In a moment that shocked the internet, actress Elizabeth Olsen broke down the meaning behind the viral “6-7” meme during an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers.
The WandaVision star admitted that she often felt out of touch with modern culture, but she surprised viewers by offering a thoughtful explanation for one of Gen Z’s most nonsensical, ubiquitous phrases. Her take quickly spread across social media, leaving fans shocked and amused.
Highlights
- Elizabeth Olsen surprised fans by revealing she is familiar with the ‘6-7’ meme.
- The actress offered a surprisingly thoughtful and accurate explanation of the viral Gen Z phrase.
- Her comments sparked an internet meltdown, with many joking they “never felt older.”
Elizabeth Olsen explained why Gen Z loves saying “6-7,” and fans couldn’t believe she knew it existed
Image credits: Dominik Bindl/Getty Images
During her interview with Seth Meyers, Olsen reflected on her new movie Eternity, where she played a 90-year-old woman, and joked that the role hit close to home.
“It was something really different to get to lean into,” she said about the part, adding she often felt “like an old lady in real life.”
Image credits: Late Night with Seth Meyers
“Not like, wise,” she clarified. “I do just feel a little out of touch with the times. I don't really know what's going on in culture.”
Then came the twist. “But I do know about 6-7,” Olsen continued. “I'm really into 6-7.”
Image credits: Late Night with Seth Meyers
Meyers noted that his children used the term constantly, prompting Olsen to offer her interpretation, which, to the internet’s shock, was actually quite accurate, according to Unilad.
“So I think the reason they love it is because it's absurd and random. And how great,” she said.
Image credits: Late Night with Seth Meyers
She added that so much of modern culture seemed “cynical or pointing at something,” but the abstract silliness of celebrating two numbers in order felt refreshing.
“There's something really funny to me about the abstraction and absurdity of just getting excited about two numbers that are in order.”
“It’s not like a funny combination,” she emphasized. “It's just like how it's always been.”
Her explanation actually lined up with Dictionary.com’s own take on the viral phrase. The site described “6-7” as a “meaningless, ubiquitous and nonsensical” phrase when it named it 2025’s Word of the Year.
The internet, however, was not prepared for Olsen's comments. Soon, social media was filled with reactions ranging from disbelief to existential crisis. “Why is Elizabeth Olsen explaining 6-7 in my fyp? LMAO,” one person said on X.
Another admitted: “I never would've expected Elizabeth Olsen would know what 6-7 is,” adding a crying emoji.
Image credits: Jan-Janko/Wikimedia
“Elizabeth Olsen knowing about 6-7 was not on my bingo card…” someone else echoed, while many more joked that they had never “felt older than this moment.”
One fan summed up the chaos best: “How does she know more about it than me?”
The bizarre origins of “6-7” are meme-worthy, and the internet still couldn’t agree on its meaning
As people debated Olsen’s explanation, others revisited the origin of the phrase itself. The meme could be traced back to hip-hop artist Skrilla, who released Doot Doot in December of last year.
In the track, he rapped: “6-7, I just bipped right on the highway.”
From there, the numbers took on a life of their own, especially after a fanmade highlight video of NBA star LaMelo Ball, who happens to be 6 feet, 7 inches tall, went viral.
The meme gained even more popularity when a young fan was filmed at an amateur basketball game yelling “six seven” with a specific up-and-down hand gesture.
According to Dictionary.com, the phrase embodied the best (and worst) of being “chronically online.”
“It’s the logical endpoint of being perpetually online, scrolling endlessly, consuming content fed to users by algorithms trained by other algorithms,” the site explained when it added the term.
Image credits: Kevin Paul/Wikimedia
Today, “6-7” is used by Gen Z mostly as a random interjection, though in a way, its lack of meaning is the point.
Skrilla has admitted as much in a comment to The Wall Street Journal. When asked about the viral numbers, the hip-hop artist admitted that “6-7” is essentially meaningless.
“I never put an actual meaning on it, and I still would not want to,” he said, adding that the absence of meaning is “why everybody keeps saying it.”
Netizens shared their thoughts on Elizabeth Olsen’s comments about “6-7” on social media
