Justin Timberlake credits creator of viral ‘it’s gonna be May’ meme: ‘Look what you started’

‘Dude I’m so sorry that you have to see this every year,’ meme’s creator Kianna Davis responded

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Justin Timberlake has celebrated the arrival of May by crediting the creator behind the viral “it’s going to be May” meme.

On Saturday, 1 May, the singer acknowledged the meme, which reemerges each year and mocks his pronunciation of “me” in the NSYNC song It’s Gonna Be Me, by sharing a photo of Kianna Davis, the meme’s creator, on his Instagram Stories.

In the photo, Davis, who originally created the meme in 2012 when she glued a photo of Timberlake from his band days to her calendar at the bottom of April, can be seen holding the original calendar.

“Now that it’s ACTUALLY May, I have to give props where they are due,” Timberlake wrote, adding: “Look what you started” and tagging Davis along with a laughing emoji.

The shoutout prompted a response from Davis, who reposted the story to her own Instagram stories and wrote: “Can’t believe this.”

Davis also took the chance to apologise for her role in the infamous meme, continuing: “I’ll never forget it (but dude I’m so sorry you have to see this every year).

“Love you always,” she added.

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In a separate response to the singer on Twitter, Davis further expressed her love for Timberlake, writing: “Dude I love you so much. Thank you for this and I’ll cherish it forever.”

(Instagram )

The sweet exchange between the superstar and Davis was met with amusement from fans, with many praising Timberlake for being a good sport about the meme - and for crediting Davis.

“This is great. Also love that you have accepted us doing this every year, seriously,” one person wrote. “It’s fun for us and is a perfect way to start May.”

Another person said: “Yess. From one legend to another.”

“I just love this so much. SO MUCH,” someone else wrote.

This is not the first time Timberlake has acknowledged the viral meme mocking his pronunciation, as he previously tweeted: “Hey guys… it’s May” on 1 May 2017.

As for how the joke came to be, Davis said she started the internet-famous meme as a joke for her friends who were fans of NSYNC.

“I was still in college, I didn’t think anything of it other than posting a joke for my NSYNC friends,” Davis told NewsNationNow. “I never in my life imagined it would become this.”

However, she is grateful for all the people she has met as a result of the famous meme, telling the outlet: “It’s nice now to have so many friends all across the world who love NSYNC and now we pretty much have a holiday where we can come together and celebrate the group.”