Spilling the Tea

The act of Spilling the Tea has emerged as a fresh idiom, serving as an apt comparison for disseminating hearsay or gossip.

This expression was frequently employed in black drag communities before it gained widespread popularity due to the viral Kermit the Frog meme that humorously conveyed disinterest by stating “None of My Business.”

spill it bruva

Back in 1991, the term “Tea” made its debut appearance on paper within William G. Hawkeswood‘s book titled One of the Children: An Ethnography of Identity and Gay Black Men.

In this literary work, a wise individual draws comparisons between two distinct worlds – that of gay men versus straight ones – concluding that those who identify as LGBTQ+ have an edge over their heterosexual counterparts because they offer up both impressive dance moves and juicy gossip (a.k.a., Tea).

It was in this context, that the term “Tea” was first used as slang for tittle-tattle.

The inaugural definition of “Spilling the Tea” was penned on Urban Dictionary‘s digital pages back in 2003. However, it wasn’t until a certain meme featuring Kermit sipping tea and minding his own business that this slang term really took off in the early 2010s.

This viral sensation quickly spread like wildfire across countless online platforms dedicated to all things memetic – from social media groups to specialized websites solely devoted to humorous internet trends.

Fast-forward several years later, and BuzzFeed received an influx of memes with the title “Everyone Who Loves Spilling the Tea” – further cementing this catchy expression into our cultural lexicon.

• Urban Dictionary – Spill the tea