BBQ Becky: Woman Who Filmed the Viral Video Comments on the Meme

A meme known as BBQ Becky reached a new height of popularity for memes when it made it to *Saturday Night Live.” Now the woman behind the camera has offered her perspective on the whole matter.

Michelle Snider, an Oakland resident and the wife of one of the men shown in the clip, has identified herself as the woman behind the viral video. She spoke about the incident in a YouTube video published Sunday. She explained why she captured the events of that day when a woman, now known as BBQ Becky, called the cops on men barbecuing at Lake Merritt in Oakland.

“I heard the other stories where people try to target black people in Oakland,” Snider said in the video. “It just seems like this is happening a lot, like there’s this call to arms to call the police for every stupid thing and trying to get people arrested or even worse.”

As for the response, though Snider mentioned someone dug through her trash and people asked her to take the video down, she also said she’s been enjoying the BBQ Becky memes. In her newest video, Snider also showed an additional video of the confrontation with BBQ Becky from a different angle as well as the recent festivities at Lake Merritt resulting from it.

In the video’s description, Snider said she will post another video discussing her strategy to deal with harassment.

BBQ Becky memes took off at the beginning of May, and new ones continue to show up online. From Becky showing up at the inauguration of President Barack Obama to calling the cops on kneeling NFL players, the internet continues to poke fun at her BBQ policing. On the Season 43 finale of SNL, cast member Aidy Bryant brought the meme to life at the end of “Weekend Update,” and then again during the final bow of the show.