The White House’s official TikTok account turned heads on Monday, January 5, after it included audio from Smiling Friends in a montage promoting the U.S. Armed Forces.
In the clip, the White House used dialogue from a recent episode of Smiling Friends, an adult animated comedy that airs on Adult Swim and streams on HBO.
“Guys, guys, guys, wait,” the character Charlie says over footage of U.S. President Donald Trump. “I like the direction you’re going in, but I think we need to channel this energy into something more constructive.”
“Like what?” another character responds.
“A cool [expletive] training montage,” Charlie replies.
the White House used a smiling friends audio clip for this TikTok. can we not ruin things that people enjoy. please pic.twitter.com/kScj8Y1zYS
— miranda 🪐 (@miranduhmercury) January 6, 2026
The video then cuts to footage of U.S. service members working out — including push-ups and sit-ups — before showing scenes depicting the bombing of Venezuela and the apprehension of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Maduro, 63, and his wife pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and weapons charges on Monday. Trump told NBC that he considers himself — and the U.S. government — to be in charge of Venezuela.
“LFG!! 🦅” the White House captioned the post, which had more than 1.4 million views as of publication.
Neither HBO nor Warner Bros. Discovery, nor anyone involved with Smiling Friends, had publicly commented on the White House’s use of the audio as of publication.
The video caught many social media users off guard, with several TikTok commenters expressing disbelief that the White House referenced Smiling Friends of all shows. An 11-minute animated comedy that premiered in 2020, Smiling Friends typically draws fewer than 300,000 viewers during its initial television broadcasts. Despite that, the series has cultivated a large online following, and fans appeared divided over its use in a Trump Administration video.
Smiling Friends HQ is popping up in Brooklyn. pic.twitter.com/AGs1jm5YWO
— adult swim (@adultswim) November 6, 2025
“Whoever runs this account needs a raise and is a legend,” one TikTok user wrote.
“I know for a fact that Smiling Friends would not authorize this,” another commenter added.
This was not the first recent crossover (of sorts) between Smiling Friends and the Trump Administration. A November episode featured a parody image of the character Mr. Frog striking the same pose that Trump assumed following his 2024 assassination attempt.
A Reddit post sharing the White House clip on the official Smiling Friends subreddit over 3,000 upvotes and nearly 400 comments as of Tuesday morning.
“I guarantee that no one in the administration actually watches Smiling Friends,” one Reddit commenter joked.
The video also arrives months after the Trump Administration’s public feud with South Park and Paramount. Over the past two seasons, South Park has repeatedly mocked Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, among others.
Smiling Friends recently concluded its third season, with a fourth season expected to air later this year or in 2027. Adult Swim describes Smiling Friends as a show that follows “the employees of a small company dedicated to bringing happiness to a bizarre yet colorful world.”
