Will the real “couch guy” please stand up?
TikTok users are in a frenzy, frantically trying to determine the identity of a college student caught cozying up on a couch with a woman who is not his girlfriend.
The mystery man, who is being dubbed “couch guy,” was featured in a TikTok video uploaded by his girlfriend Lauren Zarras on September 21.
The short clip, which is set to Ellie Goulding’s romantic track “Still Falling For You,” shows Zarras excitedly walking into her boyfriend’s college apartment in a bid to surprise him.
However, his muted reaction to her arrival and the presence of another female on the couch has sparked speculation that he has not exactly been missing his girlfriend and been cheating on his ladylove while away for college instead.
“Red flag! He didn’t get up off the couch and jump up and down in excitement,” said a user called +00kapack.
“If my girl walked in and I’m sitting on the couch next to two other girls I’m leaving in a body bag lmao,” user Brandon joked.
A user by the name added her own conspiracy theory: “Nah those boys def set him up. He legit secretly grabbed his phone from the girl next to him.”
Meanwhile, several popular TikTok users have created parodies of Zarras’ video, which has been viewed more than 58 million times.
TikTokers Gabrielle Krauss and Menecis & Brody both staged their own exaggerated reenactments of the original clip in which the male subject they surprise is clearly caught cheating.
The cheesy tone of Zarras’ clip, complete with the Goulding love song, has also been mocked by several single TikTokers who have filmed themselves arriving home to their pets.
User Stanley The Stan Man filmed himself arriving back at his apartment and greeting his furry feline, captioning the hilarious video: “Surprising my cat by coming home early”.
Page Six even got in on the trend, creating a parody which cut Goulding’s gushy song against old vision of “Real Housewives of Orange County” star Vicki Gunvalson surprising her mortified son at his college.
And while the full name of “couch guy” has not been determined, TikTokers have confirmed his first name is Robbie.
Robbie himself recently took to TikTok under a pseudonym insisting he “loves” his girlfriend.
Zarras has also hit back, saying she is sure her boyfriend isn’t cheating on her despite being spotted on the couch with another woman.
“Breaks my heart that people can watch a special moment and bring so much negativity,” she wrote on TikTok. “Please think before you assume anything about my relationship.”
And in another video, Zarras made it even clearer, #StopTheHate.