Meaning
What does I’m Surrounded by Idiots mean?
I’m surrounded by idiots refers to a memorable quote, from the 1994 Disney animation, The Lion King.
Online, the scene has been used as a reaction image macro as well as reaction GIF to express the feeling of overwhelming idiocy surrounding one, similar to I Don’t Want to Live on This Planet Anymore.
Origin
What's the origin of I’m Surrounded by Idiots?
The Lion King premiered in the United States on June 12th, 1994.
In one of the scenes, the villain, Scar is expressing his frustration with the stupidity of his hyena henchmen by saying the line “I’m surrounded by idiots”.
Spread & Usage
How did I’m Surrounded by Idiots spread?
The first isolated clip of the scene was uploaded to YouTube by EllaliaThompson on April 17th, 2011.
“I’m surrounded by idiots” would become a consistent meme throughout the 2010’s, appearing on image macro memes, and reaction GIFs on sites ranging from Facebook, Instagram, Reddit to 9GAG.

External resources
- Medium.com – “I’m Surrounded By Idiots!”