. Proof of this is evident in a recent 2023 Reddit poll where, although users recognized the meme, a majority struggled to identify the film as its source.
As the meme enters another decade of visibility, Leonardo DiCaprio’s Gatsby toast has secured its place as an enduring symbol of celebratory excess that captures the essence of the Jazz Age. Let Leo raise a glass to that ongoing legacy.
