From ‘30 Rock’ to ‘Ted Lasso’, 7 Sexy Baby Memes Inspired by Taylor Swift’s ‘Midnights’

Taylor Swift’s tenth studio album Midnights has arrived, and to celebrate, everyone’s tweeting about sexy babies.

Yes, you heard us. Sexy babies. Why? Because in Track 3, “Anti-Hero,” Swift sings the line, “Sometimes I feel like everyone’s a sexy baby.” The unexpected lyric was a lot for people to take in, so some fans started tweeting sexy baby memes to cope. Turns out, there are quite a few “sexy baby” references in movies and TV shows, but one of the most popular is, of course, from 30 Rock.

Fans of the NBC comedy instantly connected the Swift line to a scene from Season 5, Episode 16, “TGS Hates Women.” The episode shows Liz hiring a woman, Abby Flynn (Cristin Milioti), on TGS with Tracy Jordan‘s writing staff to prove the show isn’t misogynistic. But when Liz realizes Abby leans into stereotypical women tropes, she tells her she can “drop the sexy baby act.” In the scene being referenced on Twitter, Abby assures Liz “the whole sexy baby thing isn’t an act” before cooing, “I’m a very sexy baby.”

While it’s easy to laugh at the words “sexy” and “baby” in succession, Twitter user @parkersrodrigo points out that if Swift’s line is a 30 Rock reference, it could have a deeper meaning tied to the male gaze and childlike behavior. Swifties may be hearing the term “sexy baby” for the first time today, but the concept has been around for years. In 2018, Vice defined “sexy baby” as “someone who derives their power from being both sexy and babyish, but, crucially, is not a baby.” The article notes that Ariana Grande, Drake, the dragon from Shrek, and more all have BSBE (Big Sexy Baby Energy). And Lana Del Rey is even on the list, which is noteworthy because she’s featured on a Midnights track with Swift.

Though 30 Rock features one of pop culture’s most memorable sexy baby references, the slew of sexy baby memes reminded us that there are certainly others. From The Simpsons and Ted Lasso to The Boss Baby and more, we present some of the finest sexy baby memes online.

Perhaps one day Taylor Swift will break down her sexy baby reference for us, but until then, let’s listen to Midnights on repeat and enjoy the memes.