Why is Jon Hamm Dancing All Over My Feed (And How to Jack the Trend)

Bennett Creative
3 days ago
7 min read

The viral "Turn the Lights Off" trend explained—and what it teaches us about winning the internet in 2025.

If your newsfeed feels like a fever dream right now, you are not alone. Between the holiday ads and the 2025 recaps, one singular, hypnotic video has cut through the noise: Jon Hamm dancing in a club, eyes closed, absolutely vibing.

He’s wearing a suit. He looks like he just left a high-stress corporate meeting. And he is dancing with a level of unbothered, dissociated bliss that we haven't seen since 2012.

It’s the Jon Hamm trend, and it is dominating Instagram, TikTok, and X.

But where did it come from? Why is Don Draper dancing to a 2010 club banger? And how can your brand use this moment before it fades?

At Bennett Creative, we don’t just scroll past viral moments; we deconstruct them. As a leading social media agency, we are here to answer the questions everyone is Googling and show you exactly how to leverage the Jon Hamm vibe for your own content.

Where Is This Jon Hamm Clip From?

First, let’s answer the question burning a hole in your search history. Is this a deleted scene from Mad Men? Is it a new movie?

The viral clip is from the Apple TV+ series "Your Friends & Neighbors."

Specifically, it’s from Season 1, Episode 8, titled "When Did We Become These People?" In the show, Hamm plays Andrew "Coop" Cooper, a divorced hedge fund manager turned neighborhood thief. In this scene, after a season of intense drama and chaos, Coop hits the club in an attempt to forget it all and just dance.

While the show premiered in April 2025, the internet (as it always does) waited until December to turn it into a masterpiece.

What Song Is Jon Hamm Dancing To?

If you have the sound on, you’re hearing a thumping, nostalgic electronic beat.

The Viral Song: "Turn the Lights Off" by Danish DJ Kato featuring Jon Nørgaard. The Release Date: 2010.

Fun Fact: This is not the song playing in the actual TV show (which used "Sentient System" by Joseph William Morgan). The internet swapped the audio, and the result is genius. The track sounds like the "indie sleaze" era of 2008–2012, adding a massive layer of nostalgia that makes the video feel like a time machine. And let’s be honest, millennials are nothing if not nostalgic.

Why Is Jon Hamm Dancing All Over Your Feed?

Why this clip? Why now? The Jon Hamm vibe resonates because it hits on three specific cultural moods we are all feeling at the end of 2025:

The "Corporate Dissociation"

The most popular use of the Jon Hamm dancing trend is to contrast our current, tired selves with our younger, energetic selves.

The Caption: "Me remembering when I used to stay out until 4 AM on a Tuesday."
The Reality: "Me now, needing 3 business days to recover from one margarita."

Also trending, reels where millennials talk about staying out until 4 am and showing up for work at 8am smelling like a distillery. Now, we’re too old for that. Literally needing our 7-9 hours of sleep to deal with the corporate stress and intensity of life.

The "Unbothered King" Energy

Another variation of the trend focuses on pure, unadulterated joy in the face of minor victories.

The Caption: "When my wife finally admits I was right about the directions."
The Caption: "Me realizing I have no plans this weekend."

In a feed full of bad news and high-stress content, the Jon Hamm vibe is what we all need. He looks genuinely happy, peaceful, and cool. It’s the energy we all want to channel as we close out 2025 and carry into 2026.

One of my favorites is this reel with a cat. That’s some major unbothered king energy.

The "Silver Fox" Factor

Let’s be honest—it’s Jon Hamm. He looks incredible. The internet loves a well-dressed man who oozes confidence, and this clip is safe, wholesome "thirst trap" material that appeals to everyone from Gen Z to Boomers.

How to execute the Jon Hamm trend (without looking cringe)

As an social media agency, we often tell clients: "You don't need a film crew for this; you just need a vibe." This trend is the perfect example of low-lift, high-reward content. Here is exactly how we are advising our clients to execute this right now:

Option 1: The "Corporate Dissociation" (Best for engagement)

Search "Jon Hamm Dancing Green Screen" on CapCut or TikTok.
Film yourself (or your CEO) sitting at a desk, staring blankly at a laptop, or holding a coffee cup with a "thousand-yard stare."
Superimpose the dancing Jon Hamm over your shoulder.
The text overlay should highlight the disconnect between your external stress and your internal playlist. Example: "My face in the Q4 strategy meeting vs. my brain knowing OOO starts in 3 days."

Option 2: The "Pure Vibe" Repost (Best for speed)

Grab the high-res clip of Hamm dancing.
No filming required. This is a text-overlay play.
Use this to celebrate a small, specific win that feels disproportionately good. The specificity is what makes it funny. Example: "When the client finally approves the creative deck with zero revisions."

The Bennett Creative Pro Tip: Don't over-polish this. The charm of this trend is that it feels raw and relatable. If you color-grade it too perfectly or make it look like a TV commercial, you kill the meme. Keep it rough, keep it fun, and for the love of the algorithm, make sure your audio sync is tight.

Why is Jon Hamm dancing all over your newsfeed?

What Your Brand Can Learn From Jon Hamm

The Jon Hamm dancing phenomenon is a masterclass in Trend Jacking. Not sure what trend jacking is? Trend Jacking is a high-speed marketing arbitrage. It is the practice of seizing a viral moment you didn't start to steal visibility for a brand that needs it. Here is why it works and how Bennett Creative applies this logic to our clients:

Nostalgia is Undefeated: By swapping a modern song for a 2010 banger, the meme creators tapped into Millennial nostalgia. If your brand can trigger a "remember when?" feeling, you win.
Relatability > High Production: This isn't a polished ad. It’s a grainy clip from a TV show. It went viral because the emotion is real.
Timing is Everything: This trend exploded in December—party season—when everyone is exhausted but trying to have fun.

The Bennett Creative Deep Dive: Answering the Strategic Questions

We know you aren't just here to watch Jon Hamm dance (okay, maybe you are, that’s fine). As a brand leader, you need to know if this is a wave worth riding. Here are the top strategic questions our clients are asking us right now.

"Why is a clip from April going viral in December?"

It’s a phenomenon we call Trend Latency. The show (Your Friends & Neighbors) dropped in the spring, but the emotion of the clip—exhaustion mixed with a desire for release—hits hardest in Q4.

The Takeaway: Content doesn't always go viral immediately. Sometimes, it needs the right cultural context to ignite. We help our clients build "evergreen" assets that can be repurposed when the moment is right.

"Can my business actually use the 'Turn the Lights Off' audio?"

This is the most critical question for brands. The song by Kato is copyrighted. If you are on a Business Account, using this track could get your video muted or flagged.

The Bennett Creative Fix: Don't risk the copyright strike. We recommend participating in the visual trend (the "dissociated vibing" text overlay) but using a trending "commercial use" audio track that matches the BPM and mood. You get the viral reach without the legal headache.

"What does this trend tell us about the 2026 consumer mindset?"

The popularity of the "Jon Hamm Vibe" signals a shift toward "Dissociation Core." Audiences are tired of hyper-energetic, "hustle culture" content. They are responding to content that feels calm, unbothered, and authentic.

The Strategy: For your next campaign, consider dialing back the high-energy sales pitch. Try a tone that is more relaxed and confident—just like Jon.

"Technical Breakdown: What makes this edit work?"

As a video production agency, we look at the details. The magic of this meme isn't just the dance; it's the sync. The edit cuts to Hamm exactly when the beat drops.

The Pro Tip: If you recreate this with your CEO or team, the editing has to be tight. A sloppy cut kills the joke. (Need help with that? We’ve got editors for that.)

"Does jumping on a meme actually drive ROI?"

Yes, if done correctly. "Trend Jacking" isn't about direct sales; it's about Humanizing the Brand. When a potential client sees you participating in a cultural moment, it builds trust and likability.

The Data: Brands that mix viral trends with educational content see a 40% higher engagement rate on their "sales" posts because they have already earned the audience's attention.

How We Do Social Media at Bennett Creative

You might be thinking, "This is great, but I don't have time to find trending audio and edit clips."

That is where we come in.

Bennett Creative is a full-service digital marketing company based in Austin,Tx. We don’t just guess what’s cool; we use data and cultural analysis to put your brand in the conversation.

We Spot the Trends: We knew about the Jon Hamm vibe before it hit your feed.
We Create the Content: From scripting to shooting to editing, we handle the heavy lifting.
We Drive Results: We turn "likes" into brand loyalty.